Today was a great day to be out. The weather was better than anyone could expect for this time of year and we used up just about all the daylight there was and went into the darkness. We missed a little in the morning.
I met Don in Walnut Creek at our usual spot for when we head south just before 9am. Ron called with a flat but he had made it home safe already(sorry you missed out today). Unfortunately Q couldn't make it either as he had a severe case of oversleepitis 
. So... off we went to meet Grant and his crew in Half Moon Bay. The sun was out and there was no fog all the way until we hit SF. I love riding over the Bay Bridge.. sometimes I forget what a great area we live in up here and today was on of those days that reminds you with the views from the bridge. SF had a little fog, but then it cleared up once we got to Daly City.
Pacifica was perfect! The coast was great and there were big waves out there breaking on the rocks. It made for a distracting view. Half Moon Bay was a little socked in, but after hanging with Grant at Peet's coffee for about 30m all was looking good. Grant's friends called as we were getting ready to leave and we decided to meet them in Santa Cruz.
Santa Cruz, what can I say... it was perfect. Great weather, lots of surfers at the lighthouse and a perfect parking space in the lighhouse parking lot!
We met up with Grant's friends whose names elude me. Grant will remind us though. I'm pretty sure there was a Max and a Frank 
. They had some hot looking rockets that looked like a lot of fun. We decided to head down to Monterey to eat lunch then go to Big Sur before heading home.
Well, we never even made it to Monterey. Traffic was a mess and because it was a one lane road, there was no splitting to be had. We ate lunch at a little taqueria in a small town just north of Monterey and realized there was no way we could get to Big Sur and back and still have daylight. We decided to take 152 (Hecker Pass) back to Gilroy and just book it home from there. The trusty GPS didn't want us to take 152 and took every opportinity to pretend we were going that way then change up and try to send us back to HWY1. Anyhow, we finally made our way to the actual pass and tried to get in some quick twisties. The rockets took the lead but never really got up to speed due to traffic issues. There were still some bursts of speed here and there but not the excitement we were hoping for.
Freeway from there. Don and I stopped in San Jose so I could remove my sunglasses since it was long past dark. Got home just past 630pm with 280 miles on the GPS clock.
All in all it was a good day. Traffic hindered our plans somewhat but who can complain about being out in the sun and at the beach at this time of year.
The riding season is almost over for this year. I figure we have just over 4 weeks left before putting the bikes away until 2009. I am hoping we can get in at least 2 more good rides before then. The good news is that 2009's riding season is only about 4 weeks away 
.
Grant got some photos so hopefully he will share.
