Today's Ride

[FairfaxPat]

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Today-Tuesday-A long climb up to about 1100' to Pine Mtn. Fire road. Only 60 F. and windy and overcast-kinda weird for this time of year around here-had fun, though. We stopped and sat down next to a huge bush of Poison Oak, something you want to avoid if you come to California, so I took this pic for reference-it causes an itchy rash that can spread all over your body if you are unlucky. I got it when I was a kid, and am mostly immune to it now, but I don't push my luck and touch it...

 

[Johnboy]

Up on the South Downs this morning. Not a soul around, skylarks singing, makes you glad to be alive (and I'm usually such a miserable old bastard!).
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[tintin40]

Lovely. That's why I'd never take up Road riding. Getting right in the countryside with soil on the tires.

 

[FairfaxPat]

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Today-Wednesday-A ride up to the Lakes on Mt. Tam to a Barbecue in the Redwoods with some old friends. Saw a number of Wild Turkeys and deer, and Mt. Diablo was easy to see 25 miles away. Nice out, about 68 F. and sunny...

 

[FairfaxPat]

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Today-Thursday-Nice out, 72 F. and sunny. We rode up about 900' to the West after a couple of days riding to the South on Tam...

 

[Repack Rider]

Had my camera with me, but never got it out.

Went up on Pine Mountain with Joe Breeze, Otis Guy and Wende Cragg to re-create a photo dating back 40 years. When the camera man showed me the photo, I realized I could have brought the same jersey if I had known!

They told us to dress in character, so everyone wore jeans, soft caps and in my case a replica of my old Army fatigue shirt, while Joe sported his denim work shirt. The bikes were borrowed right out of the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame collection, three coaster-brake 1941 DXes and a 1939, Wende's Alan Bonds conversion with derailleur gears and an Alan Bonds paint job. Joe as usual ran behind as he worked to get Wende's old klunker working. We got up on the hill with bikes in trucks, and Joe realized he had forgotten his own bike.

This required a call to the museum for Joe's son Tommy to bring it.

We posed on the spot of the photo from the very first ride in 1975. Ironically, I was the only one there today who had been on that ride, but I'm not in the photo because I was the photographer.



The one-speed coaster-brake, 45 lb. bikes were all geared around 68 inches, impossible to ride uphill. It felt like a victory that I got five feet further up the hill than Otis did. We were posing anyway, so we stayed near the vehicles, just a hundred yards or so up the rocky hill. We rode around for the cameras for a while and then went about our other activities.

 

[FairfaxPat]

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Today-Saturday-Rode up to the Council Rocks above town about 900' up to the West with Charlie Kelly and big Warren. CK had a tumble on the OG trail where it drops off pretty steep to the side on the way up. He ripped the pocket and side off the cargo shorts he wears over cycling shorts-see pic-his camera also departed and was finally found by Warren. Beautiful out, 72 F. and sunny...

 

[dazdc5]

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[FairfaxPat]

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Today-Tuesday-We rode up to Tamarancho on Iron Springs road, about an 800' climb. A 14' box truck passed us on the way up, then we caught up to him later, backing slowly down the road because the road grader above had broken down, and blocked the whole road. He must have had a hell of a time backing down to where he could turn around, probably 5-600 yards or more. Of course, we went right around him and continued up to the top...

 

[FairfaxPat]

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Today-Wednesday-We rode to Ross and then up past Phoenix Lake to Concrete Pipe fire road and then back to Fairfax. I spotted one of the coolest hot rods in the lot below Phoenix Lake, a 5 window '32 Ford Deuce coupe with a chopped top and a Big Hemi ...