i've also done this route in the opposite direction a couple times. difference was proctor (before 7 hills) to walnut to qual. ... i think you can also stay on macarthur w/out zigzagging.... you can also scoot thru the oakland zoo (and get a nice view from the top) and take a right at golf links rd. ... a lot a climbing to get back to skyline. i remember thinking "i wouldn't want to do this in reverse." ... traffic around macarthur wasn't bad the times i went thru there.