Berkeley to Napa - everyone loving and giving to this ride!

Last nite a call came in while Tom and I were busytalking away that I did not take. It was Shawn Raymond. He had already seen the blog I put up about my brake issue. I replied early this am with a text that he followed with a phone call. An hour and a half later he was in front of Berkeley city hall with a hack saw and my shoes that long had proven to work with the Eagle. Wow.

Soon he was busy grinding and tweaking as Ron Bishop was also hArd at work cutting the business. cards he had made for my ride! The magic had already begin. This and more after Tom & Licy had already filled me up with pancakes and Tom had escorted me from their beautiful home high atop the Berkeley hills In fact, as Tom played guitar on his deck as we sipped the freshly aqueeEd OJ his wife made for us while looking out on his "backyard", miles of watersed and open space, Wildcat Canyon, I knew the ride ahead would be filled with all the love and miracles that reaurrected it in Palo Alto.

Shawn worked my rack some more after the brake fix and we rolled into a day that would reach 99 degrees at 9am iatead of 8. Ron, Tom and I were joined by john young and Diane Lee, both strong pedalers. After Tom and Ron guided us thru the Ohlons trail network, much of which traveled under the elevated BART tracks, strong legs would be needed for the giant rolling hill of the I80 bieway ahead. Pleasant and lighjtly trafficked, the route to the did require some navigation but we made it to the vista overlook feeling excited to ride over this northern finger of the SF bay.

The Vallejo side started out in heavenly fashion. Tame wide roads with newly striped bike lanes, the path to the wine country looked like it would be a golden one. Then we hit Hwy 29 at a point where we had to mAke 13 miles in an hour in the hottest part of the day. with stoplights and hundreds of cars passing us.

This was big challenge for me because holding 14 to 15 mph in these conditions demanded a lot from me. But we mad our spot with Napa vice mayor Juliana Inman on time!! Her husband, John, a cyclist, was there. He took a lot of pictures Soon Clark Smith, of Penny FArthing Wines showed up with his wife, Sue. And then Rpm Bishop and diane lee. In a pick up triuck. Diane had flatter

We assembled for group photos then adjourned to the nearby Ace Hardware where Ron had an idea for how to rig me a new rack. Well a few hours came and went. Several of the employees got involved, as did Clark. We missed the chance for a group meal and they kept sawing and measuring when Sandy realied the last bus to Berkeley was about to leave.

The project ended. Everyone said good bye and soon I was biking to Sanfu"a house about 5 miles away. There her bicycle crAzy husband, Rich, felt the challenge. He pondered and pondered. Then he sprung into action. With Sandy's capable help, they concocted a mounting system that seems bullet proof! All with the nuts and bolts and other fasteners they had on hand! They were at it tiill 11pm!!

Of douse, there again, in all my 5 decades I've never met a couple more bike centric. There are bikes and bike posters and bike gear tastefully positioned evrrwhere you lookk here. Too exciting. Wow!!