Cold toes and Morning Buns

On our ride out to Pt. Reyes Station yesterday, Jerry and I spent much of the time thinking about the clothes we wished we were wearing-- vests, wind pants, toe condoms...
At least we had worn caps under our helmets and I even opted for an ear-warmer headband.

But it was cold. Grey and cold. My fingers and toes were like blocks of ice. At one point I gave Jerry a real shock by putting one of my hands under his jersey. I am a mean wife, I know. But my God, the warmth of his back felt so good!

Not wanting to ride the bridge, we started our ride in Marin, figuring we'd meet up with riders in Fairfax, at the Coffee Roastery.

And indeed, we found lots of ALC'ers there. I really wanted something warm, but uncharacteristically for me, I did not want coffee. I was having some mild heartburn so I ordered some ginger peach tea. It was vile, but it was hot, so I drank it.

Next was climbing White's Hill. We both looked forward to it in hopes of warming us up. It did, a bit, but the ride down brought the chill back. The ride through Samuel P. Taylor Park was cool, but the trees sheltered us from the wind, and that was a relief.

Climbing Olema Hill did help the circulation a bit, then we cruised into Pt. Reyes Station. I ordered a Chai and a morning bun at Bovine Bakery. I love Morning Buns, but it, like creme brulee, is something I never make at home. It would take the specialness away. And morning buns, to me, are special. The dough is similar to a brioche dough-- yeasty and buttery, and the sprinkling of sugar and cinnamon makes it just about perfect. The counter person handed me a warm bun, and that, with their exceptional chai made me forget about the cold. Jerry had a cup of tea and an Alonzo roll. It looked like a cinnamon roll you'd get from one of those stands at the mall, but since it came from Bovine, I suspect it was far superior.

We sat on the curb and had our snacks, and I was parked next to a guy who is going to do his first ALC. He had not been going on group training rides, and I encouraged him to do so. I also encouraged him to go on the Jon Pon ride, the first weekend in May, to get a taste for the ride and to also meet some of the most wonderful people he could ever know.

After talking about the Jon Pon ride, it got my mind on the menu. Everyone really loved the chicken I did last year, so I'm thinking of a repeat performance, though no doubt with some little tweaks and changes. And if asparagus is still plentiful, I'll serve that as well.

Heading back from Pt. Reyes, a miracle happened. The sun came out and we actually started to thaw out. Not enough to remove our caps, but enough to start to have feeling once again in our fingers and toes. Bliss!

The ride back to the car was oh so much more pleasant. We headed home, did a quick change and went out to lunch.

From there, we checked in on the big sale at the Recyclery at Trips for Kids. They seemed to be doing brisk business, and we had a chat with Marilyn and a few of the other workers and volunteers. Jerry puts high-end items on E-Bay for them, and they had some sure winners waiting in the wings. One is one of Robin Williams's old bikes, but I told Marilyn she really ought to get Robin to autograph the frame and get a picture of him with it; it would surely increase its value. She's shy about asking him for favors, but he's a Trips for Kids fan, so I think he'd have no problem filling the request.

Today is another gray day which is too bad since it's Easter, but my hope is lots of folks in their pastels and florals will brighten the day