jimsjoint

Kelly on Webcam - So Cal style

Turns out there is a webcam on Venice beach that shows part of the trail that Kelly rides her bike on.  I had told Kelly that one of these days we should see if we could see her as she rides by sometime. She called us today and told us to be on the lookout.  So we pulled up the link to the Sidewalk Cafe beach cam  and talked to her on the phone as she made her way down from the Santa Monica pier.  With Google maps on one screen and the webcam on the other, Kelly point out landmarks and we were able to tell her when she was getting close. You could tell that the camera was mounted on the roof and had a wide shot of the beach and path. We could see that there were street vendors set up so that was our landmark. We told Kelly to look for the big blue umbrella laying on its side. Sure enough , she rode up on and we saw her REAL TIME!  It was pretty cool. She was finally able to figure out where the camera was and we had a good laugh over it.  That's her standing in the middle of the trail.  Nice to see you Kelly Girl!!

Puppy Love

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hgdhxxK7Ms&list=UUc1Vjr2tLNvab1PB71YZD2g&index=1&feature=plcp

 

 

Movie Maker Magic

 A little early Christmas gift for Kate and Frank 

Download So good together

Kate and Frank are Having a Baby !!

We knew that Kate and Frank weren't doing anything to NOT have a baby, so when they called us last week to tell us the good news it wasn't a TOTAL SURPRISE. None-the-less, it was great and welcome news!  Kate and Frank are having a baby!!!!  Somewhere around the beginning of July next year,  Kate and Frank will be parents, and the Lee's and the Flaherty's will be grandparents and Kelly will an aunt!  A new era is beginning for all of us!  I know that Kate is going to make a fantastic mom and Frank I know will be a great dad.  When they called and told us the good news, for some reason I thought of this picture. A young, nurturing Kate holding little Luke just like she's going to hold her own little baby. When I look at this picture I know that Kate will be the best mom in the world.  We couldn't be prouder and happier!  WE LOVE YOU GUYS!!

Dairy Glen Camp Out

Over the years and during many of our  bike rides out to Coyote Hills,  We'd sometimes see  scout troops or church groups camped out at Dairy Glen,  the lone camping spot in the park.  When ever we would ride by  (usually early saturday morning),  we would see tents dotting the glen and early morning activity in the camp ground. The smell of camp out breakfast filled the air. Dairy Glen is also where "heart attack hill" starts.  The short and hard climb up to the highest point in Coyote Hills Regional park. So we'd spend a lot of time climbing up and and zooming down right into Dairy Glen. We talked and talked and talked about reserving this great little spot,  nestled into the hills and looking out over the glen and the marshiness of the areas on the eastern side of Coyote Hills. On the western side of Coyote Hills is nothing but San Francisco Bay.     The only civilization that you can see from the  campground is the small stretch of distant road where cars are just  getting onto the Dumbarton Bridge.  We'd always say that we had to camp here one of these days.    Saturday was the day.

Saturday at 2pm the truck was packed (so much stuff for one night of camping)  and I followed Steve over to the park to begin the setup.  Three miles and ten minutes later I was unpacking the truck and setting up camp.  The great thing about being so close was that Barb could hang back at the house and come later when all the work was done, I mean all the fun was starting.  It wasn't that hard setting up camp.  Armando lent me his 4 man tent that was up in about 5 minutes. Blew up the air mattress, unloaded the ice chest and I was all set. Steve on the other hand had to set up his 12oo squre foot 3 bedroom family tent. Maybe it was just a two room but either way it was big. Within no time Downing, Vandenbusch and Flahertys were all set up and settling in for some camping fun. We ordered dinner from nearby Dino's grill and had a nice dinner by the camp fire. 

As night fell we began realize just how cool and different a trip this was. The park closed at 6pm. Gate locked (we had the combo)  and  the park ranger goes home.  We are alone.  Very alone!  If you look at a map of the park and the camp site, you can see that we were isolated out there yet still smack dab in the middle of the 7 million people that make up the bay area.  We had plenty of fire wood and kept a nice warm fire going all night.  The boys took a little ride out the levy road to the "bus stop" where we take our breaks on Saturday morning bike rides. Riding out there in the twilight was awesome!  The sun had just set and the redness of the western sky and the darkening blue of the evening made for a beautiful reflection on the bay.  Fantastic!   Later in the evening we all took a short night hike up and around the trail that circles Dairy Glen. Headlamps and flashlights in hand we ventured up and out of the camp ground . It was really REALLY dark when we turned off all our lights and it was REALLY cold when we got away from the warmth of our campfire.  What made this interesting for me was that I had been on that trail hundreds of times over the years, but never when it was so dark and cold and quiet.  We made the hike a short one and headed back to camp. Smores and small talk filled the rest of the evening.

Up early enough to watch the sun rise over mission peak. Bacon and eggs for breakfast then a five mile bike ride (boys) and hike (girls and Steve)  up  heart attack hill AND out to the bus stop. Back to camp to tear down and pack up.  Said goodbye and made the long 3 mile trip back home. Five minute later we were pulling into the driveway. Unpacked the truck and still had 30 minutes for the 49ers started. 

Eden Landing Ride

Took  a Sunday ride on the dirt side of the Creek trail, and ended up going someplace we'd never gone before. I had been checking  out Google maps and saw that there were some offshoot trails on the north side of Alameda Creek that looked like we could take out and around almost clear up to the San Mateo Bridge. Little did John Downing know that this was my plan when I asked  him to ride with me today.  All was well and good. We took a right off the creek trail and headed northwest on a trail we had never been on before. After a about a half mile or so, a road block. Ugh!  A gate and barb wire fence and sign saying Eden Landing Ecological Reserve  - NO TRESPASSING.  That was good enough for me and I was ready to turn around there,  but John  had other ideas.  At first he suggested throwing the bikes over the gate. I said why don't we just climb over the gate and check things out. Over the gate we went.  There was a trail going in both directions as fas as the eye could see. Then John spotted it,  a clearing beyond the barb wire where people had  created a way to get around the gate. The lure of the unknown and the glorious day clouded our better judgement and on we went.

  Beautiful ride in a true "no man's land."  On our left, the marshiness of the 2000 feet or so of distance between the Alameda Creek trail and us. Nothing but  marshy wetness, pools and vegetation. On our right, the remnants of  an old duck hunting village. Little make shift duck blinds (8-12 that we could see) that must have been great back in the day when duck hunting was king in this area.    We made our way out to where the trail bends and heads north along the bay waters. What a cool and out of the way place.  We took our break here and marveled at the beauty and untouched splendor that was all around us. This was obviously a place where the wind, tides and bay waters push alot of drift wood  onto the the shore. We checked out tons of drift wood, found more than a few tennis balls and even a few coconuts.  After a well deserved break we turned around and headed back. Good thing John was paying attention else we would have missed our turn and ended up somewhere in Hayward.  Before we got back to the creek trail and familiar ground, we did see this 4 foot snake taking a sun bath on the trail. All in all a great day and a great way to end a Sunday Ride.

 

Muddy Ride to the Bus Stop

They say its the little thing in life that makes things interesting.  We have been riding out to Coyote Hills and Alameda Creek for years now. These days and weather permitting , we take an old levee road out to "no man's land" where the old salt ponds meet the San Francisco Bay. Whenever we get out this far we usually take a break.  Someone else had set up some old pieces of washed up scrap  wood  to create a makeshift bench.  We started to call it the "bus stop".  This is the same spot where we have seen seals bobbing around during high tide. Also saw a couple of sharks trolling in the shallows just a few weeks ago, and tons of birds feeding and flying when the tide is out.   The last few times we've been out there and the tide is out, we set up a little game of  "hit the ring".  There is a stick sticking up out of the mud, we found an old rusty metal ring and balanced the ring on the wood. Then we would stand up on the levee road and throw rocks or sticks and try to knock the ring off the stick. Click here to watch video.  We have come to call this activity the "Olhone games"  after the local native American tribe that used to inhabit this land.   There are times when we get out to the bus stop and the tide is in, the wood is underwater and metal ring on the bay floor.   Whenever the tide is out and we set up the ring, we hope that its still "up"  next time we ride out there. So we rode out there yesterday.  A muddy ride to say the least.  We get about half way out the levee road and the rain from the recent storms had turned part of the trail into slop. Mud started to cake up on the tires (and everything else! ) and at some point we were only going forward because we were afraid to stop for fear we couldn't get going again! It eventually got a little better, and as we rode up on the bus stop we could see the metal ring still hanging, only this time way out in the water!  The  ring was barely hanging on as the waves lapped up against it and the wind blew.  Still pretty cool to realize it had hung there since Saturday with all the wind and tides and rains.   Amazing!

Freak Storm in Fremont

Friday night we went out to dinner with Michelle and John.  After dinner we headed over to Ardenwood farm to pick some blackberries.  Took this self pic as the sun was setting. After we had a bag full of berries,  we decided to get some vanilla ice cream and head to Downingville and have some berries and ice cream. On they way home we saw some GREAT and very unusual (for Fremont)  lightning strikes hitting the Pleasanton Ridge area. When we got to John's house, him and I went out into the yard to try to capture some of the strikes on video.  WOW!!  The storm pass right over head and we were able to see a great lightning show.  Here are the top 3 videos taken with the Droid

Lightning #1

Lightning #2

Lightning #3

And you can always check out all my vids at the jimsoint youtube channel

Summer Vacation 2011 - Kate and Frank - Tahoe

So Kate and Frank came for a visit.  The plan in place and reservations made months ago.  Arrive August 11, spend August 12-19th in Tahoe and say goodbye on Sunday the 21st. A mini whirlwind with a little Tahoe relax time in between. We picked Sammy Sturm up at her house and went to pick up Kate and Frank at the airport.  Hugs and kisses all around and into the car for a drive to the city. Kate and Sam have a tradition of going to Pier 39 to get pearls from some shop on the pier. It also gave us a chance to show Frank just a little bit of the city. Before heading into the city though, we stopped at Joe's of Westlake for a little lunch.   The wharf was good.... the fog was in.. saw the seals... looked at Alcatraz across the way, and waited for the girls to do whatever it is girls do. Oh, one thing they do is go to the hat store and try on hats. Fun stuff eh? Just like old times.  Drove down Lombard street,  through the Marina and onto the Golden Gate Bridge. Took the "long way" home over the Richmond bridge and down the eastshore freeway.  Shortly after we got home Kelly arrived from Pasadena, so we were all set for a Tahoe family vacation, this time with our new son in law. Not sure Frank knew what he was getting into marrying into clan Flaherty, but he would find out soon enough.

Friday was travel day. Dropped Mali and Bruno off at Matuszak's house (thank you Ashley for watching our doggies!) and picked up Ron and Marie for a 4 car caravan to Tahoe! Arrived in south shore right at check in time. Got a great room on the 5th floor facing the lake.  Since Kate and Frank were newlyweds and had just celebrated their one year anniversary, we decided to give them the master suite. We would sleep in the studio with Kelly (and a Camello one night)  for two nights then move to our own place at the Stardust.  

Saturday we had a little party on the beach.  Fun in the sun with friends and family.  The planning and prep all came together and we were able  to have a great time introducing Frank to Kate's family and friends.  We are blessed to have such a fine young man come into Kate's and our lives.  Thanks to everyone who made the day so special. Thanks to my bro John for taking some pictures of the day.

We lucked out with the weather all week.  I think the high was 81 everyday. No afternoon thunderstorms.  We did get an overnight low of 37 one morning, so it was true alpine summer experience.

Sunday we said goodbye to almost everyone and settled in for the week. Team Downing stuck around for awhile (it was Michelle's birthday) so we did get to spend some quality time with them. Bloody marys for breakfast and a walk to state line for brunch and "shopping".  We checked into our place at the Stardust. We got a great, remodeled room, so we were very happy. I think I like the Stardust even more than the Lake Tahoe Vacation Resort!

  Everything from here on is sort of a blur. Blame it on the jack, the stoli, or the bud(weiser), or the fact that I was in vacation mode and we really weren't doing much more than relaxing and enjoying each others company.  It was a time for Frank to get to know the Flaherty family and for us to get to know him a little better.  I think I was able to provide some good info on what it takes to survive living with a Flaherty woman. : ).  Like I told Frank, the first 25 years are the hardest.

Monday was massage day. Kate  had scheduled couples massages for us. I really liked my massage but Barb was a little disappointed. But a massage is a massage and in the end its all good.  Kelly made us dinner. Steak, mashed potato, salad and bruschetta!  YUM!  Finally getting into the Tahoe groove. 

Tuesday we went white water rafting down the Truckee river. This is the 3rd time we've done this and it's always a blast. Barb sat out this trip because her shoulder was still giving her problems, so it was just Kate, Frank, Kelly and I to take on the mighty Truckee River.  Having a couple of Marines paddling made the trip down the river a piece of cake. We survived all the rapids and our guide said we were one of his best crews ever.  Kelly wanted to "family" gamble at  the casinos before she left so we went and had dinner at the Lakeside Inn, then went to Harvey's to try our luck. We wanted to play blackjack and all table were $10 minimum bet, so our stay at the blackjack table only lasted a few hands. The girls did have some fun playing the penny (max bet $2) slots with their mom.

Wednesday Kelly said goodbye.  It was Wet Woody Wednesday at the Riva Grill. Half price for the strongest drink on the lake. I don't remember much after the second one. I do remember that Frank had four! Thursday morning I met Frank and we went for a little early morning  bike ride. We cruised 13 miles out to Fallen Leaf Lake.  Thanks to John Downing,  I took Frank on the  same ride he took me on last year. First to the north side of Fallen Leaf lake, then up (hill) to the south side and the waterfall that cascades into the lake. It was nice to spend some quality time with Frank.  Thursday afternoon we went on the Tahoe Queen out to Emerald Bay. What I thought would be a touristy ripoff was actually pretty fun. The captain filled us in on all the history and folklore of the lake and surrounding area.  Great idea Kate!  Since this was our last day/night in town, we were packing up and eating everything in the fridge in preparation for our Friday morning departure. GOOD BYE TAHOE!!

Friday we left early so we could stop at Auntie Diane's on the way home. Kate really wanted to show Frank the ranch and introduce him to the rest of the Flahertys. As always, we had a great time visiting.  Diane prepared some great food for us. Frank and Diane bonded immediatly and talked a lot about horses, ranching, rodeo and their mutual love and respect for President Obama (not).  A great way to wrap up our Tahoe vacation.   We pulled into our house right around sunset.  Unpacked and crashed out.

We did have plans on saturday and sunday but we pretty much just took it easy. Kate and Frank went to visit friends. Sunday afternoon we went to Steve and Vicky's for a farewell BBQ and then it was off to SFO to say goodbye to Kate and Frank.

Check out the pics here!

We got Video too. Click here!

 

Happy Birthday Kate

Young Kate, our baby, turned 23 years old yesterday!  It was a good day for her. Frank brought her flowers at work and took her out to lunch.  They went out to dinner at a local Japanese restaurant. We miss having her around but are so glad that she is Happy in her life with Frank. Its a long way from the summer party's we used to have when she was a little kid.   Even th0ugh Kate is a big girl now, she will always be our baby.

Love you honey!

San Simeon Weekend - doggy style

Years ago our good friends Tim and Linda introduced us to the California Central Coast.  Over the years we have been back a few times with them to enjoy the area.  We've been on a few Hearst Castle tours, checked out the elephant seals hanging out on the beach, had massages and ate like kings. What is best about the trip is our stay at the Cavalier Best Western Hotel. It's right on the beach off Highway 1 in between Hearst Castle and the tiny town of Cambria.  This  may be one of the best Best Westerns in the USA. Sure, they have normal rooms that you can get, but they also have a bank of nicer rooms that you can reserve. King's Row is 20 upgraded (bigger room, nicer bed with fireplace) facing the ocean. There is also a set of about 10 rooms that are "ocean front".  We've had some GREAT times with Tim and Linda at San Simeon over the years. I guess that's why it felt a little like we were cheating on them when we took a weekend trip there with Marie and Ron earlier in the month.

One of the cool things about this Best Western is that it's dog friendly, and the main reason we came this time is so we could bring the dogs with us. Now that we are empty nesters, we just can't leave our animals and go like we used to when Kelly and/or Kate were still around.  Marie and Ron were going to bring Giuseppe and we were bringing Mali and Bruno.

I've always wanted to take the "long way" there by heading down highway 1.  We were following Ron and when he took the Monterey exit off of 101, I knew we were in for a treat. Sure it added another hour or so to the drive, but it is one of the (maybe THE) most beautiful drives in the world. Spectacular!

Pulled into Best Western right at check in time.  Two great rooms and settled in for a low key, do nothing vacation.   Because we all had dogs, and dogs must be attended to at all times, it really was all about the dogs.  But that's ok, because it was all about the dogs at the beach!  We really didn't do that much. Girls had a massage that first night while Ron and I hung out with the pups. We did get a dog sitter one night so we could go out to a nice dinner with Marie's sister and friend, but other than that is was us and the dogs. It actually turned out nice. There were a couple of doggy accidents in the room but the staff comes right away (like a hazmat team!)  and does a thorough cleaning.

One of the coolest parts of the trip was watching the dogs free on the beach. In this land of leashed dogs, it was so cool to just let them go and run.  The first day we let them free we were the only people and dogs on this long stretch of beach.  We had the whole beach to ourselves!   Giuseppe was like a wild dog.  I've never seen a dog run faster and longer than this guy did. Mali and Bruno tried to keep up but they had little legs. The dogs ran and ran and ran. Chasing pelicans that were flying by over head. We almost lost Bruno when a rogue wave and undertow almost dragged him out to sea.  All the dogs slept great that night.

As usual, the sunsets were the best. The picture at the top was the view from our room, looking south. The view from Ron and Marie's room had the sunset view. Outstanding!  We would just hang out in their room  at cocktail hour and watch the sun sink into the sea. 

We got Trouble...

A month ago we saw the posting on the Creek Trail that they would be closing the trail to do work on the levee.  When John and I went out today the fence was up and the sign was posted. Not Good. When we knew the trail was going to close we had talked about alternate routes. We could have scooted around the fence like we did all last year when they were doing similar "improvments" further down the trail, but today decided to take a another route.  Right where  the fence is, is where a dirt trail starts that eventually gets to  Coyote Hills, so we took that. We meandered through some trails that neither of us had been on before, just taking a right when there was a fork in the trail, and hoping for the best. We eventually found familiar ground and made our way around the backside of Coyote , back to the creek trail, and to the end and the bay. It was a beautiful morning out there. Still and warm. A BIG bitch'n billowy cloud sort of day.On our way back we did scoot around the fence for one last ride before they start to move in equipment and materials

In the Beginning

When Barb and I started going out 30 years ago, she lived in a little one bedroom apartment in Milpitas.  We had the chance to drive by the old place a couple of weeks ago when we were meeting Tim and Linda for coffee at Starbucks in Milpitas.

The apartment that we shared for a little while was on the upper floor facing the street.  Things haven't changed much in 30 years.  We moved out 6 months after we got married, and the rest is history!

Game 7 at the Tank - A Night to Remember

The  morning's papers, hockey purists,  and all the sports talk radio guys are calling the Sharks / Red Wings series one of the best in NHL history.

 Up 3 games to none,   it looked like the Sharks would cruise into the next round.  Detroit battled back to even the series and force the nerve racking, heart pounding game 7 at the tank last night. We had already been to game 5 of the series, a mother's day game where we were hoping to see the Sharks close out the series and move on. Turned out to be a disappointment as our boys lost a 4-3 heart breaker. Another loss in Detroit on  Day before yesterday I got an email at work saying that I had won two tickets to game seven.   Hp has an employee lottery for a limited number of tickets at the HP Pavilion. I've won tickets in the past to regular season games, but have never been lucky enough to score some playoff freebies. Needless to say, we were stoked! As luck would have it though, Barb wasn't feeling it so she offered her golden ticket to John Downing, who hadn't been to a hockey game since 1972.

We headed to San Jose early enough to do some serious game prep.  A little tail gate time, then a short walk to Henry's Hi Life for a quick one before heading to the tank. Needless to say, Henry's was the place to be for pre-game festivities. When we first opened the door it looked like sardine city in there, but we quickly and deftly made our way in and and looked for an opening to the bar.  The energy in the place was incredible. After our quick one we were outta there and on our way to the tank.  Picked up our complimentary rally towel at the door and....let the game begin!!

Needless to say, the game 7 win was one of the most exciting (and LOUD) games I've ever been at.

 

 

Colin in the House

Staci and Colin came for a visit!  You can tell from the picture that he was thrilled to be here. Mali and Bruno didn't know what to make of him. Either way it was great to see the little guy, if only for a while. He was grumpy when he wasn't eating so Staci fed him and tucked him back in the car seat for the ride home. Sure is a cutie pie!

Bryan Adams at the Warfield

How great is it it live in the San Francisco Bay Area? Pretty pretty great!

The Plan. Check into the Parc 55 hotel in downtown SF. Have a nice dinner then walk to the Warfield for  the Bryan Adams  8pm show.

We arrived at Ron and Marie's in Pleasanton, then immediately headed to a local bar to start the festivities. Check in wasn't until 3pm so we did have a little time to kill.  Cruised over the bay bridge and into the city right around check in time.  Beautiful room on the 26th floor looking out over downtown and Union Square.

Dinner and drinks downstairs at the Cityhouse, then the short 2 block walk to the Warfield. Seats were great.  In the balcony but dead center to the stage.

Bryan Adams was GREAT!   The name of the tour was the "bare bones" tour, and now I know why.  The show consisted of Bryan with his acoustic guitar and harmonica and one other guy on a piano. What a great concert!  To see ANYONE at the Warfield is pretty cool considering the history of the place. To see someone we've never seen before with our besties (who are huge fans and have seen Bryan many times) made it even more special. After the 3 hour show it was the short walk back to the hotel for a night cap and goodnites.

Next morning was lazy morning.  11am room service breakfast at Ron and Marie's across the hall.  Checked out at noon then did a mini driving tour of the city before we parked in North Beach and walked off breakfast. One quick bloody mary at the North Beach bar before we headed back over the bridge to reality.

Thanks to Marie and Ron for a great GREAT weekend!!

Finally !! Colin Michael

The MUCH anticipated birth of Staci's little boy happenned early morning on April 1st. Kelly had come up a week before so she could be sure that she was here for the birth. After a couple of  false alarms and even a birth inducing Preggo Pizza from Skipolini's, Staci finally went into labor on the last day of March and had her precious little boy just after midnight. Mom dad and baby all doing fine.

After letting things settle for a week we made the trip to Sacramento to see the little bundle of joy.  Needless to say, Colin is one cute kid. Healthy and strong and HUNGRY little boy.  Barb Kelly and I all got our "Colin time"  while spending some special time with Staci. Shane was sleeping most of the time we were there. Wonder why?!  Staci said that Colin is still not on a good schedule and only sleeps 3 hours max.

No doubt that Colin likes grandpa Flaherty the best!

Angel on Kate's Shoulder

When we went to visit Kate and Frank in February, Barb and Kate went out and got matching angel tattoos on their shoulders.  At the time I thought it was just a kind and touching gesture shared between mother and daughter. Little did I know that that angel on Kate's shoulder would come in handy.

We got the call around 5am one morning a couple of weeks ago. Kate calling from the ER after having been in an accident.   She was on the way to work  early  morning.  It had rained the night before and the roads were slick with plenty of standing water in the road. Kate was cruising along when she came upon an extra deep and extra long puddle,  she lost control, over corrected,  then went off the side off the road and rolled three times.   The truck came to rest on its side, driver's side up, with Kate still dangling in her seat belt.  With the help of good samaritans who stopped to assist, she was able to scramble up and out the driver's side window.  Her only injuries were a sore shoulder (thank you seat belt!!!!) and some cuts on her hands and arms from crawling out the window.

Frank was on his way to work not too far behind her on the road. She was able to call him  (she saved her cell phone!!)  and let him know what had happened and to look for her on the side of the road. Rather than go in the ambulance, Frank took Kate to the ER where they took x-rays and found that it was most likely shoulder sprain. Nothing broken. Whew!

Needless to say its not the best call a parent can get at 5am in the morning.  But hearing Kate on the phone was VERY reassuring,  knowing that she was alright and able to call us herself. It wasn't until later when she sent along some pictures that we realized TRULY how lucky (blessed!) Kate was to come out with only minor injury. Pretty obvious that the seat belt (and grace of God) save our baby for us. And maybe the angel on her shoulder  

Never Doubt the High-Def Doppler

The plan:  the normal 8am ride with the boys. Last ride of winter -  Super moon -  high tide ride with the boys!  We had hopes of seeing a monster high tide that would lap up at the creek trail.

Since most rides these days are "weather permitting", we weren't going to go if  it was raining.  We've got caught in a couple of down pours before and its no fun.

Woke up this morning, looked out the window, the backyard was wet but it wasn't raining.  First thing I did was check the CBS5 hi-def doppler.  Things did not look promising.  Doppler showed no rain over  Fremont but some green and yellow cells lingering over the bay. Looked like the yellow cells  were heading our way,  but it also looked like we could  "thread the needle" and dodge the rain.   Either way, I sent the following text  at 7:19 am :  hi def doppler shows more rain coming. ride later this afternoon maybe. Unless you want to go for it.

So Vandy is at spring training so I know he's out.

 Joe Camello wisely texts back :  no its going to come down pretty good. take a picture.tempted but will pay for it according to forecast.

Now  John Downing, the man I consider the more "sane" one of the group, shot back:   No wind. I wanna. You?

Here is where I could have suggested we wait until later or cancel all together. Instead I text:

OK!!!!

The ride out was actually kind of nice.    Our goal was to make it to the end of the trail, check out the tide, and high tail it back home.  Somewhere past mile marker nine going out to the bay, John says, "hey we're flying!"  Sure enough, we had a great tailwind pushing us out.  When you ride with the wind, sometimes you get in the "vortex" where,  the wind is blowing like crazy, but its eerily calm and quiet.  Because for a certain time, you  match the same speed and direction of the wind. Its very cool.  The last little bend before the end of the trail turned the tail wind into a cross wind, and we knew that it would be a long haul home. But still, no rain!

We took a very  quick break at the end of the trail.  Saw snow in the hills behind Mission Peak and white caps blowing  in the old salt pond. Oh, and not- so- high a high tide.  After a couple of quick pictures it was back in the saddle for the long peddle home. A mile into our ride back, the head wind was brutal,  and the rain started to come down.  Hard.  We made a quick decision to bail on the creek trail and take the short cut home.  Through Coyote Hills, over to Ardenwood farm, and up and over the freeway to Cabrillo.  It was raining so much and the wind was blowing so hard that we took a 15 minute refuge in the doorway of the Coyote Hills visitor center. It was weird because both John and I were already soaked from head to toe. My legs were red like a lobster. But in that doorway of the visitor center, out of the wind and rain, It  felt warm!  Almost good. That's how frigging cold I was!!  Another look at the hi-def doppler (this time on my droid)  showed that the storm was passing. We waited another five minutes and sure enough  the rain stopped.  It was still a cold and windy five miles back to the house, and another mile or so further for John Downing. But at least it wasn't raining!   Needless to say it was one of the more memorable rides in recent memory, and after a nice long hot tub soak and shower, it really didn't seem that bad at all!!

Note- the pictures above were taken  BEFORE the rains came.

 

Happy Birthday Kelly

Kelly turns 24 today!  Where oh where did the time go?