Plan B(rrr)

Really, I should know better. Although the start for today's ride is just a few miles from home, conditions can be very different. Very.

I saw the fog creeping over the ridge shortly after merging onto the highway. When I bring an extra layer, I end up not wearing it. When I don't bring it, I regret it. Like, today.

While my chief ride buddy and I were reconsidering our route, another pair of club members showed up with their own (ambitious) plan for the day.

It should be less windy once we're in the trees, I reassured her. We'll meet at the top of Old Santa Cruz Highway and decide whether to drop down the other side, or return to circle Lexington Reservoir.

Visibility was not an issue, because the marine layer was above us. But nearing the summit, I heard the distinctive sssss of tires on wet pavement after a car passed me: I knew what to expect. I tilted my head down as I pedaled through a brief redwood shower.

Throughout this extraordinary time, one surprising change is the number of people visiting parks and trails. Cars are often parked in unexpected places (near trailheads). Trails can get crowded. How did all these people normally spend their weekends, before they came down with cabin fever from months of sheltering-in-place?

I've also found that people are friendlier. Virtually everyone smiles and says hello; some even start a conversation. It's a fellow human! At a safe distance!

Circling the reservoir entails riding a short stretch of Highway 17, and I always imagine that passing drivers are startled to see cyclists on the road. We're at the right edge of a lane dedicated to the next exit, which offers a relatively comfortable buffer from the fast-moving traffic. Today, though, that exit lane was a bit busier than usual (people visiting parks, see above).

By the time I finished our abbreviated route (17 miles, 1,685 feet of climbing), the fog had retreated and the sky was thoroughly blue. We'll try this again next week; a later start should make all the difference we need to follow the route I'd intended.

Oh, and maybe I'll remember to keep a small trash bag in the car. I have a sometimes-habit of leaving a place cleaner than I found it. In that spirit, today I collected two flattened cans, one empty plastic water bottle, a (broken) glass bottle, two flattened paper cups, and a fast-food fries container.