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Happy Imbolc!
Feb. 1st, 2026 09:17 pmMy plan today was to get a 20 lb bag of rice from the local farmers market, and then take BART to the other side of the hills and bike "the three bears" aka Bear Creek loop. However, the rice vendor said they didn't send him any big bags of rice this week, and I saw on the BART website that they were trimming vegetation between the two BART stations I needed and single-tracking the trains, so I didn't want to do that.
Instead, I decided to bike to 99 Ranch the long way (over Grizzly Peak) and get rice there. I texted a friend who lives up that way that I would get there approx 1:30 and did he want to meet up. It was a gorgeous day for a ride, sunny and just warm enough not to need a jacket.
Biking over the hill and seeing the flowering plum and cherry and magnolia trees is a touchpoint of the year for me. I was distressed last year that I missed spring hill rides entirely because of my injured ankle, so it was a treat to see all the flowering trees today, even if February 1 seems unreasonably early.
My friend and I texted each other updates from our respective journeys and did manage to meet up. I got to 99 Ranch at 1:28 after 2 1/2 of riding, so I was pleased about estimating accurately (without a mapping app). I got a 20 lb bag of rice for $12.90 instead of $40 at the farmers market, with the cost of a long beautiful ride and hauling it home (the flat way) for 7 miles. I'll take it!
I also spotted some Sterilite ClearView plastic storage drawers on the sidewalk with a FREE sign when I was fairly near home. They were the old style ones similar to the ones I have. I had looked for more online and now they only sell stacked units, not single ones. So I stopped and picked one up and strapped it to the back rack. I'll have to scrub the top of it, but it's nice to find something that's not available in stores.
Happy Imbolc to all!
Instead, I decided to bike to 99 Ranch the long way (over Grizzly Peak) and get rice there. I texted a friend who lives up that way that I would get there approx 1:30 and did he want to meet up. It was a gorgeous day for a ride, sunny and just warm enough not to need a jacket.
Biking over the hill and seeing the flowering plum and cherry and magnolia trees is a touchpoint of the year for me. I was distressed last year that I missed spring hill rides entirely because of my injured ankle, so it was a treat to see all the flowering trees today, even if February 1 seems unreasonably early.
My friend and I texted each other updates from our respective journeys and did manage to meet up. I got to 99 Ranch at 1:28 after 2 1/2 of riding, so I was pleased about estimating accurately (without a mapping app). I got a 20 lb bag of rice for $12.90 instead of $40 at the farmers market, with the cost of a long beautiful ride and hauling it home (the flat way) for 7 miles. I'll take it!
I also spotted some Sterilite ClearView plastic storage drawers on the sidewalk with a FREE sign when I was fairly near home. They were the old style ones similar to the ones I have. I had looked for more online and now they only sell stacked units, not single ones. So I stopped and picked one up and strapped it to the back rack. I'll have to scrub the top of it, but it's nice to find something that's not available in stores.
Happy Imbolc to all!
