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Starting out, we went up Niles Canyon and cut over 84 into Livermore, another shortcut via Concannon Blvd. to Livermore Blvd. and, finally, onto Mines Rd. The hills this fine day were in their prime - sensuously rolling hills carpeted in goldish-green velvety grass, brilliant blue sky, sunshine… and oh yes, quite a brisk temperature! We had a very hearty crew though who never once complained or kvetched because their love for the ride outweighed the cold of their bones! Mines Rd. twists its way through the hills and ends at the Junction, the back side of Mt. Hamilton. We were gleefully riding our way through the plethora of twists and turns when we passed a car that had run into a fence. There was a motorcycle parked on the side as well. I looked around and saw a lot of people standing around, no one injured that I could tell, scoutmasters working on loosing the car from the fence, and it looked like everything was under control, so we pushed on. A few more miles down the road, I checked my rear view mirror and could only see two bikes behind me. So I slowed down to let them catch up… and slowed down… and slowed down… and stopped… and waited… and waited… and waited. Just when I was ready to turn back to see where our group was, Dona came along and said that Patrick had decided to check out the incident and it turns out that the motorcycle we passed had been clipped by the car. The rider, Dennis, was okay, a little banged up, but we were sent on to be the messengers to try to find his buddy up at the Junction. So on we went. Arriving at the Junction, we found Dennis’s friend Charlie, who went back to help him out. Unbeknownst to him, Patrick was giving Dennis a ride to the Junction and they passed his friend but he didn’t see them. So Patrick went back to the scene (oh darn, he has to ride his brand new bike again?! Poor guy!) to find the friend while Dennis had some coffee and let the adrenaline wear off. Patrick, our patron motorcycle saint, spent the day helping out by going home, getting his truck/trailer, towing Dennis’s bike to CalBMW, and taking the poor guy home. He’s racking up those halo points (but, as he points out, he needs all the ones he can get to even out the “other” points!). We chatted a bit longer and discussed helmet hair and took a moment to warm up various body parts over the heated stove inside the restaurant there. We pushed on and headed down Del Puerto Canyon Rd., a beautiful road that cuts through the canyons, a little bumpy here and there, but all in all a lovely diversion out to Hwy. 5 where we ended up in Patterson to gas up and have lunch. It was one of those groups of people that seemed like they’d known each other for a really long time… I had to gently nudge everyone up from the laughter and conversation so we could start heading for home before it got dark!! Out in the parking lot, we noticed Jack’s back tire was low and, upon closer inspection, found he had picked up a nail in the tire. He filled up the tire at the gas station and the tire seemed to hold okay so onward we went. Up Hwy. 5, battling the high winds to keep the bikes on track and off at Corral Hollow, which takes you back by Carnegie Park, a great dirt bike park. There are hills upon hills carved with trails in them as the bikes zipped up and down, dirt kicking up spires in their wake. Into Livermore again, we made what I thought would be our last stop on Vasco Rd. to check on Jack’s tire again and give people some options. Karen, Nancy, and Jack decided that their frozen body parts needed to get home and thaw out, especially as it was past four and the sun would soon be setting and it would be getting ever colder. Dona, CC and I decided that we just weren’t ready to go home and would finish the original route instead. Honking and waving, we headed out to Patterson Pass Rd., which puts you right in the middle of all the windmills out that. There’s one particular corner that when you round it, you have a spectacular panoramic view of thousands of windmills dotting the rolling hills in front of you. Not only that, but the sun was setting and in the east, the sky was putting on a show it seemed just for us, turning blue and pink as we descended into the land of windmills and down Patterson Pass. Turning onto Grant Line, the northwest sky was reflecting deep watermelon colored hues off a smattering of clouds in the sky – the colors were so intense. Then, when we thought our treat for the day would end, as we crested 84 back toward the Sillycon Valley, the energizer sunset now treated us to a complete skyline of orange-hued colors as we could also see a ¾-moon on the other side of the sky, outlined by the dark purple/blue hued dusky sky. Simply awe inspiring and soul soaring. As we neared 680, I got the feeling that we were not ready to head home quite yet. So we reversed our morning route and came down Niles Canyon into Fremont where we made our last gas stop of the day, again dilly dallying as long as we could so as not to have to start the inevitable journey home. But we finally did, waving a fond adieu as we all split off into the night toward our respective homes. It was a glorious day with the gift of new friendships and the shared moments of the beauty of the world. Wishing you all a lovely Thanksgiving and that your world
is filled with abundance today and always. Peace,
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What
a glorious day! CC and I actually made it to Fremont a little early
and played catch up with the events of the week. Joining us shortly
thereafter, were Dona, Nancy from SF with her friend Jack, and Karen,
all new to our group – well, sort of… they all had planned
to attend the Pt. Reyes ride that was rained out a few weeks ago so
it felt like we knew them already! We had one other “surprise”
guest, Patrick, on his brand new 2004 BMW R1150RT. Was difficult for
him to do anything other than smile all day. After chatting and caffeinating,
we headed off into the canyons.