Hi-ho, hi-ho

Bay Area cousins and friends I did not see the past few days, I really hope that I can see you on my next pass through the area.

When I stay with my sister and her family, I start working by 6:30 a.m. to overlap as much as possible with Eastern time zone colleagues. Today, after a conference call at 7 in the garage so as not to wake the household, I went to collect the family dog and get him back inside. He was tossing a big rope around the deck to keep himself amused.

To keep myself amused, I rode my niece's bike to my meeting at Stanford, where I worked for most of the day. It was my first bike commute in over a year, and a sweaty ride with a bulging backpack on a mountain bike in an area that is not flat. I saw a coyote and a deer, and appreciated the bike friendly route and drivers.

This past weekend, my B-I-L and I rode through some little hills to then do one winding 2300-ft climb. That was a lot of hill for this Minnesotan, especially after not riding a ton recently, but a fun ride nonetheless. After the fast, long downhill, we pulled over to a spot to look at the bay. I wish I could've taken a scenic photo (other than one of my face matching my shirt) at the top of the hill, but the one overlooking the bay was the backup.

I am considering doing a big hilly ride out here next year, so this was a good appetizer. I return to brisk Minnesota temps tomorrow and will need to dig out all the clothes used for layering and reacquaint myself with my fat tire bike. It was good to get some last, hot rides in. Goodnight, sweet California.