Claire and I went out on a fantastic ride yesterday.  Claire drove over to Graton where I met her on my bike.  We rode out over Cherry Ridge and then Occidental Road.  We had a little run in with a guy in a big truck on Occidental Road, but otherwise things were just great.  We “chatted” with the guy for a minute or two after he stopped in the middle of the road to give us some advise on riding our bikes.  He was an electrical contractor who was in a hurry to get to another job, so I was pleasantly surprised that he was such an expert on bike riding etiquette.  The weather was terrific and both of us ended up in short sleeve jerseys and shorts.  We climbed over Bitner to Joy Road and then back over Coleman Valley.  I dropped Claire back off in Graton and then road home.  What a day out there.  You almost feel guilty riding in this kind of weather.  We were just watching the news a couple of minutes ago and saw that it was like 10 below in the midwest.  Most of my family is still back there in Iowa and Missouri, and I feel for them at times like this.  I guess the kids will at least get a day off of school since it is too cold to go.