Back of my head

Today was a ride day and I chose to hit the ridge. Yesterday's rain gave way to an unbelievably crystal clear but cool day today. From the top of the park you could see the snow capped Sierra's 150 miles away. It was so clear, I could almost see the back of my head....

I put in only about 16 miles; starting out of the house (350') and climbing up to the ridge (1550'). The first 3.3 miles are flat and the next .9 miles, a nice short 500' ascent, are all road. The last 2.2 miles and 700' of climb to the top are all fireroad; the last 1/3 of the climb find me dropping out of middle to lower ring. I had the trails to myself save three solitary hikers (a rarity for this time of day/year). The winds were up as I crested the top and took in the views on my first stop 7.5 miles into the ride. The rains are softening up the ground replacing the dry and loose trails of summer and fall. In some places, the wheels were slowed by soft but not yet muddy dirt. But for the most part the trails and road were just the right kind of sticky. Downhills were fast and lines tight in these conditions. Just about perfect.