Sunday I led a Different Spokes ride up Mount Tam and then over to Alpine Dam Lake.  We had a great group and it was a wonderful day.  We rode Mill Valley – Alpine Dam Lake – Fairfax which I thinks is a little bit easier because most of the climbing is at the beginning.  So we climbed up Ridgecrest.  Here’s everybody at the top:

The fog was a little higher than I would have liked but still super cool to look at:

Alpine Dam Lake:

The gang:

We headed home and I had dinner and got cleaned up and ready for bed.  I didn’t even make 8:30.

Saturday I got up early and headed over to meet David and Gordon and we got on BART at 16th and Mission–  which is a fucking freakshow at 7:30 on a Saturday morning.  We headed over and met Larry at Macarthur BART and headed over the ridge.  Larry picked this crazy route up to Skyline that had some gratuitously steep grades.  Shady bitch.  We headed to Moraga and then Walnut Creek where we stopped for snack and picked up a couple of riders.  Then it was up Mount Diablo.  It was a lot cooler than it could have been which was welcome but the climb up Mt. Diablo was still pretty hard and cruelly, steepest at the very end.  I got some pics at the top:

Me:

I stopped frequently on the way down for pics.  It was such a gorgeous day:

Me:

The gang at a ranger station:

We headed back to Walnut Creek and stopped for lunch downtown.  It’s super cute down there.  Then we headed back to Oakland.  I got a couple of pics as we headed up gorgeous Pinehurst:

Then it was back to Oakland and back home on BART.  I had dinner and got cleaned up and went to bed very early.  It had been a long ass day.

Thursday I got up and walked down to the criminal courthouse on Bryant St for jury duty.  I got assigned to a court room immediately which was unfortunate.  People are chose randomly and I never got selected so I just sat around all day and waited for them to tell me to go home.  I headed over to Westfield for lunch and did a little shopping.  The shiseido lady at nordstrom gave me this little spa thing as a gwp that I wasn’t so excited about but I did use on Mr. Poe:

Friday I came into work on Muni and then went for a blissfully drama free spin class over lunch.  After work I went and met up with my friend Mark who I hadn’t seen in 20 years.  We went to a Rosa Mexicana where his friend was the chef at.  It’s super fantastic and they totally gave us the hook up:

Here’s Mark with his daughter:

And with the chef:

I stumbled home early and went to bed.  I had a big weekend planned.

Tuesday I came down Market into work on my bike and then went and visited with Mr. Chris and then headed home up Market.  Wednesday I came into work Market to Laguna to Post to Kearny to Clay to Sansome.  I headed home for lunch and then went for a nice ride after work.  I headed off Sansome to Pacific.  I got a bunch of pics of some of the dazzling homes on Pacific as I headed West:

Gorgeous woodwork:

I continued on Pacific to Lyon to Jackson to Cherry to Washington to Arguello and into Golden Gate Park.  I headed over to Stow Lake and got a pic of the Chinese Pavilion:

I headed over to MLK and down to the coast.  I headed down the Great Highway to Lawton to 34th to Noriega to 18th.  I can’t remember where I saw this pretty house in the Sunset:

I took 18th to Santiago to 16th.  This is the view looking south down 16th:

I took 16th to Taravel to Merced to Hernandez to Laguna Honda to Portola to Corbett to Ord and home for dinner.  After dinner I checked online and received the sad news that I had jury duty the following day.  Developing.

Monday was walk2werq Monday.  Mr. Poe doubted that I’d get it together and predicted I’d be too hung over from Dore Alley to get up at 5 and be out of the house by 6.  But I managed it somehow.  I managed to get a 10k walk in before work which kind of surprised me.  I made it all the way over to Presidio Heights before I had to turn to go into work.  It was a really fun walk that I’m looking forward to repeating.

I headed over Masonic and then made my way over to USF.  Here’s Saint Ignatius in the early morning light:

I got a few shots of beautiful Presidio Heights homes as I headed down Spruce:

The beautiful Presidio Wall at Pacific:

Then it was over to the Gold Coast of Pacific Heights.  This is the view looking down the Lyon Steps:

I think this super fantastic home was recently redone:

Pretty Lafayette Square which has just been done over.  I was too busy looking to get any pics but I’ll have some soon:

Then I went and got some donuts and then took California into the Financial District.  They’ve ripped up the Great Stairs in front of Grace Cathedral because the waterproof membrane beneath it is leaking into the rooms below:

I headed home for lunch and then went to a spin class after work.  After that I headed home for dinner and then I went to bed.  It had been a very long day.

I had big plans for Sunday morning but I was so worn out from the ride the day before that I lounged around and did nothing until mid day.  Then Wanderson came over and we headed down to Dore Alley South of Market.  Here’s the secret to enjoying these things:  have a few drinks before you go.  You need to drink enough so that you’re not quite so grossed out by all the things you’re seeing but not so much that it slows you down.  We had a great time walking around and chatting up the assortment of shady characters assembled:

We headed home and then went to the Lookout for Jock Sunday which Different Spokes was hosting.  I signed up for 2 hours but was only able to manage 1.  I got so tired that we had to leave at about six.  We went to Sliders across the street for dinner and Mr. Poe thought it was OK but I thought it was nasty.  The vegan thing was just awful and their fries were greasy.  Especially disappointed by the fries.  After we headed home and I went to bed. 

Saturday I led a Different Spokes ride out to Tamales.  It was the longest ride I’d done this year–  118.9 miles with a fair amount of climbing.  We lucked out with low headwinds coming up Tomales Bay and fantastic weather the rest of the ride.  It was a little foggy, but on a day like that it’s a good thing.

Tomales Bay:

Walker Creek on the way up to Tomales:

Gordon, William and Ray in Tomales:

Me at Perry’s on the way home.  I had to wait a little and got bored:

Beautiful Chileno Valley:

At the Golden Gate Bridge on the way home:

I got home around 7PM and had a big dinner and then went to bed.  I was completely beat.

Friday I came down on Muni into work.  I went to a spinning class over lunch which was blissfully uneventful and then I went for a nice walk after work.  I started off in Golden Gate Park and made my way over to UCSF.  Here I am looking up at the hill from Kezar:

Some of the pretty early 20th c homes near UCSF:

Then I climbed the steps up Oakhurst Lane which has a grand view when the fog isn’t being so uncooperative:

This is the forest on Mount Sutro:

And then back to my beloved Midtown Terrace:

I headed over to Portola and then Corbett and then down 24th St.  These are the steps that go underneath Portola:

I attempted to get donuts at Whole Foods on 24th but they were out which was sad.  So I headed home and had dinner and got ready for bed.  I had a big weekend planned.

Thursday I came into work Market to Laguna to McAllister to Polk to Pacific to Powell to Jackson to Columbus to Clay to Sansome.  I headed home for lunch where I learned that poor Mr. Poe has been saddled with jury duty yet again and will be spending the last bit of his summer at some civil trial.  This is like the zillionth time he’s been on a jury.  I think they really look for school teachers because they tend to have a propensity for listening carefully and following directions.  I headed back to work and then after went on a nice ride. 

I headed off 2nd to Howard to 11th to Harrison to 21st to Valencia to Tiffany to 29th to San Jose to Monterey where I ran into my friend Gabe walking home from work.  It’s nuts how many people I know who live in the Sunnyside.  I continued on Monterey to Northgate to Darien.  Darien is a pretty street in a neighborhood called ‘Mt. Davidson Manor’ according to Google.  It’s got underground utilities which is a nice perk and a bunch of pretty Mediterranean style homes.  I got a bunch of pics as I headed down it:

Tudor-terranean?

I continued on Darien to Santa Ana that has a pretty footpath that connects Upland with San Fernando:

I continued on Santa Ana to Ocean to Paloma.  This is the Ingleside Gate at Paloma:

I took Paloma to Mercedes to 20th to Eucalyptus to Clearfield into 34th to Yorba to 35th to Vicente to 18th to Ulloa to 17th to Taravel to Merced to Hernandez to Laguna Honda to Portola to Corbett and home for dinner.  After I got cleaned up and went to bed early.  I still don’t feel like I’m caught up on sleep since Mr. Poe was out of town and nobody got any rest.  But I’m getting there.

I was pretty beat on Tuesday so I came into the office on Muni and went to the gym over lunch.  After work I went and hung out with Mr. Chris and the girls.  Then I headed home for dinner.  Mr. Poe had a PTA meeting so I had to feed the dogs and myself and then we waited for him to come home and then we all went to bed.  Long day.

Wednesday I couldn’t get it together in the morning so I came down Market into work and then headed home for lunch with Mr. Poe.  I went on a nice ride after work.  I headed off down Pacific and stopped for some pics of some of the magnificent homes in the Gold Coast of Pacific Heights:

I continued on Pacific to Presidio to Jackson to Cherry to Washington to Arguello to Lake to 28th to Camino Del Mar to Lake to Arguello to Washington to Presidio and into the Presidio.  I came out of the Presidio at the Lombard Gate and then took Greenwich to Polk to Vallejo.  I stopped at Vallejo and Jones for some pics of pretty Russian Hill:

I took Jones to Pacific to Taylor to California to Hyde to Market to 17th to Ord and home for dinner.  I had dinner with Mr. Poe and then we went to bed very early.  It had been a very long day.