Hard to believe I'm the first one back on line. We were ... what? 15 TE gals and 1 husband who did the Alameda Creek Trail this morning? Most lived around the Bay Area. I prob'ly had the longest drive home, not to mention that I took the wrong exit off of 580 and wound up back in the Berkeley Hills for a slow drive down Ashby and north on San Pablo before I got back on the Freeway. Oh well. My theory: I don't really know a town until I've been lost there a few times and found my way back.

The ride was FUN, as of course any ride with TE gals is likely to be. It was good to meet you all! And the creek was a nice beginners route. Scenic, no major hills, no tricky traffic. Most of the gals + the guy added on some hills down by the Bay, but my rental bike, though a decent fit as far as rental bikes go, was starting to give me pains here and there. Too narrow a seat and a bit too long a stretch to the handlebars, so I headed straight back up the same 11 miles we'd come down, taking it slow and walking a bit every few miles to get my arms loosened, my neck straightened, and the circulation back in my girly bits. The fast crowd caught up with me just a mile from the top and the rest came along a few minutes after we got to the staging area. Group photos, then those of us who could stay a while went on to a cafe for lunch and pre-birthday cake. Thanks for the cake, Trek-sister Chooooooo-clate. And no candles (it's fire season).