After puncturing my rear tire on a huge tack 1/2 mile from home....and then breaking the tip of the valve while inflating the new tube...I finally got my act together and made it to the top of Mt Diablo today. I don't normally ride the mountain on a Sunday because of all of the cars but I was glad that I did today.
Friend Yilma drove down from Davis for his first-ever assault on the mountain and we set out when the outside temperature was a chilly 38 degrees. After the technical problems were solved and a pit stop was made at Performance Bicyles in Walnut Creek, we pedaled up North Gate Rd without having to deal with too many cars. Before the final stretch to the summit, I told Yilma, "Just put your head down and keep turning the pedals. Ignore the cars!" Being the nice guy that he is, he swerved to the right to move over for a car and accidently clicked out, having to walk the rest of the way to the top.
I have never seen such a circus in the upper parking lot but the rangers were serving complimentary coffee so all was right in our little spot in the world. In spite of the air clarity, I could not find the Farallon Islands off the coast. But, for the first time ever, I saw the view that Mt Diablo is famous for...not just the snowy Sierras 150 miles to the east, but Half Dome with a cloak of snow. And over 200 miles to the north, Mt Lassen came in loud and clear.
By the time we headed downhill, the cars/SUVs were arriving in droves. I was so busy concentrating on motor vehicles crossing into my lane on blind curves (while they passed cyclists climbing uphill, that I barely noticed how cold and cramped my hands felt.
By tomorrow, the smog will obliterste the view so try to get yourselves up there following the next rain, on one of those crisp winter days.
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A Mountain with a View
Posted - 01/31/2005 : 12:10:13 AM
