Day 13: North Richmond to Pinole

Day 13:  North Richmond to Pinole

May 1st, 2017

14.01 miles in 6 hours 1 minute

This day made me think of stops and starts, how that happens on any path, whether hiking this trail or traversing a career.  In the book Good To Great, Jim Collins talks about successful organizations needing to maintain momentum in a particular direction to ensure sustained progress.  But what if the direction doesn't change, and the momentum can be stored in a battery for future use after a period of renovation?

That attitude of balancing recovery against exertion, repeatedly, is valuable to me.  I'm not lazy.  I'm not a workaholic. I'm both.

The Bay Trail stops and starts along this segment.  The trail around Pinole Point was beautiful, with a mile long hike on a beach where I found gold.  But before and after Pinole Point there were reasons why the trail can't yet go through.  Perhaps BSNF could rededicate its NPR advertising funds to helping solve this, at the place where its tracks enjoy this beautiful bay view.

Pinole Point Fishing Pier

And driving for Uber to and from the trail (setting a destination to match against riders) is a start and stop activity.  I cruise the rightmost lane ready to jump off the freeway and do some driver errand, like delivering a pizza to a hungry student in Berkeley.  But then I get back on the freeway, cruising in the rightmost lane, ready for the next bong on the app if it ever comes.

When I couldn't get to the trail near Pinole, I found myself walking thru a housing development that completely matched the California developer sub-division I grew up in in Minnesota.  They had the same simple ranch house style of 60 years ago.  

1950's-Era California Style Ranch House 

It's pretty likely not a single house is still in the hands of the original owner (not true in my Dad's case).  These houses have had their own stops and starts, with each new owner remaking them in their image.  One particular house had spiked steel gates and fences surrounding his property, an antique cannon facing the sidewalk, and two 50 foot tall flagpoles.  I wonder what the next owner of that property will do with that.  Things change, but which way?

Day 13:  North Richmond to Pinole

Accounting: 

    Starting Balance                                      (68.81)

• Uber Earnings to Richmond                             (22.81)
• Food Truck Coffee and Egg Sausage Muffin                5.00
• A&W Root Beer                                           3.17
• Fruit Agua while delivering                             3.00
• Uber Delivery in Oakland                               (5.85)

    Ending Balance                                        (86.30)

Kombucha of the Day -- Passion Fruit and Tonic

Voice Notes:

I have this feeling Richmond will be the new Oakland as Oakland was the new San Francisco.

I did so well networking on the drive here for Uber that I left my computer in the car this time.

Ferries from Richmond and Redwood City makes so much sense as a way to alleviate traffic and a good alternative for telecommuting or computing while commuting. 

When the bridges and freeways are clogged at rush-hour who can get you there faster than a boat on the open water?

You have to remember that Jack Kerouac didn't make it out of the grasp of his upbringing and/or alcohol.  But he tried.

Do the gods make war as a shaping and pruning activity for a brighter future for their crop of humans?

Someday the Bay Trail will penetrate the Chevron refinery.  Like a tendril of nature that won't be refused.

Why do I like the expansiveness of the west the vast nothingness that makes me feel home while away

Perhaps without a density of people I feel like I own the place I'm in.

That tendril through the Chevron refinery might already be there. This will take some time and investigation in the future. 

The North Bay doesn't seem as alive with birds as the South Bay. Or maybe it's just too sunny for them today.

A ride this morning said she worked in finance and thought they were the most horrible industry but Uber has her thinking different.  In terms of bargaining hard and ruthlessly for what you want.

But increased ferry traffic should follow the stylistic dictates of train service. Where it is a glorious and infrequent passerby that you enjoy stopping to watch. But it is not a constant drone in the background like a freeway.

That is one of the big advantages of mass transit. When it's not there the path is silent.

Just spotted the first sailboat I seen on the bay this entire hike. The sale isn't up looks like it just coming down out of the river under motor.

I think of San Pablo Bay as a bay on the San Francisco Bay.