2026 Diablo Day 60 - Wednesday Morning Juniper

I did some saxophone busking at the ballot box yesterday; got rained on a little but it was fun and a few people waved at me.

Today started out pretty cold; on my morning dog walk I decided to go full winter gear, but by the time I rolled out of the garage it had already warmed up a little and the sky was bright and blue and clear. 

I got to St. Tim's a few minutes early and was surprised that I didn't see the VSBC folks getting ready.  I met a guy named Ed and he was with them and he didn't know either so he checked his phone and realized that they had re-scheduled for 9:30... looks like that's a seasonal thing that will stay the same for a while.  I invited Ed to start up with us but he decided to wait for his club. Then Charlie arrived and we got started.  The roads were still a little wet from yesterday, but not slippery.  There was a lot of sandy debris though and I made a mental note to watch out for that on my descent.

In the Country Club we saw a guy mowing the putting green with some kind of sideways mower - we contemplated the engineering decisions that went into that contraption. Charlie described the criteria that the golf association uses for greens; so many feet deep of layers of different kinds of soil, how high the grass is. 

I think it was my idea to do Juniper and Charlie agreed, so I said I would pace myself for a 50-minute Junction time... an effort that would leave me with Juniper legs and not wiped out.  I know what that effort feels like at every point along SGR and I know exactly how hard to push.  Proof:

At Junction we talked about politics and the weather and French bicycles. Then up Summit Road.  At Juniper there was a driver getting a speeding ticket from the ranger.  We kept going up to Dragonfly where Charlie showed me his new favorite energy bar and described the ingredients and nutritional data.  We had a good ol time breaking down calories per gram of each ingredient and discussing the merits of fructose over sucrose.

Wet sandy danger.

Wet sandy danger caution.

2026 Diablo Day 59 - Saturday Morning Juniper

Gorgeous Halloween weather! 

Happy birthday to Punkin Jay!

OK, THIS is old school. 
If you don't have any tights, you can wear pantihose under your shorts on a cold day.

I considered taking this shortcut.

Go HAWKS!

2026 Diablo Day 58 - Wednesday Morning Junction

I am hearing about a lot of sick people in my circle.  Charlie showed up for the ride but said he wasn't in top shape, so we did an easy Junction.

Wildlife Encounter:  big ol' flock of turkeys - they kind of got spooked when we went by and some of them flew to flee.

I went for a One-Mile Interval  to be known from now on as an OMI.  I chose my Mile-3 segment on Strava, which Strava won't let me make public.  It starts just after the little retaining wall, goes through the Kiosk Gate, and ends just before Elephant Rock... see photos.

Begin Mile 3

End Mile 3

I was impressed when I saw this rider in shorts... then I saw the "Ride Flanders" jersey and I thought "of course"... then I saw it was a *female Flahute.  The Flemish word for "outstanding" is "uitstekende".  Uitstekende.

I didn't see a tarantula, but somebody coming from the North said they saw one.

Roadkill Report:  raccoon on Diablo Rd.

2026 Diablo Day 57 - Wednesday Morning Juniper

On my way to The Mountain I passed lots of fun decorated houses with Halloween themes.  

The harsh mid-autumn light was softened by the puffy clouds laden with moisture and waiting to drop rain by early afternoon. (that was my attempt at poetry)

I told Charlie I saw two Great Blue Herons and a hawk eating a mouse on the Iron Horse Trail. He proceeded to tell me about the habitat and feeding of the local avian wildlife; guy sure knows a lot about birds.

Contractors working on the Ranger Hut at Junction - looks like they have plans to move back in after all.  Then a guy in a pickup got out to ask us where "Mount Diablo State Park" is... we told him pretty much the whole Mountain is state park, and then he asked about "the lighthouse", so we gave him directions to the Summit.

We continued up to Juniper and then to Dragonfly Turnout; no dragonflies.  Charlie says they hunker down when it gets cold and only come out in warm weather; guy sure knows a lot about bugs.

2026 Diablo Day 56 - Saturday Morning Junction

Best weather of the year!  Lots of people enjoying The Mountain today - Search and Rescue crew, some kind of trail run event, bike riders, picnickers and hikers.

During my pre-ride checkout, I noticed a bunch of boogers on my gravel tires - I thought it was sealant and started to re-evaluate my opinion on tubeless tires... but then I realized it wasn't sealant boogers, it was tar boogers from the Sycamore re-paving work.

I also took a look at my brake pads trying to figure out a way to tell how worn they are - I'm not sure what I'm looking at, but I can compare this shot with future shots and maybe that will be revealing.

My stock gravel wheels are about 5 minutes slower to Junction than the road wheels for about the same effort... not really too bad of a handicap, fun in a different way.

Trail Run

Still doing roadwork on Diablo Rd on a Saturday.

On the way back down, I stopped at Horseshoe for some gravelly vanity photos. Trek Travel sent me a jersey for my New Zealand adventure so I wore it today. Vote for your favorite in the comments!

Horseshoe Picnic Area

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