Yesterday we received the first serious rainfall of the season, which means fire weather might be behind us. Also thanks to the rain, our creeks are flowing again after the usual dry summer. And the rain brought cooler weather. The high today only reached about 50° F. I almost decided to phone RJ, Rich, and … Continue reading "Oh, summer"

When I bicycled the grand opening of the new bike path on the Richmond – San Rafael Bridge last week, I expected to be able to photograph some interesting views from the top deck on the summit of the structure. Along with several hundred (maybe a couple thousand) other cyclists, I enjoyed the inaugural ride, … Continue reading "Bike the Bridge, again"

Marin County might be the wealthiest in California, but you wouldn’t know it from this odd little pocket east of Novato. After riding nearby last week, I consulted a map to double-check my route. It didn’t take long to notice this hidden—practically remote—area along the Petaluma River and the northwest shore of the Bay. The … Continue reading "Black Point"

I haven’t been up to the burn zone since full containment was attained a couple of days ago, but I’ve certainly bicycled through the area on multiple occasions in the past. Here’s a collection of some of my photos of locales as seen before they were consumed by the Kincade Fire…. Read more at Bill … Continue reading "Fire Tour"

Around here the official rainy season begins on 1 October. Based on annual averages, by now we should have received some significant rainfall. Not the case. Not a drop has fallen, and we’re dry. Dangerously dry. Santa Rosa and northern Sonoma County just survived—barely—the impact of multiple days of “public safety” power shutdowns, mandatory evacuations, … Continue reading "Rush Creek Open Space"

We had been having some very cold days that made one take pause before actually taking a bike ride ;’-). I did bundle up against the cold a couple of times and got out for short jaunts around. But this day was a perfect day for a ride. The numerous Heron that were out thought … Continue reading "A BEAUTIFUL FALL BIKE RIDE"

And I don’t mean Normal, Illinois. Still some smoke in the air, but trying to get back to usual routine. Slipped out the Greenway. Spotted new, “unauthorized” artwork along the trail, but in an awkward location where I couldn’t get into position to photograph the entire piece without a wide-angle lens. Vineyards turning autumn colors. … Continue reading "Back to normal?"

Two years ago Santa Rosa suffered major loss of lives, homes, and property when a wildfire swept across the northern part of town, just a couple of blocks from us. This year the fire was a couple of miles farther to the north when it was finally stopped — we hope — last night. This … Continue reading "Deja vu all over again"

I’ve been enjoying plenty of off-road riding with the Ogre lately, especially on trails in our local parks. Today, having almost beaten a never-ending computer project into submission, I decided I needed to get out and stretch my legs for a few miles on pavement. Off I went into the wild west county, where they … Continue reading "West County"

Despite increasingly shrill warnings from Pacific Gas & Electric—they who already admitted liability for previous conflagrations and dozens of deaths, and who entered bankruptcy in order to protect their asses, I mean assets—about the likelihood of an impending shutdown of the electric grid across northern California to prevent more wildfires sparked by their power lines, … Continue reading "Tolay Again"

After several days buried in an all-consuming computer project with no time for or thought of anything else (including keeping up with Cycle365), today I managed to escape for a quick jaunt out the Greenway. Sonoma County is hot and dry—see photo of waterless Brush Creek—and we are poised to have Pacific Gas & Electric … Continue reading "Hot and dry"

Over the last few days I’ve made a point of taking the Ogre on trails in some of our parks in Sonoma County along Highway 12. That means in the Sonoma Valley, in the Mayacamas Mountains on the east side of the valley, and the Sonoma Mountains on the west side. Today’s destination? The summit … Continue reading "Sonoma Mountain"

Sonoma Valley Regional Park, about fifteen minutes away by car, is a pleasant, compact chunk of the county that’s not nearly as flat as the name might indicate. Because it’s overshadowed by some of its closer, bigger, and more interesting neighbors, it’s a park I don’t visit much. I think I’ve hiked it two or … Continue reading "Sonoma Valley"

Only eight miles?!? It felt more like a hundred, given the steepness, heat, and swarms of gnats attempting to take up residence in my eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. Not having bicycled through Hood Mountain Regional Park in almost three years (although I hike there far more often), I decided it was time to give … Continue reading "Hood Mountain"

Until a few years ago, bicycling directly between Petaluma and Novato meant taking your life in your hands on Highway 101. Read more at Bill Bikes

Scooter wrote: “Since there’s no bike though, I think you owe us just a bit more, is there a Joshua Tree to be found?” I won’t have a chance to visit any Joshua trees during this month’s challenge, but I can offer this, which some might remember, from earlier in the year when I was … Continue reading "Yucca brevifolia"

Bristlecone pines. Per rules, this might be cheating — no bike in photos — so I didn’t flag it as challenge of the month. But I figured no one else would have an opportunity to post this species. Top photo from a combined biking and hiking expedition to Death Valley and Telescope Peak last year. … Continue reading "Pinus longaeva"

At 14,252 feet in elevation, White Mountain Peak in the White Mountains is the third highest summit in California. A long, rough, unpaved road (requiring four-wheel drive and high clearance) leads up from the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest visitor center several thousand feet to the University of California’s Barcroft Research Station at 12,470 feet. Normally … Continue reading "Bikes on White Mountain"

To the Green Music Center at Sonoma State University to meet my ace support crew for picnic on the lawn and Santa Rosa Symphony performing Vivaldi’s Four Seasons while seasonal photos of Sonoma County projected on the giant outdoor screen above the musicians. The images showcased the county’s spectacular natural beauty, but one thing was … Continue reading "To the symphony"

My phone, my computer, and the weather guy on TV all agreed that today would warm up to nearly 90° F (it actually exceeded that by a few degrees) and I was late getting out of the house because I watched stage 18 of the Tour de France. Although I didn’t hit the trails at … Continue reading "Tolay"

It seems pretty quiet around here, so I decided to post this even though I haven’t been up to anything too exciting. Mostly I’ve been spending my time on training hikes in preparation for a (probably pain-inducing) expedition with the wild woman I call my ace support crew. But here are my latest rides. Read … Continue reading "The usual"

Despite narrow lanes, lack of shoulders, and sometimes heavy traffic (including plenty of RVs), I ride up and/or down the coast on Highway 1 at least a couple of times each year, most recently back in January. I pedaled steep Coleman Valley Road once, with Jeff, back in November 2015. I went halfway up unpaved … Continue reading "Willow – Coleman – Ocean"

Sun casting long shadows at Lights for Liberty vigil. Read more at Bill Bikes

Just a quick run out the Greenway and back, interrupted by a diagonal. Read more at Bill Bikes

I pedaled for more than two hours before I encountered eastbound traffic, and almost three hours before westbound traffic caught up with me. At that point I quickly got out of the way. One of the first westbound vehicles in the long line of fast-moving traffic on the narrow road was my white Forester, driven … Continue reading "Tioga Pass, part 2"

Tioga Road across the Sierra through Yosemite National Park is one of the most spectacular high mountain routes (up to nearly 10,000 feet) in the US. But all the usual reasons—narrow lanes, lack of shoulders, curves, climbs, heavy traffic, lumbering RVs, inattentive drivers—make it a dicey proposition under normal circumstances. Consequently, bicyclists love the opportunity … Continue reading "Tioga Pass, part 1"

After leaving the Forester at the overflowing Lee Vining Creek, I pedaled the Ogre on dirt and gravel “forest roads”—no trees—around the southern shore of Mono Lake to the main tufa area. (See part 1.) These impressive spires and towers of carbonates grew underwater and emerged when the lake level gradually receded over the years. … Continue reading "Mono Lake, part 2"

After riding through the snow on the dirt road from Bodie to Bridgeport on Thursday, on Friday I had time for a morning ride before I needed to drive back home to Santa Rosa. Mono Lake was only about thirty minutes away by car, albeit in the wrong direction. Not having explored that area in … Continue reading "Mono Lake, part 1"

After starting up the dirt road from Bodie (see part 1), I gained elevation and repeatedly ran into snow covering my route. It was impossible to ride across the white stuff, so I always had to dismount and push until I could get back on bare dirt. Every time I thought that would be the … Continue reading "Bodie to Bridgeport, part 2"

Before bicycling the dirt road through the mountains from Bodie to Bridgeport, while I was still home in Santa Rosa I consulted four local “experts” via email and phone about what conditions to expect. All agreed cars could not get through due to deep snowdrifts at multiple locations. Beyond that, everyone had a slightly different … Continue reading "Bodie to Bridgeport, part 1"

After arriving at Bodie, now a state park, I started exploring the ghost town for a couple of hours before setting out on my bike ride over the snowy mountains to Bridgeport. This concludes my tour of Bodie. Read more at Bill Bikes

W. S. Bodey and his companions discovered gold high in the hills at the eastern edge of the Sierra Nevada mountains in 1859. After almost twenty years of small scale mining by a few prospectors, in 1877 industrial scale mining on the site brought about the boomtown of Bodie, named—inaccurately—after the deceased W. S. By … Continue reading "Ghost Town, part 1"

It was a very full-on three weeks in America, but now we are home and trying to recover from all of the extra energy we expended seeing family and helping my parents host 12 out-of-town guests and a 50th Anniversary party complete with 100 guests, a live band and a cake the size of Colorado. … Continue reading "Our new ride"

Time for another getaway, this time to escape a spell of temperatures above 100° F. I drove over to the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada, basing myself in the town of Bridgeport (not far from Nevada), which put me in a position to do some riding up to the eastern face of the mountains, … Continue reading "Twin Lakes"

This is especially for Janet. I arrived in Bridgeport on the eastern side of the Sierra today and immediately went for a warm-up ride in preparation for my expedition into terra incognita beyond Bodie tomorrow. Who — or what — should I run into? A local guy — who also makes touring videos — on … Continue reading "Ogre and Troll"

I’ve been looking for a chance to bike this route through Willow Creek Open Space Preserve near the coast. I’ve hiked parts of the trails before. I know there are some steep uphills that will require pushing, and they are sensitive to weather conditions. Always too wet in winter, which would have me slipping, sliding, … Continue reading "Willow Creek"

Part 5 concludes my bicycle safari among the wild and unpredictable creatures inhabiting the desert around Borrego Springs. Read more at Bill Bikes

After interrupting my exploration of animal sculptures with a morning ride to Fonts Point, part 4 of Creatures of the Desert resumes my bicycle safari among the wild and unpredictable creatures inhabiting the desert around Borrego Springs. Read more at Bill Bikes

Part 3 continues my bicycle safari among the wild and unpredictable creatures inhabiting the desert around Borrego Springs. Read more at Bill Bikes

Part 2 continues my bicycle safari among the wild and unpredictable creatures inhabiting the desert around Borrego Springs. Read more at Bill Bikes

We continued to get highly unusual torrents of rain in May. I lost track of the rainfall records being set around Santa Rosa this month, but I knew I was tired of precipitation. Time to head for the desert. For this trip I wanted to take the Ogre off road to the Fonts Point scenic … Continue reading "Creatures of the Desert, part 1"

As part of my brief expedition to the desert, I intended to pedal the Ogre up to Fonts Point, reputedly offering a fine view of the badlands between the Salton Sea and the town of Borrego Springs. The turn from the paved road is marked with a small sign in the sand. Interestingly, whether configured … Continue reading "Fonts Point"

I spent a couple of days bicycling through the desert. Who knew it could be so dangerous? Fortunately, I survived this and further attacks by dragons, giant scorpions, and other wild beasts who thought the Ogre and I looked like tasty morsels. I made it home safely, and I’m trying to put together details of … Continue reading "Coming soon: Dinosaur attacks in the Desert"

It’s not supposed to rain around here in May! Rainfall total for the entire month averages under an inch. Ha! On Wednesday alone approximately twice that amount poured down upon us. And that was just one day out of the current rainy spell, with more rain falling as I type these words, and more in … Continue reading "Lovall Valley"

A beautiful day in Wine Country. While it’s possible to pedal the direct route out Highway 12 to the multitude of wineries around Kenwood, it’s always much more fun to take the longer route up and down Lawndale Road. Read more at Bill Bikes

Today’s the day my ace support crew emerges from the Grand Canyon after her backpacking expedition. I need to pick her up, and we’ve arranged a rendezvous point at Grand Canyon Village. However, it’s impossible to know what time she’ll climb out of the big ditch, and there’s no cell signal, which prevents her from … Continue reading "Hermit, part 1"

Upon my return from Arizona, I washed red dust off the Ogre, cleaned and lubed the drivetrain, and made a few minor adjustments to enhance performance. Then I cruised over to Spring Lake to see if those modifications would help us get airborne. Read more at Bill Bikes

With my ace support crew down in the colorful depths of the Grand Canyon for four days, I had several ideas for bike rides to keep me busy until I needed to pick her up. I completed a very introductory exploration of trails around Sedona yesterday. I also planned a couple of rides closer to … Continue reading "Navajo Bridge"

After completing the Bell Rock Loop, I was back at the trailhead. I peeled off some clothes, studied the map of the trail system, and applied a fresh layer of sunscreen before setting out on the Big Park Loop. This was also rated as a beginner trail, but singletrack with a few tricky sections, unlike … Continue reading "Red Rocks, part 2"

My ace support crew and her team departed Flagstaff before dawn to begin a four-day backpacking expedition in the Grand Canyon. That gave me four days to bicycle around Arizona to my heart’s content, as long as I was on hand to pick her up on the South Rim when the expedition emerged. To begin … Continue reading "Red Rocks, part 1"

I’ve been on the road. While my ace support crew has been backpacking in the Grand Canyon, I’ve been pedaling my little legs off in places like Bell Rock, Courthouse Butte, Navajo Bridge, Marble Canyon, Vermilion Cliffs, Lees Ferry, along the Colorado River, Schultz Pass, and Hermit’s Rest. They were all terrific rides, and I … Continue reading "Coming Attractions"