Friday, August 27, 2010

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I lead this easy paced social ride along the Bay Trail to Pt Richmond about once a month. It’s usually scheduled on the last Friday of the month. The group meets at the foot of the Pedestrian Bike Bridge at the corner of Addison St and Bolivar Dr in Berkeley; the north end of the Aquatic Park. Restrooms and water are available at the park on Bolivar heading south.

We cross over the bridge and head south on the Bay Trail along Frontage Rd to do a loop around Emeryville Marina.

We turn around at the circle of roses and head north to return on the Bay Trail. We then turn on University Ave towards the marina, pass the Sea Breeze Market & Deli where you can order all kinds of fried seafood you want and the Eastshore Park before doing the loop around Cesar Chavez Park. Water and restrooms are available at the parking lot of the Berkeley Marine Center which is behind the Doubletree Hotel. The Hornblower Cruises and Events yachts are berthed next to the hotel.

We make our way back onto the Bay Trail and head north. We ride pass the Tom Bates Sports Complex that has two natural and two artificial fields for playing soccer. The first little climb of the day takes us on the backside of Golden Gate Fields and drops us down into the parking lot.

We get back on the Bay Trail on Buchanan St. The trail takes us pass Costco and Pt Isabel which is also known as the Doggie Park. There’s the Sit & Stay Cafe and Mudpuppy’s Tub & Scrub where you can bathe your own dog or go for the full service.

The Bay Trail continues along the shoreline and you get great views of the bay. We pass several little parks complete with playgrounds and picnic areas. Restrooms and water are available along this trail. We ride pass Rosie the Riveter Park, a man made beach area, Amini’s By the Bay Deli, Salute Ristorante and the Marina Bay Yacht Harbor. There is also the old Ford Plant which has become the Craneway Pavilion. It is a very popular venue for many different types of events. The Boilerhouse Restaurant is located right next to the Pavilion.

We reach our destination lunch spot at Little Louie’s. If there is enough space, you can park your bikes inside the outdoor patio area. They have a variety of foods to choose from; huge sandwiches, salads, burgers, soups and other premade deli items. You can ask for a lunch card and get it stamped each time. Buy 10 lunches and the next one is FREE.

After lunch, we go through the tunnel that takes us over to Brickyard Cove. In order to get onto the bike/pedestrian path in the tunnel, you would have to hop onto the sidewalk at the corner of Domar and Richmond; right in front of the newly renovated Richmond Plunge. We ride pass Miller-Knox Park, the Richmond Ramblers club house, the Richmond Yacht Club and the Brickyard Cove Pond. I like to do an out and back on Sandpiper Spit to check out all the fancy homes. There’s one with a beautiful spiral staircase in the front for all to see.

The second climb is on Seaclift Dr which drops us down to Canal Blvd. We then retrace the route back to the start.

Thanks to everyone for coming out to play. It’s fun to ride with people that I don’t normally see on other club rides.

20 people in attendance..36 miles with 463′ of elevation gain

Weather: Overcast skies with a starting temp of 61, sunny and 68 at Pt Richmond with strong headwinds on the return to Berkeley

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>FLAT RIDES CAN BE FUN!>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>