11-20-2013, 02:50 PM
Bay Area here.
I have access to freeways and expressways with several lanes of traffic in each direction, busy arterials, some interesting residential neighborhoods that can actually be kind of fun to cruise through (the hills up in Belmont, specifically), and not too far from some truly great mountain roads, which are actually quite diverse in their plant life. For example, the side of highway 9 closer to Silicon Valley is deciduous trees, then when you get up over the hill and to the Santa Cruz county side, it's all evergreens and redwoods.
The downside is you really have to watch out for the crazies, whether they are on cars or bikes. I've had fellow riders cause minor pucker moments on me a few times now. The car drivers have usually only committed transgressions that, while they may have pissed me off, I pretty clearly saw them coming.
I have access to freeways and expressways with several lanes of traffic in each direction, busy arterials, some interesting residential neighborhoods that can actually be kind of fun to cruise through (the hills up in Belmont, specifically), and not too far from some truly great mountain roads, which are actually quite diverse in their plant life. For example, the side of highway 9 closer to Silicon Valley is deciduous trees, then when you get up over the hill and to the Santa Cruz county side, it's all evergreens and redwoods.
The downside is you really have to watch out for the crazies, whether they are on cars or bikes. I've had fellow riders cause minor pucker moments on me a few times now. The car drivers have usually only committed transgressions that, while they may have pissed me off, I pretty clearly saw them coming.