Redwood Regional Park Loop

Lamberto and Joe led their first Different Spokes ride yesterday, a pleasant loop from Orinda up Pinehurst and down Redwood Road. Seven folks showed up including Jeff from Livermore and Carl from San Francisco! Ostensibly a B-pace ride, our ride leaders were gracious in waiting for Roger and me despite our protestation that we knew the route and didn’t have a problem with the group keeping to its stated pace. Both Joe and Lamberto did a great job of shepherding all of us and waiting at each turn to make sure we didn’t get lost. The weather finally turned cool over in Contra Costa so we had a really enjoyable ride rather than the usual sweat-fest. The cooling trend wasn’t lost on everybody else either: there were crowds of cyclists rolling every which way including up precipitous Pinehurst. Hikers and mountain bikers were out too: every trailhead parking lot was full with many cars parked along the roadway. The view of the Bay on Skyline Boulevard was particularly spectacular with the cloud ceiling and sunshine. Back in Orinda we dined al fresco at Petra Cafe. Lamberto had a lamb platter, Joe the gyro, Carl a falafel wrap, while Roger and I each had a vegetarian Greek platter. There’s nothing like a Sunday ride ending with a great meal!