Five Things the Bay Area Should Know for the Weekend

5) Mt. Umunhum is Cool...by Bike

Sept. 21, 2017. Rode Bike Friday (w/ Cranksgiving San Jose trailer in tow) 5.5 miles up to Mt. Umunhum where I listened to Eminem and ate M&Ms. Really.

I took the day off yesterday and rode my Bike Friday up Mt. Umunhum, which just opened a few days back. I would have ridden straight from my house but I opted instead to park my car at Almaden Quicksilver County Park across the road (side note: the Santa Clara County Parks annual parking pass is the best value in the Bay Area) and ride about 5.3 miles. Up.

Five years ago I swapped out a triple chainring on the Bike Friday for a larger double and I remember wondering if I'd regret it later. Half a mile in, I did. 

Still it is a beautiful ride up Mt. Umunhum Road, and when you get to the top you can skip the parking lot on the left and turn right to pedal further to the old radar installation - also know as the rectangular thingy in the Santa Cruz Mountains visible from most highways.

Here at the top there is handicapped car and van parking available BUT there is a bike rack. The views are every bit as great as you'd expect and it is satisfying to get there by bike. 

The #ThirteenWords apply big time: If you have a bike and can ride it safely, please ride it. If you must drive to Mt. Umunhum to see it please fill your car with people, drive slowly both up and down, and give cyclists three feet of space when you pass. I had a few cars cross the line between "annoyingly close" and "dangerously close." 

Be courteous AND thankful, motorists. Because of me, you get an extra parking spot to choose from when you get to the top. And we all get a buffer between now and the inevitable news story from motorists wrongly complaining that there isn't enough parking there. Cars: you're already ruining National Parks. Don't ruin Mt. Umunhum too.

4) Suma CM's Sketching Class is Live

Artist Suma CM, sketching Viva Calle SJ 2017 from a Box Bike by DIYBIKING.COM

Suma CM - a Bay Area artist who sketched at the Bay Area Proud blood drive the other day, rode in a Box Bike by DIYBIKING.COM for Viva CalleSJ 2017 so she could sketch while I pedaled. It's always fascinating that one doesn't realize how much space is given to cars until that space is given to people.

It's also fun to ride a cargo bike and look down to see Suma's hat.

Having her sketch in the bike was cool - but what is even more cool is that she is now teaching a sketching class on Craftsy called Urban Sketching in 15 Minutes a Day. So if you have ever wanted to learn how to draw or learn how to improve your drawing technique you should take her class.


3) Yoga Teacher Training in San Jose SimaSutra.com

Yoga instructor Sima Chomicz Velez at St. James Park just after teaching a class.

All of the yoga teachers at Be The Change Yoga & Wellness are amazing people but the instructor I've known the longest is going to start yoga teacher training in a couple weeks. If you live in San Jose (or anywhere in the Bay Area, for that matter) and want to be a yoga instructor visit www.simasutra.com to learn more about this 200 hour class. 

As most of you know I've been a big fan of yoga for years and am convinced yoga has made me a better cyclist - and some days I am convinced I'd be in Nerf Hilton without it. 

You can sign up for classes at BTC on their site and if you want to be the person in the front of the class with the calm expression and the soothing voice, now is your chance: visit www.simasutra.com and sign up. 

2) Cranksgiving San Jose is Coming!

Another reason to love Be the Change Yoga & Wellness is they are one of the sponsors of Cranksgiving San Jose this year. Speaking of Cranksgiving...

By now you have probably seen the NBC Bay Area news story on Cranksgiving San Jose last year so you know what it is about. It is coming back on Nov. 18 this year, and we want to get even more riders together and collect even more food for Second Harvest Food Bank. Remember: If you can ride a bike and can feed yourself, you can ride a bike and feed others in need. Please like Cranksgiving San Jose on Facebook and help spread the word in the South Bay!

1) Speak Out Against Banning Cell Phones While Walking
I recently wrote about how terrible it is that Honolulu and my original home city of Stamford, Connecticut are seriously thinking of passing ordinances so pedestrians can't use cell phones while crossing the street.   can absorb more blame when they are hit by cars.

Mr. Roadshow (Gary Richards) of the San Jose Mercury News has taken a letter or two from entitled motorists who are annoyed pedestrians don't stop what they are doing to worship at the alter of Tesla and GMC when crossing the street. In this column, Mr. Roadshow has opened the conversation about banning cell phone use while walking giving motorists an extra tool in the blame-assignment utility belt so please let him know if you don't support a ban on texting and walking. His contact information is at the bottom of his column and, as always when I ask you to do this: no foul language and stay polite. 

That's all I got for now (not that this is of interest in the Bay Area but David Martin's Cycling With Candidates ride in Stamford was postponed this week because of the rain - more on the new time/date later).

Today is the day summer spills into fall (apparently this is happening at exactly 1:02 pm) so make it count. Thanks for reading and thanks for riding.

Four Ways to Make 2016 Great Again (at least in San Jose)

This has been a tough year. Personally, professionally, and, well, in general. 

Where to begin. My grandmother died (as did my Uncle Wayne) and among other talents we lost Gene Wilder, John Glenn, Prince and the guy who played Preacher in Firefly*. Also: Mythbusters went off the air and The Nightly Show was cancelled when we needed them the most. 

And I didn't even get to the election. 

But before we join the voices of Amy Schumer, John Oliver and others who are rightfully extending the middle finger to the calendar year let's realize that not only were there some good things about 2016 (Visiting Japan, biking in the UK and Cranksgiving San Jose to name a few) there are better things to do than find a baker willing to put a swear word on a New Year's Eve cake. 

As it happens, I have four ideas to #Make2016GreatAgain for the Bay Area - and these things can be done starting tonight:

1) Yoga and Cello at Be The Change Yoga & Wellness

One of the cool things that happens when you move to a new city is you meet new people. An even cooler thing is when you meet new people and find out they also know other people you've already met. 

Like Cellista, the cellist who the founder of Cowgirl Bike Courier once carried on a cargo bike while she was performing. I met her through him - but also know her through Be The Change Yoga in San Jose (And regular yoga is a good thing - I'd be in a Nerf Hilton if not for Be The Change). 

Tonight, from 6 - 7pm there is a Flow class and Cellista is performing live. Hear the music. Move your body. Sign up here. 


2) The Ugly Sweater Ride by San Jose Bike Party

After listening to the talented Cellista, take off your yoga clothes and put on the ugliest Christmas sweater you can find so you can join San Jose Bike Party's Ugly Sweater Ride at 7:30. It starts at the Children's Discovery Museum parking lot at 180 Woz Way so you'll easily be able to bike that distance from Be The Change in time to catch the start. It'll be a great chance to see bikes (and people's homes) decorated in Christmas lights.

In the event you do not have an Ugly Christmas Sweater I highly recommend MoonZooom on 1630 West San Carlos Street. There is a bike rack right out in front and a generous selection of so-bad-they're-good Christmas sweaters inside (that's where I got the picture).

3) Donate a Toy - and see Santa - at Hub's Coffee

Since my 'No Words' Sandy Hook ride I did in Connecticut a week after that horrible day in 2012, I try to donate at least one toy at a toy drive every Sandy Hook anniversary. That's what I did on Wednesday.

In general, it feels good to shop for a toy (I always buy one I'd be excited to play with as a kid) and realize a child you never met is going to have a happier Christmas because of you.

I bought my toy - I opted for a Knex kit since I was raised on Capsella and Robotix as a youth - at Target. As always a cargo bike is a perfect way to not only avoid fighting for parking spots but also carry your stuff home.

At home, I switched to faster equipment - my city bike - and took off to Hub's Coffee on Blossom Hill Road.

When I got inside I was pleased to see the bucket they were using to collect donated toys was overflowing, and I hope visitors to Hub's between today and Saturday make it overflow even more and catch Santa's visit (he'll be at Hub's on Saturday, December 17th from 1 - 3; follow Hub's on Facebook for more details).

4) Good Karma Bikes' Bike Build at Sacred Heart 

This is taking place on Thursday, December 22nd between 8am and 6pm at Sacred Heart Community Service at 1381 S. 1st St.

I've seen pictures of bike builds done at Elves & More in Texas and always thought they looked fun. This is a great chance to take part in one and help kids get one of the most important gifts in their lives. Volunteer to help Good Karma Bikes' mechanics and unload bikes with any one (or more) of three shifts: 8am - noon, 11am - 3pm and 2pm - 6pm. You can sign up for a shift on the Good Karma Bikes' web page and email Collin@goodkarmabikes.org if you have any questions.

We can spend the last two weeks of the year being miserable about the previous fifty or we can stand up, listen to music, wear ugly Christmas sweaters, have fun and #Make2016GreatAgain by helping people who are having a much worse year than any of us. Thanks for reading and thanks for riding. 

* His name was Ron Glass - some of my older readers know him from Barney Miller.