Delta De Anza Trail resurfaced

Look at this smooth piece of pavement. With no notice or warning several sections of my commute path, the Delta De Anza Trail that runs through Antioch, have been resurfaced. It's just like magic. It's such a pretty dark black, and better still has fewer large tire-grabbing cracks. This morning I could even see new dust footprints of the critters that scramble over it in the night. Skunks, squirrels and who knows what else have left their marks along with the growing number of bike tire tracks.

Black and white challenge, with bicycles

My old friend and fellow photographer Victoria Sheridan sent me a challenge to post a Black and White photograph every day for five days on Facebook. I took it on, but considering I teach weird hours, have no life, and commute in the dark it's pretty hard to be anywhere interesting. It turns out that if I squint just right, and look in very narrow directions, my daily bike commute can look almost not-so-bad. So two of my three #blackandwhitechallenge photos are from my commute.

The cyclist photo was made behind my college. The water photo is of the canal between the dump and a trailer park on my ride home.

Foxy's Fall, 2014

My new aerodynamic vest is so tight that there wasn't room for my camera in my jersey pocket.  Really. It had nothing to do with my winter-is-coming weight gain. I was able to use my iPhone to make a few out-of-focus snapshots that were generally disappointing.

But the weather was wonderful, though it turns out that 100 miles is still a long way, even without a lot of climbing. I'm sure it didn't help that I hadn't trained a bit. Even though this year I have a double century under my belt, and spent two weeks cycle touring I haven't done much lately but commute.

So, this uninspiring post is just to note that Tricia and I did indeed ride Foxy's. Again.

John Marsh stone house

Tricia and I rode the new Delta De Anza trail out to the newly-reopened Marsh Creek

Trail to get to a community fund-raising event at the Marsh Creek house. The home isn't open yet — it's still surrounded by chain link fence — but the restoration is well underway. If you don't know John Marsh, you owe it to yourself to at least read the Wikipedia entry.

The John Marsh Historic Trust is working hard, but slowly, on the stone house. I'm sure they'll put any money you send them to good use.

Delta De Anza bonus video

When the Delta De Anza Trail between Antioch and Oakley opened, and I made a few photos and posted them on here. Today Tricia and I rode the one-mile trail and I played movie dude with my new iPhone. I even edited my video on the phone. Here it is in all it's glorious 39 seconds.

Delta De Anza Ridgeline Trail opens

At long last the section of the Delta De Anza Trail connecting Antioch to Oakley is open. Cyclists have been waiting years and years for it, and now it's here. I'm not sure what the hold up was, but I'm relieved it has happened at last.

I also like the sign my bike is leaning against. I wish the all trails were signed like this, perhaps also including arrows pointing where they're going. But for now I'll take this, and be happy about it.

The trail connects from Ridgeline Dr, runs past a none-too-pretty water treatment plant and chain link fences, under Highway 4 and out to Neroly Road in Oakley. It isn't scenic in a classical sense, but it's sure beautiful to me.  I don't even mind the slight hill.

I also hope this signals a new awareness of the importance of connecting bike routes and paths.  As nice as many paths are, many don't connect to anything, and just leave cyclist standing over their bikes wondering what to do. Think I'm kidding? Try riding the Mokelumne Trail to Brentwood. It just stops, as in dead ends, right at Highway 4.

But enough complaining. I'm celebrating this trail today!