This Week: Biking to work, swag, Pez, and Bittermilk #btwd2014

Yesterday was Bay Area bike to work day, and I participated for the first time! I biked to BART, BARTed to Millbrae, and biked the rest of the way, clocking in about 11 miles for the day.

My first stop was the energizer station on Telegraph, to check out the protected bike lanes:

And I grabbed my swag. The bike to work tote is very cute, and was packed with useful stuff: bike light, tube patch kit, snacks and loads of coupons.

I was out of hands, so I didn’t get to enjoy a cup of Bicycle Coffee.  They were still having a good day, with a feature in the SF Business Times.  They deliver delicious coffee via active transportation: bike, transit or walking.

Then it was off to BART.  As usual, the train was crowded in Oakland, through downtown SF.  And I learned an important lesson, no bikes in the first car. Ooops.  It was an uneventful ride to Millbrae, BART cleared out after Powell. I never noticed how loud the ride is after Civc Center, and past Glen Park.  Ouch, it killed my ears with the screeching.

Lesson #2: Millbrae BART is a pain if you want to use the elevator.  Or get out to the street.  Up and down, up and down.  Eventually I made my way to California Ave, and started on the ride to work.

While traveling at bike speed through Burlingame I discovered the Burlingame Museum of Pez Memorabilia.  Not exactly what I was expecting to see on my ride.

The ride to San Mateo was uneventful and mostly flat.  And then on the way home, it was drizzling a little (it looks like the meteorologists were a little off about rain for the North Bay only).  By the time I got back to Oakland, it was more drizzly. And I still had a few more things to do.  I decided to use the Bikelink locker, and head over to GrandLake without my bike.

We went over to Alchemy, for a tasting from a new Charleston company: Bittermilk.  They’ve recently launched new mixers. Good stuff!

Check out my bike on it’s maiden BART voyage.

All in all, it capped a successful Bike to Work Day.  Did you particpate in #btwd2014?