El Corte Madera & Candlestick Park (whoops! I mean 3COM Park. Does anyone call it that?!) April 13, 1999

 Some days you just feel that it was fate that determined the outcome of events.  Today was one of those days.  After having spent the last two weeks back at home in Orinda, CA, I still hadn't run into any old friends.  That would quickly change.  On this day I had set up a meeting with a buddy named Ramon Garcia to do some mountain bike riding up at one of his favorite spots on the S.F. Peninsula.
    The weather was perfect for biking:  sunny and in the 80's.  We met just off of Hwy 280 west of San Mateo about 1 o'clock, I threw my bike into Ramon's truck and we jammed up to Skyline in the northern Santa Cruz Mountains.  Skyline Rd. is one of the most scenic drives in all of the Bay Area.  It's curvy and lush and leads its way through at least 6 open space preserves.  One of the best of these is the El Corte Madera Open Space Preserve.  We parked the car at Skegg's Point and Ramon proceeded to lead me on an exhilarating ride.  The trails here are just perfect for an intermediate rider like myself and they dip through steep valleys and wooded ravines.  The place is (as is most of the coastal range) like a temperate rain forest.  I once visited nearby Purisima OSP during the winter when a nice ocean fog had rolled in, and the trees were just pouring off condensation.  The temperatures can quickly dip 20 degrees as you ride from sunlight into the darkness of the overgrowth.
    The entire time I was grinning like a 12 year-old watching a beach rescue on Baywatch.  The downhills twist through sections of singletrack and debris-strewn logging roads.  Huge pines and, in places, redwoods mock your insignificance.  (Actually, the entire area has been heavily logged over the last century and the results are, unfortunately, noticeable.)  The place is a mountain biking gem, and if you take the right trails, the uphill portions are gradual and enjoyable. (see Ramon in photo)
    After the ride, we said adieu and I set off to my next activity of the day:  the Giants game at Candlestick Park.  I have become a huge Giants fan in the last couple of years and I had been geeking up for this game since I bought the tickets four weeks ago.  3rd base line, 7th row.  The Giants during the first week of the season were knocking the shit out of the ball and they were set to collide with the offensive powerhouse that is the Houston Astros.
    This is when fate started to kick in.  As I mentioned, I had not seen any old friends since arriving back at home.  I was sitting in The Rig waiting for my buddy Keith Metzger to show up, just grubbing down a thick roast beef sando and chatting with some of the recycling technicians that roam the parking lot before games.   I looked up and saw three old buddies from college tailgating, grilling up some dogs and drinking cans of a fine brew imported from Milwaukee.  Chris Conlan, Sean Lonergan and Matt Coy were (no, I'm not embarrassed to admit it) Kappa Sigma frat bros from U.C. Davis.  AEKDB, brah.  I guess the more things change, the more they stay the same.
    To make a long evening short, Keith showed up, we expressed our love of the Giants by shotgunning a beer and then we watched Dusty's boys get the puss knocked out of them.  My favorite player, Marvin Bernard, wasn't even in the game.  (Bernard is from Nicaragua and has more fire and intensity for the game than any player I've seen recently.  Dude is a machine.)  I think Bonds hit a blast during the game but it was to no avail.  The Giants lost 7-3.  I left happy, though, knowing that I was about to embark on the adventure of my life and as fate would have it,  I'd unexpectedly seen some old friends, shared some laughs and seen (except for the loss) a great game.
    Speaking of the Astros, I have a question:  Is Larry Dierker (the coach of the Astros), really Vizzini from the movie The Princess Bride?   Inconceivable!

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