As I’ve been steadily logging hundreds of miles each month since December, I’ve been feeling a bit burned out from all of my randonneuring adventures and only averaged about 450 miles per month in July and August. This weekend was no exception, and I wasn’t in the mood for another epic 200k.



So I organized a 40-mile round trip ride out to the Brentwood area with several Ride-On folks — Bridget, Neil, Pamela and The Bearded One — so we could go pick some fresh tomatoes which are now in season. There’s tons of farms nestled in the northeast corner of the East Bay, which is close to the rich agricultural region of the delta.

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We rolled out from the Pittsburg Bay BART station to the Delta de Anza Regional Trail , then veered onto the Mokelumne Coast to Crest Trail . Along the way, we spotted some grape vines, pomegranate and fig trees that were overflowing with fruit, so we filled our panniers (and bellies) with delicious foraged treasure.Once we arrived at the Smith Family Farm, we got right to work picking (and snacking on) different varieties of tomatoes. (I found it amusing how back in the day, harvesting vegetables was a daily chore for families. Now it’s something we do on the weekends for fun.) An hour later, after sorting through the fragrant fields in search of ripe tomatoes, TBO & I loaded up our bags with 35 pounds; I can’t wait to make salsa, soups and sauces! After a tasty Vietnamese lunch at Pho Vietnam in downtown Brentwood, we pedaled our way through fierce headwinds and arrived back at Pittsburg Bay BART by sunset.