Burning off those Popems

The first week back from the Xmas/New Year's break has come to an end. It's always great to have some well-earned down time from the job but I'm glad to be back in the routine. As with most people, the holidays for me generally mean a time of limited exercise, lots of "red light foods" and copious amounts of booze. This year was certainly no exception. The upside is that I skied 15 days in a row, including two outrageous bluebird deep powder days in Tahoe and many more better-than-average days. The downside is that for all the calories burned while skiing, I probably tripled them up afterwards in the form of Nachos, steaks, Pacificos, French Toast, Cabernet Sauvignon and even these luscious little things called Popems (as in, ya just Pop'em in yer mouth).

Behold the Popem, in its glazed, succelent and NON-organic glory. I must've eaten 157 of these.

So needless to say, while fun was had in Tahoe, I needed a good reentry plan to get back to clean livin'. I took a couple of indoor cycling classes at the gym, but the best was being back on the bike for the commute. I rode home from work Monday and Wednesday, and rode both directions today. There's just nothing better to start your engine in the morning, or clear your head in the evening, than a great bicycle commute. Especially on days like today -- tule fog in the morning yielding eerie mists along the Richardson Bay bike path; a huge full moon bringing the bay waters way up in the morning, then running them out past the bare tidal flats on the ride home; crisp clear skies that somehow still cough up a sunset to make Arizona proud. Yep, it was one of those days.

I always see a few other folks doing the SF-Marin homeward ride, and many times there are the same familiar faces seen along the wharf, Crissy Field, the Golden Gate, or Bridgeway in Sausalito. One guy, Tom, is particularly enthusiastic. He and I seem to share the "holy crap can you believe we live here and get to ride this every day while other people actually choose to sit in traffic talking on their cell phones" attitude -- except that he actually does seem to ride it every day. There are many others too. It's a fraternity of like-minded souls, enjoying the free scenery and plentiful endorphins on the homeward train.

Tom and Eric lead out onto the Golden Gate.

The blurry camera phone shot can't do it justice. Looking over the tidal flats of Richardson Bay to San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge.