I like winter. Winter is the quiet time of the year. Since I have a job where I start at four in the morning I try to go to bed early. I usually get up at two-thirty in the morning. Since it gets dark early I can go to be early.

Summer is the worst. Sun goes down late and tends to be more noise. I tend to more tired during this time of the year.  Still can’t believe I actually accepted a job with this kind of start time.

Usually I worked Swing shift. I like working swings. Time changes didn’t mean much to me. Never really noticed it. Start at three in the afternoon and get off at eleven-thirty at night. Go to bed when I get home. Wake up when I’m ready and go on a bike ride or run errands. Then off to work. Just perfect.

I’ve talked to truck drivers and most of them hate daylight savings. Winter is the best. Personally I think daylight savings is against the working person. I guess daylight savings time works well for the unemployed and students. 

Doesn’t help that Bush decided to move it to March. The argument was that people will stay out later and spend money. Government trying to get me to spend money.  

I can’t do much about time changes so I  enjoy winter and I get my sleep in and enjoy the quiet. 

A sink hole on Alhambra Road. So the ride to Martinez was out. Until this gets fixed I will take Cummings Skyway to Martinez. To get to San Pablo Damn Road and ride to Orinda I will have to take Castro Ranch Road. 

This winter has been rough on roads in the SF Bay Area.

This is why I don’t rely on GPS when bike touring. I carry a paper map jjust in case I need to change my route. 

Woke up this morning and it is raining. Good way to start my weekend. So it looks like the bike ride is out for the day. Been a wet winter. Probably be a hot summer. Also not a fan of bike riding in the heat. But this is life as a bike rider.

I don’t like the term cyclist, sounds like I should be wearing lycra and racing a road bike along the streets, bike rider works for me. I ride my bike when I can. Mostly to run errands or just wandering aimlessly. Sometimes a road is interesting and I want to see where I end up. I plot nothing, I just go.

 When I get my next tune up I’m going to see about getting lower gearing. I’m not much of a fast rider. Actually the third train ring is wasted on me. I don’t go there. I take that back I did it once when I got a little crazy and hitting some speed. But I haven’t been there since then. Besides there are more hills where I live and I need lower gears. I’m not a fan of a hills but I rather have lower gears for them because I will use them more than I would higher gears.

I really don’t like classifying my bike riding style. People get into their little camps. Road cyclist, touring, commuter, and whatever else they come up with. I just hop on my bike and do whatever. Would like to commute on my bike but the job is too far and I start at four in the morning. Public Transportation isn’t running so doing a part drive and part bike is out.

Some would say just move closer to the job. Would if rents in the SF Bay Area weren’t sky rocketing. The thought of coming with first and last months rent gives me a headache. Like I want to come up with $5000 just to move in. Personally I think the last month rent should be illegal for a landlord to ask for. I did not live there so why am being asked to pay it. That is the landlords problem and shouldn’t be passed on to me. Talk about a scam.

I’m not a fan of group rides. Use tolerate them but I’m over it. I don’t like riding a planned route and I like to stop when I want for whatever reason. Some group rides are too fast or if they are mellow someone has to worry about the slower riders. No drop rule. I don’t want to be baby sat. Let me be.

I like the quietness of a ride. I like a quiet road where I don’t see anyone. If I see a bike rider a head of me and for some reason I’m closing in I will stop, drink some water or take a picture. I will let the rider get farther ahead of me. Really don’t want to say hello or get caught in some kind of conversation. Fast riders I can deal with because they don’t want to talk. Just ride past me and go along their way.

Just ride to ride .

It has been raining a lot lately so going on hikes in the hills or the Headlands is out because it is too muddy and puddles. So Ferry Point is always a nice option. Great view of the Bay and head into Point Richmond for a snack.

The day was cool and clear so everything was good.

Was a nice day for a bike ride. The weather was perfect for bike riding. Nice to wake up and there is no rain.

So I’m pedaling down a path and then it is flooded. This was the second time I had to turn around. I was going to ride Alhambra and then there was a sign that red it was close beyond Castro Ranch Road.  Didn’t feel like riding up that road. So the day turned into a bay ride.

Next time I just going to stick riding through Rodeo and riding up Cummings Skyway to Martinez. That is a ride for another day.

It is becoming a slow start for 2017. The rain has been crazy and doesn’t want to let up. Back on my old schedule and the bike riding has been slow. I’m not a fan of riding in the rain. I have a job where I work in the rain and I’m not to thrilled with that, but I’m paid to work in the rain. 

When I go for a bike ride I’m not long distance touring so I don’t need to ride in the rain to get to the next camp ground or town and maybe stay in a hotel. I’m not a road cyclist riding a route to see how fast I can do it because I’m trying to burn maximum calories. When I ride I stop to take pictures or read a book at a comfortable spot. Nothing like reading a book with a light breeze and a great view. Can’t do that when it is raining. So it takes some of the fun out of riding a bike.

Bicycling magazines and enthusiasts will tell you how great it is to ride a bike and it is all smiles and everything is great. I’m more of a realist. Some days on a bike is a pain in the ass. Sometimes the leg strength is not there. I try to ride my way through it but after a while it doesn’t improve and I’m irritated. Which means the ride will be cut short.

Some days car drivers just seem to have it out for me. Too many are cutting me off or making right hand turns without using their blinkers. I’m thinking they are going straight and then the right hand turn. Sometimes it seems like national car honking day. Drivers honking their horns and I’m wondering what I did. Days like this it is time to find a library and relax before I hit the road. Maybe drivers will be in a better mood.

Most of the times the bike ride is good. Personally I like a bike path better than the roads. More peaceful on a bike path. It is nice to find a nice quiet road, but cars tend to drive faster on these roads. Drivers see an empty road it is time to act like they are at Indy. Sometimes the motorcyclist are worse than the car drivers. Why so close.

The steps are off too. Can’t do much hiking when it is raining. Though I can do more city walking but at this point I’m tired of being wet. I haven’t felt like walking during lunch. Just sit in the car and read. 

At least my reading is coming along. What else is there to do when it is raining. At least I’m on schedule with my reading. It just seems hard to find good stuff to read. But the year is still young and there is plenty of time.

It is always nice to get on the bike and go for a ride. Sometimes it is a long ride or  a short ride. But as long as I’m on the bike I am good.

When I’m on my bike it is like a mini vacation. There is a lot to see. On my days off I just have to decide on a route and go.

In my younger days I should have just hopped on my bike and went riding all over the country. I got caught up in Corporate America and the American dream trap. That didn’t fare too well.

Some say, “You are older and no bills why not go now?” Sounds like a plan but I have a retirement plan with Calpers. Unfortunately I don’t put into social security and I won’t get my full social security. No double dipping allowed. Also I want to have some money coming in when I retire. I know it sounds like an excuse but everyone is wired different. I envy the people who just go and deal with everything as they come. I have to have a plan and a back up plan and another back up plan.

So I just ride where I’m at and enjoy the sights and see new things.

Now when I go into Wallmart or Fry’s there are people from Xfinity or Direct TV trying to sign people up. The weird looks I get from them when I tell them I don’t watch tv. Young people looking at me weird when according to articles Millennial’s are cutting the cable.

The garbage that is on tv and the price that cable companies are charging is outrageous. Every time I listen to people at work talk about their cable bills and how they keep going up.

I will stick to books.

Was a nice day to walk around the Albany Bulb.