Peaked on Fremont Peak

I could have lounged all day at my pool, sipping alcoholic beverages with umbrellas served by a pool boy, but, noooo, The BF thought a climb up Fremont Peak in San Juan Bautista would hit the spot.  Really Mister?  You think this is romantic?

After a fairly fast start, I wilted.  But I made it up.  Eventually.  Naturally, The BF, a born stud, was not affected by the heat.

We then proceeded to do Salinas Road, an offshoot from Fremont Peak.  The road surface sucks at the beginning but this 16 mile jaunt is worth it.  I only did half of it.  Remember I wilted.  Naturally, The Stud, my hero, aka The BF did it all.  The pizza joint next to the WindMill Market hit the spot afterwards. 

Escape from the Heat

What better way to escape the heat than a trip to San Francisco Saturday.  While The BF was there to do something related to work, I was there to do something related to fun, including flirting with firemen at the station around the corner from where The BF was situated.  How lucky is that!  Time to amuse myself ....  The BF is not amused.  (the photo is of the Federal Reserve Bank).

Oh oh, I'm in trouble....

Taking a break from flirting, I took in a sight or two.   Never gets old.  The scenery nor the flirting.

 Oh on, I'm in trouble....

Ah, a tribute to me. 

Oh oh, I'm in trouble.  The BF did some very nice things and I forgot all about my city wanderings, flirting and firemen.  Well, at least for today, that is.

Got Goat?

With the odd weather that has settled in, what better way than to spend the day on a leisurely drive with a friend to Pescadero to visit my favorite goat farm, Harley Farms, okay, the only one I know, but have wanted to visit forever having biked past it a number of times.

Two guys shooting the breeze.  Wonder what they're talking about.  Odd creatures for sure but beautiful.  Check out this hilarious video about these alpine goats.

Fresh chevre.  Delicious.  We sampled everything including the fromage blanc and ricotta and tested the goat's milk lotion which was was soothing.  Popped over to the thriving metropolis down the road, where we sampled flavored honey at an outdoor market on Stage Road.   Next, a quick stop into Arcangeli's for just out of the oven warm bread with artichoke.   I think my senses have been saturated with happiness today.

Who Could Ask for Anything More

Who could ask for anything more?  Well, I could.  Let me know if you'd like me to fax you my Christmas list....

Putting aside the whining, we were blessed with perfect cycling weather for our club ride from Woodside to San Francisco, via Canada Road, Polhemus, Skyline, Sloat and other roads leading to Golden Gate Park and the ocean to meet cyclists returning from Sierra to the Sea. 

The Boyfriend makes an appearance.  He was ever so macho, passing me every time I sped up, to show me how manly he is.... He kept me on my toes on the return.  I rode out with Miss P. and that was loads of fun.  Who could ask for anything more.

I know, I know, I'm a hottie, on and off the bike.  ha ha ha. Another lovely ride with fellow cyclists, taking on a new route, a new challenge, being together, going the distance.  Who could ask for anything more.

Just the Stats:

64.27 miles
33.5 mph on a descent
12.2 avg mph
5 hr. 13 min.

Much Ado about Mines

Never thought I'd be able to do a ride on Mines Road in June, but the weather has been delightful and today was more of the same.  Perfect riding weather with my buds Miss P. and Dr. G.  Miss P. found us a great starting location in Livermore, at a nearby park.

This is my 4th time doing Mines and Dr. G.'s first time.  Miss P and I took turns leading one another.  I felt strong and confident most of the time and certainly bold on the descents.

Here I am pretty in pink at the junction but not one motorcyclist, fireman, cyclist, or other body of the male persuasion to charm.  Just my luck.  We were surprised by the relatively low traffic.

I was unable to get a photo of the sweet hummingbird drinking nectar from this unusual but lovely plant.  We were surprised to see wildflowers still in bloom, as well as a few butterflies.  But that's Mines for you, always an occasion, and a favorite ride of mine.

Just the Stats:

Pretty similar to other times even though I thought we were speeding away
58 miles
5 hrs.
32 mph on a descent (that increased)
11.4 avg mph

Lovely Lobitos Creek

After our sweatfest climbing Kings Mountain, we descended Tunitas Creek to the Bike Hut.  Lots of cyclists on Tunitas Creek; felt like a traffic jam.  We had goose bumps because the temperature dropped from 90+ to coastal breeze.  I was shivering for a short while. 

11 people turned out for this club ride.  Lots of laughter along the way.  And a new road for me to explore to my delight -- Lobitos Creek.  Loved it.

 More of Lobitos, oh no, and more climbing.  It meets up with Tunitas Creek and of course, more climbing.  And more sweating.  My hair was drenched.  I met two guys, no you say, towards the end of Tunitas Creek and we raced off into the sunset.  Okay, not really, the part about the sunset.  It was pretty warm descending Kings Mountain.  I sweated so much on this ride that I think I ought to be done with hot flashes....

Just the Stats:

33 miles
~4200 feet total climbing
9.2 avg mph
27 mph descending somewhere
3 hr 32 min

Birds and Bees

Got out on the Specialized Hybrid seeking cooler weather, so, off to Alviso.  On the Guadalupe trail, some kamikase like bees tried to thwart my adventure.  They should know better than to mess with me.  I arrived in Alviso intent on cycling the bay but the smell of bird doo doo and sulfur was too much, so, I biked through Alviso over to a different area of this wonderful refuge. 

These guys were adorable.  Their eyeballs were enormous and the way they strutted through the water was so cute.  The noise they made.  Their lives sound complicated.

I admired the view, well, more importantly, I am thankful for all the people involved in restoring wetlands and the creatures that call this home.

Hicks Um Um Um

I almost passed on Donny's Hicks both sides and Mt. Um ride today, not because of the hot temperature but because I was reading a torrid article in the ever engaging J of Homotopy and Related Structures.  Just suppose X is a projective toric scheme defined over a ring R ...  like I know what any of this means.

What if!  Oh my Gosh, the suspense was killing me.  Might there be a splitting result for the algebraic K-Theory of projective toric schemes?

What a nail biter.  A cliff hanger.  Sure ....  So, I put the article under my pillow, to await for bed time and future chitchat at cocktail parties.  Off to I went to join fellow cyclists for the ride.

Talk about hot and steamy.  Okay, it wasn't that hot but it was warming up.  I had to pause to cool down on Hicks (the shorter side) before continuing to Mt. Um.  Lookey, the end is getting nearer.

I huffed and I puffed.  Yeah, I made it up Mt. Um with only one quick stop on account of the fact that there were these 2 male rangers that I just knew wanted to hear all about toric schemes.

Not sure how many people did the entire ride.  Dr. G and I decided to pass on the other Hicks.  He treated me with a diet coke at the end.  That sure hit the spot.  We managed to do 24.59 miles.