I knew I didn't have time to do a full L'Alpes d'Wheeze without lights, so I decided to do the mini Wheeze, which is the same as the full Wheeze but stops at the San Pedro summit rather than going down to the Adobe gate in Pacifica. The route was basically a backside EG across Cabrillo to the Fitz, then into Moss Beach County (MCB) and over to McNee. From McNee, I headed up to the summit, then came right back down, crawled up The Wall, dropped back into McNee for a loop, popped out of McNee, picked up Sunshine Valley to Cabrillo and over to the Fitz, then cruised through the Marina and home.

Of course, I love the the Wheeze, so I went ahead and hammered it as best I could. I felt like I was cruising along with some good pace too, but a computer check showed that I was averaging about 8 MPH. Not bad, but nothing compared to the performance Bonzai and I did last month (See July 24, 2004: One for the annals) when we ripped up the hill at about 10 MPH.

An odd day for weather. It was foggy and chilly down in McNee and on the way up, but the summit itself was sunny and clear. Usually, it's the other way around, with the summit catching all the fog coming in over San Pedro Point from the northwest.

Didn't attempt The Crack, but I did make the Notch in MCB for the second consecutive time. And for some reason, I spent the majority of the ride practicing my Scottish accent. I watched a Scottish movie last night (with subtitles), so I must have had haggis on the brain or something. Anyhoo, after an hour of practicing, I felt pretty confident delivering my one line to JB when I got home: "Poot eee ress on ye Maree." (Put your dress on you Mary.) I have no idea.

Animals everywhere today. Saw a red fox running across the road out to the Maverick's parking lot. Also spied three great blue herons standing within 30 feet of each other, in various angles of repose, in the Pillar Point wetlands. And I almost got skunked by a spooked polecat as I careened down the lost sidewalk just north of the Moss Beach Distillery. Oh yeah, I saw a nice plump banana slug on the way up to the summit.