A Day of Reading

Had an unusual day yesterday. I took the day off work and spent most of it reading.

The immediate reason was Ghost Story, the new Dresden Files book which I've been eagerly awaiting for a year+. And, I did read the first 49 chapters of that (out of 51, I think). It's been quite enjoyable, and I just got to the big reveal it in (before bed last night), answering the cliffhanger from Changes, and smiled in response. It was something that was nicely set up throughout the book (and that's as far as I'll go, to avoid any spoilers).

I'd had some concerns about the book because the reviews on Amazon had been middling, but having almost finished it now, all I can do is figure that less happy readers were expecting something as high-octane as Changes which was ... unlikely.

I also received the three Blackest Night TPBs I'd ordered yesterday, and reading through those was another reason I was happy to lounge out yesterday. I'm about 8 or 10 issues into that 25 or 30 issue crossover.

The other main reason for taking yesterday off was to get some downtime. I'm been feeling a little burned out lately, and with this weekend being saturday-gaming-free, I realized that I could get some extra time to really veg at length. And that went well too. It already feels like it's been a meeelion years since I was working on Thursday.

Return to Garbage Mountain

It's been a long time since I went on a long bike ride, but I did today. About 35 miles total. I was quite tired when I was done (and, indeed, still am). My goal was the Wildcat Marsh & Landfill Loop Trail. The southern portion of the trail, surrounding Garbage Mountain, has been open for years, but the northern portion just opened this March.

So, I took the Ohlone Greenway to the Richmond Greenway. The Ohlone is always nice. The Richmond Greenway, unfortunately, is still beset by the same problems that troubled it last time I rode it, maybe a year ago: no overpass at San Pablo, dirt paths for the first few hundred yards, an ugly discontinuity in the middle of a trail, and a return to street riding at the end. I begin to wonder if those problems will ever be fixed (and it seems less likely as Republicans continue to steal money going to civic projects for Bush's millionaire tax cuts). From there, a number of mostly off-road (but right next to the road) trails took me north until I got to the part of the shoreline I was looking for. Those near-road trails are surprisingly nice. I love how they weave around sound walls and go through what must have once been parking lots at various times.

My first stop was WIldcat Creek, and more notably the Wildcat Creek Trail that goes east of the Richmond Parkway. I couldn't find it last time because what was once an underpass between the Trail and the Wildcat Marsh to the west was choked with mud. Two(?) years later, that underpass is still choked with mud, with signs at either side of the underpass warning that the trail is closed until it's safe for humans again. However, I was able to find the trail this time because I started on the east side of the (very busy) Richmond Parkway. I just had to heft my bike over a fence to get there.

So began the post-apocalyptic portion of my ride. The Wildcat Creek Trail is a regional trail, like those beautiful trails over the hills from us, such as the Iron Horse Trail and the Lafayette-Moraga Trail. But it's clearly very poorly maintained. Roots have cracked the trail everywhere and the rest of the foliage is pretty overgrown too. So, that kind of run-down look was part one of the post-apocalyptic feel. Part two was the fact that it was scarily empty of people. Actually, all of the trails I took north of the Richmond Greenway were empty of pedestrians or bicyclists, but at least on most of them I had the big cars rolling by. Here there was ... nothing ... as I passed schools and houses. Weird.

The trail actually wasn't very interesting. The whole area around the creek was so overgrown that I couldn't see it. So after I'd ridden out to its end (just a mile or so, though the trail is one day supposed to go all the way to Wildcat Canyon Regional Park), I looped back through neighborhoods to get back to the main road. I couldn't quite decide if the neighborhoods were scary or not, because some were a bit run-down and some had million dollar houses. Also weird.

In any case, after that I got across Richmond Parkway so I could actually go into Wildcat Marsh. Last time it was an entirely abandoned park with a trail going back into it not quite half a mile and ending. This time I was enthused because there might be be a cross trail that directly connected the end of Wildcat Marsh to the Landfill. Not so much. The "might be" originated from a contradiction: though the online maps clearly showed it, other sources said the cross trail wouldn't be done until Fall. So, no big deal. I feel no absolute need to see trail that exists mainly for connectivity, not for actual bay views.

I looped back out to Richmond Parkway and then up the (entirely crappy) main road to the West County Landfill. I got to the gate for the new portion of the trail (with the way it's gated off being one of the things that bugs me about this part of the Bay Trail, by the by) and found it locked.

After I got home, I discovered that some construction was to be done in May and June and they were going to close off their new trail during that time. Which seems some pretty stupid scheduling, if you ask me, given they just opened it. And I guess they must now be 50% over their schedule or something. However, while at the Landfill, faced with a stupid locked gate that wasn't supposed to be locked as far as I knew (there was no signage about it), I decided not to be deterred. Having already done some bicycle hefting, I wasn't afraid to do more. I hefted my bike around the fence, and biked the northern trail.

The trail is low quality: just (somewhat) firm dirt. But that wasn't a surprise, because it's how the southside trail was set up too. The bayside riding was great (and something that hadn't been available on the southside, which was more protected, mainly looking upon Wildcat Marsh and refineries beyond). The panoramic view was totally awesome. At one point you could see from Mount Tam (to the left), to Points San Pedro and San Pablo which mark the entrance to San Pablo Bay, all the way around to Point Pinole (to the right). Totally awesome, and worth the trip, even if there was bike hefting.

From there I rode home pretty much the way I came. I was pretty tuckered out by the time I hit the Richmond Greenway and considered hopping on BART when I got to El Cerrito del Norte, but finally decided to get all the way home. I figured I was well into the building-muscle part of the ride. I actually walked my bike on some of the uphills from North Berkeley BART to home, because I didn't want to totally exhaust myself.

Pretty tired though. Still, a good biking adventure.

Now I believe I need to hunt up some info on the Oakland Bay Trail that's gone in over the last few years, as there are a few new stretches there too.