Finally, I'm Back, or Finally, Single Track

Well, here it is, my first post in a good couple of weeks. After my vacation in Florida, my life has been in that strange, weird, stressful cousin of vacation called unemployment, and like a vacation I wasn't living in my own place, I was essentially homeless for a bit there (hopping from couch to couch). But one thing turned around, I found a great place in North Oakland, but unfortunately, the job thing hasn't been going so great. After spending one day begging people for money (i.e. canvassing), I quit. And when I quit I let out my disappointment and rage into the pedals, riding like a psychotic messenger, weaving in and out of cars as I raced top speed through lights. Luckily, I made it home alive and spent the rest of the day as I've spent my last month here in Oakland, filling out job applications.

If you ever want to know what desperation feels like work a day canvassing with a near goose egg in your bank account, woof. All this job garbage has really gotten me losing hair, worrying about rent, or food, or what have you, but there is one fall proof plan to make me feel better, get on the bike and go.

I've been planning on replacing my 40 mm Schwalbe Marathon Mondial's for something a little slimmer (my 28 mm Marathon is still kicking all the way from Chicago, so I want to match that). I've been leaning towards the Vittoria Randonneur Trail, but that's a story for another time. The point is that with those wide nobby tires I should hit trail before I can afford to change them (although I will certainly hang on to these fatty's for some trail touring in the summer hopefully).

Turkeys!

This is a political statement about the city and death of public place. Or it's a picture of Oakland through a  fence.

Marin County may be the  beginning for mountain biking, meaning single track left and right and bike access to nearly every trail. East Bay on the other hand, full of those granola munching hippies from Berkeley, fight to keep steel and aluminum off their trails (even the fire roads in Berkeley don't allow bikes). There are some exceptions when you get beyond the hills, but in the hills there is only one place to go for single track, Joaquin Miller. I was inspired by this video, so I set out for the Cinderella Trail.

Rubber on dirt.

West Ridge Trail, so shady.

Pretty wide fire roads for the most part in Redwoods Regional Park.

I had to get there first. Living somewhere new means a new way into the Hills, a sort of nice way. It doesn't seem as quick coming from West Oakland, unfortunately, but I no longer have to contend with Broadway Terrace, but instead get Tunnel Rd, right away, both old and new, plus Tunnel Rd. has a dedicated bike lane with a roomy buffer zone. Getting into the climb I remembered how much I adore Old Tunnel Rd. mashing my lower gears towards the top with an aggressive cadence, as opposed to grueling out those gears on Claremont or Centennial Dr. Once up top it was the fire roads of Redwoods Regional to get to the other side, where Joaquin Miller is. The fire roads of the West Ridge Trail were fun, but they seemed to only be a prelude for what was to come.

I can see something that can see a lot more than I can.

Single Track!

The West Ridge Trail doesn't necessarily end at the Chabot Space Center, but that's where I quit it. This was where I dropped down from the telescopes toward Joaquin Miller, the sprawling track that rings freedom for bikes. I wasn't sure of the directions of the trail systems, but I was apparently on Castle Trail. On this trail it was beautiful single track. I dashed in and out, the trail dropped (most of Joaquin Miller is on the slopes of the hill, not rounded around the top like most others) and I kept squeezing my breaks in my drops to keep a hold of the bike. If you noticed in that video they had real mountain bikes and full on face protecting headgear, I was on a cross bike with a regular road helmet, yikes. This could be dumb. But I pressed on. I almost lost my tire once in a water divet, thankfully I stayed calm and carried the rear right on through. First day back in single track and no scars to account for.

The blue matches the forest well.

Castle Trail eventually becomes unrideable.

Castle Trail let out to Castle Drive, a descent that seemed like it could be a blast if I knew it, but being new it was mostly brake hugging the whole time. Once out it was back through Montclair down into that weird Berkeley and Oakland border (like really they couldn't just pick one road?) across town back to North Oakland for a brilliant day back on the bike and my first time on single track since I was maybe 14.