Today's SMR sucked! The weather was horrible! Alex's words to me this morning when we woke were, "It might be a bit cold, but it'll be sunny." Not so! I spent most of the ride to breakfast wiping my faceshield with my left hand, unable to see much in front of me because of the fog. What made it worse was I was cold so I kept my helmet vents closed, which caused my shield to fog, so I opened my vents, which brought the cold air into my helmet making my eyes water so I couldn't see, so I closed my vents which caused it to fog (and the cycle went on and on and on), all the while wiping water off my faceshield with my left hand. :( The only good thing was the hand warmer that Bill gave me at the Deli. Thanks Bill!

When we got to Howard's the sun was out :) and Alex said, "See I told you it would be sunny!" For the ride back, Alex wanted to do Coleman Valley Road then down the coast. Alex promised that it was not going to be foggy going over Coleman Valley Road - he lied!!! (Again.) :mad: I literally could not see my lefthand in front of me when I was wiping my faceshield with it. It cleared up by the time we got to the coast, but there was no sun.

Today's ride made me question why we do this on our free Sundays? We get up before the sun rises, we ride an hour to the start, it's cold, it's foggy, it's more risky than fun, and then we have another hour on boring highway after it's all over with just to get home.

Here's our table at Howard's. We actually got seats together at a single table. This was probably because no one else was out this morning due to the poor weather and most people are smarter than we are.
http://aciurczak.smugmug.com/photos/32998568-M.jpg

Joseph Brooke, Robert Craig, and Jim Foley after breakfast. Don't be fooled by the sunny picture! It was the only time today that we were blessed by its presence.
http://aciurczak.smugmug.com/photos/32999201-L.jpg

Click here (http://aciurczak.smugmug.com/gallery/748623/1/32999201)for full gallery.

Yes, it was foggy, but at least it wasn't that cold. :) The weather would have been more amenable to the RT than two sportbikes, but we survived. And breakfast was great! (as usual) Today might have been the last for a few weeks for the 6 or 250 (until the fog lifts), but that's why we got an old fart's, I mean touring, bike, right? :bounce

For someone who actually enjoys riding 24 hours straight, logging in over 1100 miles, in order to join an iron butt club, today may not have been much of a hardship. For those like me, who get joy out of putting Hello Kitty decals on my newly French pedicured toes, today was a dreadful nightmare! :(

Alex suckered me too. On Saturday I was resolved not to go...it's been so foggy in SF lately and we've recently been experiencing some morning clouds on the Peninsula: a sure sign that normal summer weather has returned to the Bay area and that SF and the coast will be cold and foggy.

But Alex "the Weatherman" (or pehaps, "the Optimist") assured me it would be fine and worth the early hour and long commute to the deli.

This was the most miserable SMR in which I've participated. It was sunny and 80 degrees in Redwood City, but I needed my heated vest and grips to stay comfortable on the ride and the fog was so thick and road so wet it was definitely "in the red" for the risk/reward ratio. Definitely not fun.

I think I'm adopting a "follow the sun" approach. In the peak of summer, while the rest of the Bay area is soaked in sunshine but SF and west Marin are damp and foggy, I'm heading to the East Bay. With an 8am start time Mines Rd. or Morgan Territory are do-able....just need to find a decent stop for breakfast....

Until the fall when the central valley cools off and stops sucking in cold air off the Pacific, I think the SMR and I are "on a break."

Or, I could find "Ducati Corse" decals for my toes...

I have to agree, that was the worst fog I've seen in all my years of frolicking out there. I turned around halfway out Coleman Valley Rd, figuring the first point at which I'd see an oncoming car would be when I was planted in its windshield. :eek: Glad you guys made it back intact.

I did discover a cool, deserted road (Joy Rd) that drops you right outside of downtown Bodega Bay - a good detour for days like yesterday.

Even though I dream of Howard's salmon benedict, I'd be game for doing an SMR in a more hospitable climate. Mines Rd, anyone?