Twistin' 'n Turnin'

Without a route sheet, it was important to stick with the leader, and so I chose the slower of two groups today.

So many turns (!) as we wound our way through the residential streets of Almaden.

At the far end, we passed the remaining cabins of New Almaden, built along the creek when the nearby hills were mined for cinnabar (mercury ore). As many times as I've passed “Casa Grande,” I didn't realize it houses a museum devoted to the local mining history (until today).

We rode as far as the Almaden Reservoir, and saw a few fishermen casting their lines despite the signs posted to warn that the fish are contaminated. (Mercury, hello.)

Wait a sec ... reservoir? Drinking water? Mercury-contaminated fish?

Out there, I could have made a right turn and taken a (difficult) shortcut home. But that wasn't the point, today; socializing and spinning on a sunny day, that was the point.

I kept it flat: 38 miles, 875 feet of climbing.