bikes bikes bikes till the weather turns...

So the weather is rumored to be on the way to changing into the more seasonally apropos cold and grey and rainy so Im glad to have had another three days of rides in the sun.

After Picking up Taint Boy at the airport on Monday, and drinking beers eating pizza and assembling his Nepalese Birthday Bike...we talked ALOT of SHIT! Which of course turned into drinking and smoking in the garage shop. Catching up with such a good friend, with very little in the way of distractions, and time on our side (as well as some White Stagg whiskey...) was the best way to set off the week!











Tuesday, I headed out to shake the cobwebs of the previous weekend out vis a vis a notebook and coffee at my Fav cafe in Berkeley Cafe Strada. A mellow paced ride along the bike paths and the Berkeley Marina and some pensive thoughts on paper is exactly what the doctor ordered.



been seeing this building on the path...see the grafitti?



close up...





who says there is no singletrack in the east bay?



Tuesday nite, World Famous and pioneer of the 29 inches (ladies take note...) Nat Ross showed up in Berkeley looking amazingly suave!



We hung out, had some dinner and caught up, Nat crashed at Aaron's place to save a little on hotels and rushed me off, doing deals on the phone the whole way, to San Rafael where I met up again with Jessie for some mountain bike madness. No pictures of the always aloof Nat, but its a true story...and hes a true Dude.

Jessie and I proceeded to find and ride trails at China Camp (a bay area favorite of mine) that I had NEVER ridden before, riding up from the opposite side of town and pedal crushing the skinny trails on about every down stroke the whole day in the Granny Gear! It was amazing, killer trails, killer views, killer weather, then some killer grub and drinks with the room mates, that almost ended in a christmas tree fire in the street had not the more "mature" room mate arrived home to put the kebash on it with a little hissy fit.



hills...loads of hills!



but worth the reward eh!?







the least mature room mate at only 8 years old...

The next day, Jessie had to work so I saddled up and took the long way back to the East Bay - the VERY long way! This map may or may not work, click it to see... I rode through Marin County to the bridge, under, then over the Golden Gate (check!) and along the wharf back to BART, under the bay on the trains and picked up the bike path again up the hill to Aarons.



down tree lined streets...



marsh lands...













2.30 lunch break!!



with a view!



A couple killer days, on top of even more killer days that make me want to come home to california as soon as I can. There I said it! Homesick before I even leave. Gonna be a tough transition, but a fun summer for sure. A complicated and joyous way to cruise through the next two years I suppose.

Its the tough times that make us stronger right, and distance that makes you re-assess your value of friends and loved ones? Right? Maybe these years in Italy will find me a confirmed Californian - wouldn't that be a gas.

S.