Monday, January 1, 2007

New Year's Day 2007


Last year on this day I was out in the shed digging up an old bicycle and washing it off because I was having a hard time walking more than about a mile driving through the Nevada desert, dodging a blizzard. This would be the first year I can go back into my blog and check to see what I was really doing. I will have to be pretty honest from now on. By this time last year that bike was clean and in the truck -- I think. Any way -- some time around now last year I was thinking about a bike ride.

Date: 1 January 2007
Mileage: 35.86
Average: 14.8
Max: 24.0
Week: 45.96
January total: 35.86
On the Ipod: Time out of Mind, Steely Dan

This morning my back was troubling me, and I was sitting around thinking about how to start out the New Year. I looked around at my messy house and the state of the place and being reminded by the gnawing thing in my back that I am not getting enough exercise and I thought -- I should go for a decent ride. I could hustle out to Coyote Point and ride down the Bay Front Trail and find out how far I can go.

Since I had to be at my parents for a little later in the day, I cleaned the house instead I suited up immediately. The best way to cross the 101 at Peninsula is to walk, to use the staircases and walk your bike.

From Coyote Point south the Bay Front trail is a hodge podge of routes adjacent or very near the San Francico Bay, mostly paved multi-use trail with a lot of folks on it. New bikes, new runners, new riders, and me; I was trying to keep my pace above 15 mph for the day overall. Since it follows the west shore of the bay down the Peninsula, it's dead flat ... and nothing about it is straight. I traveled about 15 miles before I gave up on a gravelled stretch, just past the dog park in Redwood City, after some debate about whether it was going to be possible to continue in a 1/2 mile or so.

Ultimately, I was hoping that it would be possible to ride a century out my door on that route. Maybe next time. It may be possible to connect the stretch of it further South with this section of it by actually riding on the road. I'll need to get out a map and start earlier.


These are Canvasback Ducks, red head, white body, formerly fairly rare, having been overhunted.

I think Thom is going to give us annual tallies from the Saturday Spinners. It will be interesting to see what I have tallied since then ... I am guessing my miles for the year to be about 2500. We'll see.


Since I was in the desert last year -- It probably wouldn't have mattered if there was an earthquake on the Parkfield section of the San Andreas Fault, like there was today. The USGS is banking the farm on that one going next. Let's all wait and see.


I think that these cats out on the trail are maybe being overfed by the cat feeders. If you notice, that cat seems unaware that there is a pigeon right next to him. There were so many fat and healthy cats along the trail, I was beginning to wonder if they were actually pets feral. I guess we are a benevolent society after all, towards cats at least. And, I guess I am still a cynic, despite the New Year and all it's optimism.

Happy New Year everyone!

That's your moment of optimism; enjoy it.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

beautiful day today! you can really see it in your pics.

i run on that trail twice a week. i work close to it. i noticed the same thing about the cats and pigeons there. they hang out together. odd.

Joann said...

nice ride--Happy New Year!

shawnkielty said...

Lauren -- Those cats are nutty. When are you out there? you can recognize me by the orange jersey. Stop me and say hi. Is this your picture?

Joann -- thanks -- it was a great ride.

Lorri Lee Lown -- velogirl said...

instead of peninsula, head south on humbolt to monte diablo avenue. turn left/east and immediately before 101 you'll find a swirly ramp to the right. this is the monte diablo bike bridge. actually, it's a ped bridge and there's usually some broken glass, but it's the safest way to cross 101 (in my opinion).

shawnkielty said...

Velo girl -- Thanks. That's a fairly good route most of the time.

I don't like that crossing all that much, because historically that hasn't been in the best neighborhoods, and that crossing makes me feel like I could be trapped.

I worked near there when I was in high school (I rode via that route) and there were times when it was scary.

I would probably never cross there at night because it doesn't feel safe to me, and not in the unsafe biking way. Truthfully -- I don't think peninsula would be all that safe at night either.

Just a note about the Bayfront in Foster City: Two different sources have reported to me this week that there have been robberies on this trail and that at least one involved stealing an Ipod. I think they have happened in the day time.

shawnkielty said...

The story, I think. You'll notice it makes no mention of the trail -- but it did occur to someone walking near beach park.

shawnkielty said...

Another story, which indicates they both occured at night.