September 8, 2018

Baked Buddies

For my 12th ride in the annual Best Buddies Hearst Castle Challenge, I considered opting for the 60-mile route instead of my traditional 100. Although repairs to the Pacific Coast Highway were completed ahead of schedule [when does that ever happen?], the organizers couldn't gamble that the road would be open before the big day. We would trace the same route we followed last year.

We made the long trek to San Simeon and visited some of the local sights after checking in. For the first time, I spotted the resident zebras grazing in the fields below the castle—I've long known about them, but not clearly seen them till now.

Zebras grazing in tall grass, San Simeon, California
We drove a few miles north to observe the resident elephant seals. The colony was spread around the largest bull I've seen. No doubts about who's in charge.

Elephant seals lounging on the beach, San Simeon, California
I wasn't enthused about reprising last year's route, and I imagined that climbing Old Creek Road would be more scenic than Highway 41. I mean, the highway was sort of scenic—this is California, after all—but the back roads are more enticing. I had been similarly tempted last year, but stayed the course.

When I thanked my donors last year, I invited any of them to join me (and expected no takers). Surprise! One of my friends signed up, excited to be tackling her first century. The die was cast.

As the day drew near, I kept a close eye on the forecast. The predicted inland high temperature for Saturday kept creeping up. As we drove to San Simeon, I checked the current conditions in Paso Robles: 107°F. (Yikes.) Neither of us could handle that kind of heat. I nearly bonked at mile 60, last year—and that was not a triple-digit day.

And so it was, with some regrets, that we traded down to the 60-mile route.

View of the Pacific Ocean near Cayucas, California
There are some stunning views as we head south along Highway 1, but with riders moving fast in a pack there are few opportunities to pull aside for a photo stop.

View of Whale Rock Reservoir and the Pacific Ocean from Old Creek Road above Cayucas, California
We climbed Old Creek Road from one end to the other. Along the way, there was a great view of Whale Rock Reservoir with the Pacific Ocean in the distance.

Ghost bike in memory of Jose Martel, killed on Old Creek Road above Cayucas, California on 3 December 2016
There was more traffic than I expected, with a motorcycle officer from the CHP patrolling up and down. When I saw the ghost bike, I understood.

By 10:30 a.m., it was already uncomfortably hot. Toward the top, I pedaled from one patch of shade to the next (when I could find some). I passed a cyclist immobilized with leg cramps, and others who were walking.

pep's bike at the summit, elevation 1762 feet, along Highway 46 above Cambria, California
This year, I had no intention of climbing the wall on Santa Rosa Creek Road. The organizers heeded our pleas for mercy and offered Highway 46 as an official bypass option. [Which I would have taken, anyway.]

Misty view of Morro Rock and the Pacific Ocean from Highway 46 above Cambria, California
Highway 46 offers expansive views of secluded canyons, the Pacific, and Morro Rock at the mouth of the bay. My descent was especially carefree: during yesterday's drive, we witnessed Caltrans sweeping the shoulder(!). A few pockets of warm air crossed the road, and by the time I reached Highway 1 the cool headwind was welcome. A tailwind would have been even more welcome, but ... dream on.

Pelicans diving into the Pacific for their meal, William Randolph Hearst Memorial Beach, San Simeon, California
After crossing the finish line, I enjoyed a late lunch at the beach—watching the pelicans compete for their lunch.

The shorter route (58 miles, 3,220 feet of climbing) gave us ample time to arrive at the barbecue in time for all the speeches and award presentations. And, of course, the band!

Soulville California Band performing at the barbecue, Hearst Ranch, San Simeon, California
Every year we meet new Buddy Ambassadors and are inspired by their achievements: meaningful jobs, sincere friendships, and the confidence to live full lives.

Poster for rest stop host Best Buddies Ambassador Caley Versfelt, quote: Inclusion IS possible. Together, if we can dream it, we can achieve it!, Santa Rosa Creek Road above Cambria, California
Every year I am humbled by the donations I'm able to collect, and awed by the top fundraisers.

William Randolph Hearst's office, Casa Grande (Hearst Castle), San Simeon, California
We took a short tour of Casa Grande at the after-party, where I was thrilled to get a close-up view of the resident bats in addition to the usual sights (like Mr. Hearst's office, above). Others in our party were, shall we say ... not so thrilled?

Best Buddies logo projected next to stairs leading to the Best Buddies VIP party at Hearst Castle, San Simeon, California
My ride buddy and I made the right call; Atascadero topped out at 101°F. Mother Nature willing, I'll return to the traditional coastal route in 2019—all 100 miles of it.

September 4, 2018

For Jon

The day was clear and although it warmed up in the hills south of Hollister, somehow there was a refreshingly cool breeze. This is how Jon would want to be remembered, we said, riding our bikes in the golden California countryside.

View of golden, oak-studded hills from Cienega Road, San Benito County, California
I rarely crossed paths with Jon; he was an accomplished long-distance cyclist, with tens of thousands of miles and 44 double centuries safely behind him. We did ride in the same group in January, when he turned up for a shorter ride (which he, of course, extended).

Before we set out on our bicycles this morning, eight of us made our way to the San Benito County courthouse to be present for the arraignment of the driver who killed Jon on February 19. The driver wasn't there, but we were. His attorney responded to the judge with a plea of “not guilty.” Of course, the man is guilty of taking Jon's life. The legal system must determine whether he is guilty of the precise charge that has been filed against him.

Looking back at the shimmering golden hills, Cienega Road, San Benito County, California
There is a beautiful sheen to the hills when the light strikes them just so.

We climbed Cienega Road from Hollister to Paicines and turned south onto Highway 25. Nothing stands out about the place where Jon lost his life that day. The roadway has no shoulder, but there is ample visibility: that stretch of road is razor-straight. It can be an easy place to drive very fast.

At the future site of a ghost bike for Jon Kaplan, Cienega Road and Airline Highway, Paicines, California
Thanks to the owner of the Paicines Ranch, we expect to place a Ghost Bike nearby, in Jon's memory.

The other riders in our group are much stronger than I am; there were at least two who have completed multiple double centuries—including one rider in the Triple Crown Hall of Fame. On our return to Hollister, I motioned that they should pass me as we approached an uphill grade on Highway 25. “No, this is fine,” they said. And I understood. On this road, on this day, they were my wingmen.

I dug deep on that hill, and managed to average 13.2 mph overall, climbing 1,560 feet over 38 miles.

Know that we will return, and that we will never forget.

September 3, 2018

Mellow Fellows

“You're doing great!” he said, as if I needed encouragement.

Where do I go, with that? I simply smiled. [You have no idea, do you?] I mean, I'm sure my fellow rider meant well.

I wanted a long-ish ride today, and opted for the only “flat” route on our club's calendar.

The riders-who-do-hills and the riders-who-do-not rarely mix it up in our club. Most of the faces were as unfamiliar to me as mine was to them.

We rode out to the Calero Reservoir, where we were approached by a confused minivan driver seeking Mt. Umunhum. [Which you could see, in the smoky distance, from where we stood.] After several cyclists gamely explained how to get there from here (with more turns than she could fathom), I said “Point your navigation system at Hicks Road, and that will take you there.”

I've been part of this movie before. These folks ride well enough, single-file, on a trail. On the road? They're all over the lane, only occasionally taking the hint that “car back” means single-up, and dashing the hopes of any motorist who planned to turn right on red at every traffic signal.

One rider gently chided me for passing him on the right. I apologized, and gently explained that it's hard to pass him on the left when he's not staying to the right. As in, about eight feet from the curb. I take that as comfort with riding two-abreast. Evidently I should not. [I gave him a wide berth, thereafter.]

Maybe I was just cranky today. When I set out, one of the first things I saw was a discarded cigarette that had burned itself out on top of a dried-up pile of needles shed by a redwood tree. How lucky are we that they didn't catch fire! How stupid do you have to be to toss a burning cigarette into the gutter? That's beyond careless.

When we stopped for a snack break, I approached a new-to-the-club rider. “Before we leave, let me help you adjust your helmet.” None of the other dozen riders in our group noticed, apparently, that her helmet was completely askew and tilted back on her head. “That feels much better!” she exclaimed.

It's the little things.

I tacked on a moderate hill climb at the end, finishing with 41 miles and 1,160 feet of climbing.

August 18, 2018

Palomares Pals

Has it really been more than nine years since I've climbed Palomares?

It would be hot today, with the air quality falling as the temperature was rising. We persuaded our leader to alter the route plan: Let's climb Palomares first; later, Kilkare will offer some shade.

Valley view from summit of Palomares Road, Castro Valley, California
The road had been closed last season, or the season before, after heavy rains slid some of the hillside across the pavement.

After dropping down the backside, a rider caught up to me on the exposed stretch that parallels the freeway. “I'm glad we're doing this now, and not at 1 p.m.” he said. That's what all of us had in mind, this morning. That, and also riding through Niles Canyon before the traffic picked up.

Traffic. Stopped. Completely. On Foothill. No shoulder. No room to roll past. I dismounted and walked (more than a quarter of a mile).

Drivers? Sat in their cars.

The day warmed up, it did. 35 miles, 2,360 feet of climbing took more out of me than I expected. Nothing a nice, long nap couldn't fix.

August 17, 2018

Kouign-amann Karma

When you bike to work and find a kouignette waiting on your desk, the day is off to a great start.

Kouignette pastry glistening with sugar crystals
I had never heard of (much less tasted) a kouign-amann before. (Think croissant meets sticky bun.) One of my colleagues completed a rigorous professional pastry-chef curriculum this year as a way to relax (?!) and unwind from the stresses of work. [Yeah, I don't understand, either.] When his final “exam” was judged by local restaurateurs, one offered him a job on the spot. But that wasn't the point ...

Thus, it's not uncommon to find something delectable next to your keyboard in the morning.

My other stroke of good fortune, this week, is that I'm taking care of a friend's cat while she's away. She was in an unexpected bind because her regular cat-sitter had moved out of the area.

Me: Um, I can do it?

Friend: OMG, you don't know how much money you're saving me!

Me: And you will not pay me a dime! Your place is 3.5 miles from my office! I can just bike there, every day!

Smoky sunset viewed from pedestrian/bike bridge over State Highway 101, Sunnyvale, Calfironia
It's still smoky.

Close-up of ginger-colored cat
Kitty and I got along famously. He wandered in late the first night, ate, jumped up to check me out, purred and curled up on my lap to sleep. (Get that laptop out of the way!)

Each morning he'd climb onto my chest as soon as I woke up and nuzzle his purring head under my chin. Within a day, he'd adapted to my schedule.

This all worked wonders to reduce my stress level.

Piece of hazelnut/chocolate rugelach dusted with powdered sugar.
That, and the hazelnut/chocolate rugelach.

August 11, 2018

Creamy Good

Sometimes you need an incentive to spur you to climb on the bike. Club rides are great for that.

This morning I was more enthusiastic about sleeping in than I was about any of the rides listed on the calendar. But I did like the prospect of connecting with my fellow riders at our annual Ice Cream Social, which was scheduled at a friendly, post-lunch hour. And I was hankering for a long-ish ride.

After indulging myself and chatting with friends, I decided to take a different route home. Why not visit the rookery?

Snowy egrets on their nest, Mountain View, California
Many of the youngsters had fledged by the time I last visited, but there were still a few on the nest. As I watched, some crows set up a ruckus and the sky suddenly swirled with a flock of adult egrets. More than a few remain, after all.

Great blue heron on the far bank flanked by yellow-flowering bushes, San Francisco Bay shore, Mountain View, California
One of the resident great blue herons was hunkered down next to a channel along the Bay.

Cormorants on posts and a rail over water, San Francisco Bay shoreline, Diablo Range in the background, Sunnyvale, California
Today there were cormorants lined up, as they will, preening and drying their wings.

Trailside sign for the San Francisco Bay Trail, Sunnyvale, California
The Bay Trail offers options; I chose the straight and not-so-narrow. Reversing the route I usually lead, I was curious to explore a new segment of the San Tomas Aquino Trail.

Trailside sign for San Tomas Aquino/Saratoga Creek Trail, Santa Clara, California
They've extended the two-way, separated trail alongside San Tomas Expressway. But it's not done. And I hadn't studied the map for options before making this fateful decision, knowing that there is a wide shoulder on the expressway and that traffic would be light on a Sunday afternoon.

What I didn't know was that only one southbound lane would be open (road construction), with ... no shoulder. When I reached the end, I glared at barriers blocking access to the as-yet-unopened continuation of the trail. It was already striped! Why the heck wasn't it open?

I pedaled hard. The driver behind me was heroically patient; never honking, never trying to pass me. Maybe he or she was my guardian angel, shielding me from the cars behind. Or maybe they all just understood that even though I was slow, traffic was backed up and we'd all come together at the next traffic light anyway. There was no place for me to pull off (though I did consider veering left and pedaling in the cone zone).

I made it. 51 miles, only 800 feet of climbing.

August 7, 2018

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes

It's not a cloudy morning.

It's a smoky morning.

The fires raging through the hills of northern California are hundreds of miles away, but the smoke spreads. The prevailing westerly winds haven't been enough to clear it away.

I did a double-take yesterday morning when I awoke to a red glow on the wall: sunrise. The smoke layer above us colors the light.

Absent warnings about air quality, I biked to (and from) work. My schedule hasn't been bike-commute-friendly this summer. (Not being a “morning person,” anything earlier than a 9:30 a.m. meeting makes the 18-mile trip infeasible.) On some mornings, I do load my trusty steed onto a commuter shuttle—and bike home at the end of the day. One way is better than no way.

Today gave me the usual 36 miles and 1,000 feet of climbing. The sun will come out ... tomorrow.