Posted by Ted on Apr 17, 2010 in
Biking,
Technology After discovering a couple of key new connections, I explored unridden territory today, and avoided both Alameda and the Oakland Hills by riding up to Cesar Chavez Park in Berkeley this afternoon. A mostly urban ride, but with more bike paths than I was expecting, I went up the Embarcadero and through Jack London Square, and then around the Port of Oakland and past Emeryville, to a small park jutting into the bay. My route is below, using Google’s new ‘Bicycle Directions‘ feature which I can tell I’m going to like a lot. Clicking the map will take you to the saved route.
I had meant to go all the way up to Point Isabel, but the wind and fading light turned me around. Without Alameda or the port to block the view, San Francisco was so close that I could almost touch it. The Bay Bridge was extending into the bay to my left and curving in to Yerba Buena Island. The City itself rose above the glistening water and Treasure Island. The Golden Gate bridge framed Alcatraz, and the sky behind the Marin Headlands and Mount Tam were turning orange.
It was windy out on the water, but the view was amazing. I look forward to exploring farther up the coast.
Tags: Berkeley, Google, San Francisco
Posted by Ted on Feb 18, 2010 in
Biking I took advantage of the beautiful 68° day that we had on Tuesday to go on an afternoon bike ride. Have I mentioned that I can now say that I love February? Raised in Cleveland and then moving to Boston, it’s never been a particularly enjoyable month. Here in the Bay Area, the magnolias and cherry blossoms are in bloom.
Tuesday’s destination was the Harbor Bay club where we pay more money than we would like to for what is a pretty awesome gym. Situated on the edge of Bay Farm Island, the swimming pool overlooks the bay, they have a lot of equipment, and great classes. However, the best part about the gym are the hot tubs, steam rooms, and showers. These are a great motivator. When we go to the gym normally, it’s our reward for working out. We make it a rule to not “just go use the spa” without doing some sort of exercise.
Since I’ve been applying that logic to bike riding, it has turned out to be a great destination. The ride home is easy and short enough that I can bike home after a long relaxing celebration of water. Adding this stop onto my Bay Farm Island ride is trivial. However, it’s in the opposite direction of Tunnel/Skyline, so I had to modify the route to combine the two.
Tags: Alameda, Skyline, Tunnel
Posted by Ted on Dec 1, 2009 in
Biking Living in Boston, I got used to putting the bike away sometime in early November. Sure I know people who bike through the New England winter, bundled in layers, bulked up like Charlie Brown on the coldest days.
But I’m a wimp. As soon as it starts to get into the low 50s, I’d call it a season. I’ve managed to ride in December before on a freak warm day, but it would be very rare. Today’s Boston high was 46, and would not have been such a day. (The record of 71 degrees was in 2001, so it does happen.) Here in Oakland however, it was a very nice 61, and so I decided to do the Tunnel/Skyline loop.
When I biked up College Ave in Berkeley, I was caught by the smell emanating from Zachary’s Pizza, and I decided that a slice sounded way better than the Clif bar in my pocket. Normally we avoid pizza in favor of the “too unhealthy” response, but I figured that I’d work it off. At a rough guess it was 215 calories. After a slice of veg, I continued on my way.
As I started the ascent up Tunnel Rd, I wondered how the climb would be. Of the 3 or 4 ways to get up to Skyline, it’s the easiest – a long, slow, 5% grade – but it’s still more than I’d done in months. No problem. It was a great ride. It felt like fall with the occasional Japanese maple still red or yellow, and the air was crisp. I saw a low sun reflecting on the bay and San Francisco was barely visible in a misty shroud. When I passed into the shadow of the hills on Skyline, I was glad for the mid-weight long-sleeved and long-legged gear that I’d purchased in the spring. Too warm during the climb in the sun, they were just shy of perfect in the shade and as I soared down Joaquin Miller road at 35 mph.
I can’t describe how pleased it makes me that I can reasonably expect the same chance of weather and temperature on January 1st, February 1st, and March 1st. I still bike less overall than I did in Boston, but being able to bike throughout the year, comfortably, without bundling up like Charlie Brown, makes me very happy.
Oh, and that slice of pizza? Dwarfed by the 2738 calories that I burned.
Tags: New England, pizza, Skyline
Posted by Ted on Sep 27, 2009 in
Biking Yesterday was a gorgeous day in the Bay Area, and it demanded a nice bike ride. Being in the 90s, I opted for the Alameda Creek Regional Trail in Fremont. It’s just north of the Dumbarton Bridge, connecting Coyote Hills Park on the bay, to Niles Canyon in the hills to the east.
It was an easy 24 miles along a small creek filled with birds of all kinds – herons, ducks, geese, crows, and hawks. There was a cool breeze off the bay, and the path was often lined with enough trees to block the sun. I passed by people having picnics, lovers and families dipping in the creek to stay cool, and more mobile homes than I’ve ever seen. Squirrels played Frogger in front of my bike. While otherwise flat, the trail goes under all roadways, so there are several opportunities for a quick burst of speed going down and up the other side. Finally, the last leg took me along the water where I could enjoy the late afternoon sun reflecting off the bay between the two bridges.
Tags: Fremont
Posted by Ted on Jul 3, 2009 in
Biking It’s another beautiful day here in sunny California, and what a better way to celebrate such a day off of work than with a 30 mile ride around Mt. Tam.
Shockingly, it was my first visit to Marin since we moved here in February – a testament to how busy we’ve been! The ride started off going through Mill Valley, which was simply gorgeous. A quick check shows two 700 sqft townhomes for $350k, so we won’t be moving there anytime soon. Then I essentially rode around Mt. Tamalpais State Park and Muir Woods National Monument. I find it amusing that Mt. Tam isn’t in its own state park. Part of the ride took me down Rt.1, the Shoreline Highway. Only here in California would a road thusly named have 400 ft of elevation. Then it was down and back up Muir Woods Rd, before the blissful downhill stretch back to Richardson Bay. One of the most striking things, besides the lush scenery, was another example of how weather here in the Bay Area is affected by water and mountains. On the bay side of Mt. Tam, it was clear blue sky – not a wisp of a cloud to be found. On the ocean side it was that familiar low grey ceiling of fog.
All-in-all, a great ride on a beautiful day.
Tags: Marin, mountains, Muir Woods, Tamalpais
