My previous trip along the San Francisco Bay Trail ended with a walk up Hegenberger Road with a flat tire to get to the Oakland Coliseum BART. This time, I rode down Hegenberger with a new steel-belted front tire watching out for broken glass and other sharp objects. Between Oakland and Richmond the path is mostly paved and car-free, offering $10 million views of the bay, San Francisco, the Berkeley hills, and eastern Marin. Continue reading $10M Views Bicycling from Oakland to Richmond
I had a chance to work with a very good song writer, bass player, lyricist, and producer named Kerry Thomas. This left handed musician had great feel for grooves and melody.
We met in the 80’s while I was attending San Jose State. He was good friends with Gavin Green, who played guitar in one of my college bands. But it was years later when we began our song writing partnership. Continue reading The Band Life, Part Two: Song Writing in the 90’s
This isn’t suppose to happen. Generally it can be avoided by packing a flat-tire repair kit. But how do you prepare for the possibility of four or five spokes snapping? That happened to me near the Coyote Creek Lagoon of the Bay Trail, some 6+ miles from the car. Not particularly far to walk unless you have to carry the bike all the way. The rear wheel twisted so badly that it couldn’t turn in the frame. Fortunately, my stock road bike is fairly light at 21 lbs: ideal for loading onto the peninsula commuter trains but a mountain bike would hold up better against the rough conditions on the trail and the surface-street portions of the loop. Continue reading Avoiding Those Long Walks Back to the Car Carrying Your Bike