A dear friend passed away a few months ago - below is my small tribute.
I met Mike in the mid 1980’s while we were both working at
Lawrence Livermore National Lab. We crossed paths on various projects and on bike rides with the
Cycletrons, the noon-time riding group. I recall one day when he
stopped to help when I had flatted out on Tesla road. Evidently,
we had a good conversation during our ride back to the lab, as our friendship
grew and we started riding together frequently.
We both loved biking, coffee and pastries and Mike introduced me to many of the
Bay Area’s classic bike routes, including Nicasio-Tomales, Tunitas Creek, and the Two-Bridges Ride, all of which I have blogged about.
In 2006 we make a cycling trip to Northern Italy, and spent a week enjoying the Vento country side and the excellent food and coffee we found there.
After I retired in 2008, Mike and I started riding regularly, often on Tuesdays. We spent a lot of time designing interesting routes that would take us to undiscovered coffee shops and bakeries throughout the Bay Area. Mike encouraged me to start this blog, and of course. provided input for my critiques of the coffee and pastries we sampled.
In 2009 Mike and I were both laid up and unable to ride for
an extended period. I had broken my
wrist skiing and needed surgery. Mike had a hip replacement. We resumed our riding habit on July 24 and his wife Jackie took this photo as we were heading out.
In 2014 we made a trip to New Zealand and spent two weeks riding the length of the South Island. This was a fabulous trip with miles of scenic highway, glaciers to hike on, and an amazing flight to Milford Sound.
Mike and I shared our love of cycling and coffee, and never tired of anything to chat about. I have lost a dear friend and will miss our rides, our chats and his very dry sense of humor.
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