air quality: how is riding in the Bay Area today?

[Bike Goddess]

Rollie Pollie- two of my very dearest friends live in Pollock Pines. I come up occasionally to visit and would LOVE to ride around the area. Where do you go when you are out for a 40ish mile ride?

We've got plenty of fog down here in the Bay Area, and I understand that the Butte County fire is finally winding down. However, I also just read that lightning is forecast again for that area this weekend.

Hopefully the Death Ride folks are okay. They start out pretty early (4:30-5:00AM) so at least some should be able to beat the heat.

[RolliePollie]

Rollie Pollie- two of my very dearest friends live in Pollock Pines. I come up occasionally to visit and would LOVE to ride around the area. Where do you go when you are out for a 40ish mile ride?

Oooh, I think you need to come visit your friends and go for a ride!

There are lots of great route options around this area, but my typical longer ride is to go all the way from Pollock down to Placerville and back. I stay on the back roads through Apple Hill as much as possible, which makes for a prettier ride with less traffic...and also adds quite a few miles and hills. Let me know if you're ever up here and maybe we can ride together! Or at least I can provide you more details, maps, water refilling spots, etc.

Here's a website with some good route info and maps:

http://www.beautifulvista.com/bike_rides_index.htm


Less smoke up here today...and much cooler too. I have a feeling the Death Riders may have lucked out. It's getting worse as the day progresses, but when I left for my ride about 7:30 this morning, it was better than it's been over the last few days. Visibility was hazy but you could actually see quite a ways.

[maillotpois]

we completely lucked out for death ride. friday we came down carson pass and you could see nothing - it was awful. saturday morning at the start, there were sstars - it stayed clear all day! (the hail, rain and lightning were somewhat disconcerting, but better than riding in smoke.)

and today it is hazy/smoky again. we lucked out.

[maillotpois]

driving through Redding now. It is AWFUL - worse than last week. hope it's better in the bay area.

[michelem]

It's baaack . . . UGH! Very smoky today.

[roadie gal]

Come on up to Tahoe. Our air is finally clear. I hope it lasts.

[Kano]

We aren't having dangerous air this year, which is terrific, but it's been remarkably hazy here for the last few weeks, and our "smoke" is courtesy of the Callifornia fires -- Thanks for sharing, ladies!

(Last year, DH started bike commuting to work, but then the air went bad due to fires around us, and heh wound up driving his car all summer instead. This year, he's even riding in the rare event of rain!)

Karen in Boise