Surf and Turf (42 miles)

Today's ride ended up being a bit of a mishmash, mostly because of this schizophrenic heat wave we've been experiencing, but also because I overslept. The original plan was to get an early start and ride through Tilden, climb the Bears on Bear Creek Road, then head south through Orinda and Moraga and take Pinehurst back over the hills. With the heavy marin layer that we've had the past few days, I figured I'd have perfect weather to do a lot of climbing.

However.. I woke up (late) to clear sunny skies and climbing mercury. It was already pretty warm by 9 am, so I was a little apprehensive about all the climbing I had planned. I wilt in the heat.

So, first modification: instead of climbing up Spruce and going through Tilden, I decided to BART to Orinda and just go straight to the Bears. I was on the road by 10am, and it was warm, but not heat-stroke warm.

Then once I got through with the Bears, it was about noon and way too warm east of the hills to do much more climbing. So, back to Oakland on BART, where I packed a quick lunch and rode down to the Bay Trail to take advantage of those cool breezes off the bay. The picnic at the Berkeley marina didn't last long though, because it was freezing and blustery down by the water. Figures.

Animules: 3 deer sprinting across Bear Creek Road; lots of horses
Distance: 42 miles
Time in the Saddle: 4 hours