Gorgeous morning - 68 degrees and cloudy, clearing to sun. Got a late start but decided to ride the longer and more scenic route anyway. At the end I took the dirt road alternative to the freeway shoulder but instead of carrying my bike up the very short and very steep route I usually take, I rode up the longer but mostly graded route (about 1.25 miles). Seems to take about the same amount of time in total, and definitely more pleasant.

I think I've become a better rider in the last few months - last time I tried this (back in February) I had a lot of trouble handling a skinny tired bike on graded dirt. This time, it was pretty easy! Will definitely need to clean the chain tonight though.

Got to work only about 15 minutes late - and since I worked this weekend I have some wiggle room on that front!