Motorcycles, Mostly

As the group was gathering for today's ride, one rider proclaimed “You helped me become a better cyclist!” He explained that he used to bonk all the time, and then fished a sandwich bag from his pocket filled with my “cure:” Salted, peanut butter pretzel nuggets. I smiled and held up my cache of the same. Another was grateful for comments I'd shared long ago about recovering from a PCL injury.

Unexpectedly, those two guests on today's ride knew me from a road bike mailing list at work. [Small world!] It was pure luck that we met today for the first time. Especially since one of them is now based in Australia.

Unfamiliar with this route, I told them what to expect. Motorcycles, mostly. Sports cars. “Pickup trucks,” our ride leader added.

And views that the vast majority of Bay Area residents will never see.

They were somewhat uncertain about going the distance to The Junction, concerned about climbing back out. But the thing is, once you make that turn onto Mines Road, there is essentially nothing until then. (Except those views that the vast majority of Bay Area residents will never see.)

One guy was getting over a cold, the other had just flown in yesterday—and then broke a spoke after the first few miles. The wheel was still true enough; another rider helped him weave the broken spoke through others to tuck it out of the way. They kept going and were glad they did. “It's just like you said it would be!” one exclaimed.

I was surprised that wildflowers were still blooming, and flowering shrubs on the hillsides shimmered in the light.

There are creeks running alongside the road, but there was another area that caught my eye. There was something different about that standing water. Was I looking at sag ponds? (Indeed, I think they were. Mines Road basically aligns with the Greenville Fault.)

We passed a few Aermotors along the way; this one begged for a glamour shot.

The temperature will be unbearable here tomorrow, but today it was just right. A bit windy, but that helped keep us cool as we climbed 3,705 feet over 62 miles. Of the times I've biked this road, today was the prettiest.