I rode my bicycle over Grizzly Peak in Berkeley for the first time in a long, long time today. Living in Alameda rather than being nestled right up in or near the hills has meant that all my recent riding has been on totally flat roads. It's nice to get to climb again! I rode up Spruce, over Grizzly Peak, along Skyline, and down Shepherd Canyon and Park Boulevard on the way back to the Park Street Bridge to Alameda.

There are a couple of interesting changes that have happened since my last time up there.

First, Berkeley has finally repaved Spruce Street. In all my years riding in Berkeley, Spruce Street was just a horrible experience, especially in the downhill direction. It was cement slab, and about every 20 feet there was an expansion joint that meant leaping a 2-inch chasm. Over and over. Each one slamming the wheel and hammering the hands. Just horrible. But now it's new, fresh asphalt. I don't know what prompted Berkeley to do this after neglecting it for well over a decade.

They've also cut down a huge number of Eucalpytus trees near the summit of Grizzly Peak. Although it's a little barren now compared to before, it also opens up some new vistas. But more importantly, this gets rid of a huge source of non-native fuel for a repeat of the disastrous 1991 firestorm.

I was disappointed to find that my ancient but highly coveted Avocet 50 cyclometer has a flaky speed sensor. I was not getting good readings on speed and distance for a lot of the ride. But the altimeter still works and had me doing 1650 feet of vertical climb.

Fortunately, I have what should be a better gadget to replace it, on the way to me next week: the Garmin Edge 305. I'll report on that when it arrives.