Today, as I do about once a week when weather permits, I embarked on the ultra-commute: 45 miles, 1200 to 1500 ft of climbing, about 4,500 ft. of descent. I leave home about 5:30 AM and arrive at work about three hours later, give or take. It's a great adventure and a good but not extreme workout. Soon the cold and fog in the valley will make it unsafe, so I will lay off until early spring when the tule fog season ends, usually late Feb./early March. Although I spend about five miles or so on the wide shoulder of a major freeway, most of the riding is like what is pictured, quiet, wonderful riding with little and often no traffic. The top two pictures feature shots with and without flash. I like the dark, brooding sky in the flash picture, but the one without is more accurate as to real light conditions. Last week, for the first time in a few years, I did the ride back up, which takes about five hours--ugh, ugh! But it's a great feeling of accomplishment to pull it off. Only once have I done the round trip in a day, about 90 miles with 6,000 ft. of climbing, the vast majority of that in the last 20 miles. That was completed on a cold, wet, foggy Nov. night, dark, aching. When I finally got home, I curled into a ball on the floor for a while to recover! Maybe one day I'll try it again but in better conditions. What grand little adventure have you had today?
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