Circle the Bay: July 2018

Monday, July 16, 2018

Day 25: Heron Bay to Highway 92

Day 25: Heron Bay to Highway 92
(San Leandro to Hayward)

Circle The Bay Part 3

July 11th 2018

6.3 miles in 1 hrs 14 mins

(Total: 266.9 miles in 64 hrs 52 mins)

I usually write the last blog entry while on public transport back to the start of the next day of riding. I'm writing this as I sit on the AC Transit M bus, which is taking me across the San Mateo Bridge to near the Hayward Shoreline Interpretive Center right off CA 92. My bike is loaded on the front of this bus. We'll see how it survives achieving freeway speeds while flying over the bay.

This trek along the bay was mostly a rugged dirt and gravel trail. Crazy to think anyone would ever commit to hiking these long miles on foot. Traveling them on a bicycle is a quick tour with great views.

I've also been trying on this circumnavigation to use geographical place names to depict the start and end of each ride. But in this case I used CA 92 which crosses the San Mateo Bridge as significant enough of a feature to merit naming.

I'm over the bridge now, and have to publish and sign off quickly so I don't miss my stop. It will be a while before I get back to finishing this trek. In the meantime, enjoy the pictures.

Start At Heron Bay

Typical Contained Slough with Bay Trail Bridge

Marine Mural on Water Treatment Plant

Tide Flowing Back In

Longest Bay Trail Walkway I Remember

Hayward Shoreline Interpretive Center

Wednesday, July 11, 2018

Day 24: Oakland Airport to Heron Bay

Day 24: Oakland Airport to Heron Bay
(Oakland to San Leandro)

Circle The Bay Part 3

July 3rd 2018

10.3 miles in 1 hrs 33 mins

(Total: 260.6 miles in 63 hrs 38 mins)

I've simplified the daily post for this bay circling blog. A cover shot, title with stats and map, the day's writing, and then a series of captioned pictures of various size and topic, that may or may not extend the writing above them.

The unique thing about today's ride is that I did not take public transit to get on the trail for the first time. I had to pick up 24 cases of 2 gallon compostable BioBags near 98th St. in Oakland, so I drove to the warehouse, filled up the Prius, and then parked it at Oakland Airport where I had finished the previous day.

Then I slowly explored the San Leandro Marina, wondering if my Mom had spent time here as a teenager visiting California to help her sister with a new baby. She said she wasn't that much help, so I imagine she found her way at least once to look at the bay (as scared of water as she was). Then I'm sure she dismissed it as looking just like a big lake, or even a Great Lake, but oh well.

When I finished the day at the very suburban Heron Bay, I biked to the Bay Fair BART stop, rode BART to the Coliseum stop, and took the Oakland Airport BART extension back to my car. I like when plans come together, for travel and business.

Bike and Bayside Tree

Bay Trail Adjacent Building

San Leandro Marina

Covered Mooring at San Leandro Marina

Exercise Trail in San Leandro

Practicing Drums by the Bay

San Leandro Marina

Bay Trail

Tuesday, July 3, 2018

Day 23: Damon Slough to Oakland Airport

Day 23: Damon Slough to Oakland Airport
(Oakland to Oakland)

Circle The Bay Part 3

June 29th 2018

11.4 miles in 2 hrs 25 mins

(Total: 250.2 miles in 62 hrs 5 mins)

This part of the trek was focused on biking around Bay Farm Island, which historically must have been a low-lying yet above sea-level farm that sat out at the end of San Leandro Bay. It seems to have got connected to the mainland when most of the marsh around it was converted into the Oakland airport. Since then it has been developed into a completely suburban development with houses, apartments, and office parks.

There is a rush-hour ferry that services Bay Farm Island (called Harbor Bay, which is kind of redundant). Maybe I should have waited an hour for that ferry, but instead I proceeded to the Oakland Airport and took the BART people mover to the regular BART Coliseum station. They weren't surprised someone was getting on the people mover with a bicycle at the airport.

Then as it turns out, for my next leg of the journey, I first have to pick up 200 lbs of compostable BioBags at the warehouse near 98th St., the Oakland city street that terminates at the airport. This will be the one exception of using my own car to get to the trail for the day. And this offers two low-lying flights over the bay on CA-92, so what's not to like? Praise all you want the BART under-the-bay tunnel from San Francisco to Oakland, but a view is one thing it doesn't have on a bridge.