Day 1 - Rain, Hills, and Committee Meetings

Day one started on the Pacific coast in San Francisco, as planned. Paul and Jeannie Aschenbrenner of Salinas were there to help see us off, Paul himself a veteran of a cross-country ride in 1983. We dipped our wheels in the ocean, then headed through Golden Gate Park across San Francisco to the Ferry Building. It was raining steadily across the first half of the city, and then it started raining hard. I was grateful for my fenders, as well as for my rain cover for my helmet, dorky as it looked! (Photo to come later)

After a quick ferry ride across the Bay we disembarked in Oakland, and held the first of many consultations about directions, looking at maps and trying to find our way. Often these meetings to reconnoiter took place every few blocks, as we tried to find our routing. Then we reached the Oakland hills, which are steep, steep, and steeper. What goes up must come down, and there were some very beautiful descents through thickly wooded hills. By then the rain had mostly stopped

After going through Moraga, Lafayette, and Walnut Creek, we finally reached our camp outside of Clayton, on the lower northeastern slopes of Mt. Diablo. 49 miles in 8 hours -- ouch! Too much city, too much rain, too many hills, and too many meetings. All in all, a successful day, and tomorrow should be better.

Barbecued tuna for dinner, thanks to Kathy and Cindy. Yum!