Chabot until Dusk

Rode Anthony Chabot Regional Park just outside of San Leandro today. The recent storms had muddied up Lake Chabot pretty good, but it still had that good old body of water magnetism going. Three other guys rode with me, one of them for the first time in over a year because he had to have a few surgeries, so that in itself made it a landmark outing. Didn't get started until after 15:00, so we knew that the daylight would limit our riding window. Started by the marina, opting to head counterclockwise around the lake. Everytime I see those paddleboats I think of my boyhood plan to paddle one across the Atlantic, now I'm just waiting for someone else to do it. The large stream that is the main tributary still had strong flow towards the lake, full of sediment and over it's banks, flowing around trees. Meadows in the valley glowed green, almost unnatural, looking like lakes of green with giant oaks expertly placed and sculpted. The first two of the Seven Sisters were pretty much all we had time for, taking it kind of easy, but we did make it to the top of the ridge and see the other side. Savored the view for a hearty ten minutes, and then starting rolling back towards the lake. Mike and I took a little well travelled (super rutted) single-track shortcut to scratch that itch. He cleaned it nicely but I missed the last corner and ate into the chapparal, no physical injury though. Dusk I love, and we rode straight into it. The muddy lake still managed to reflect the pinks and oranges of the sky, and it all looked sublime through the fast passing branches. Temperature took a dive and the picnickers at the marina were all packing up or gone when we got there, just some college kids playing volleyball, looked fun. Damn these weekends go too fast, ought to write them up for speeding.

http://www.bahiker.com/eastbayhikes/bortmeadow.html

And here's a video of a night ride at Joaquin Miller Park, the park I wrote about in Storm Riding. It's a little slow starting, but the last third has some good shots of those treacherous railroad ties and rocky sections. I am sad to say that I did not join ride with them last Thursday night. My light needs more excercise.

http://tlee.bayareamtb.com/uploads/uploads/JM01052006.mov