As I neared the Woodfords former Pony Express Remount Station at 3 p.m., my goal seemed assured. I had already done both sides of Monitor Pass and the front of Ebbetts Pass, now headed toward the Carson Pass summit some 20 miles ahead. This was Saturday, July 18, 2020, one week after the now cancelled official Death Ride 2020 date…

Sometimes in biking those areas far from traffic and pristine you can forget bicycling can be a way to explore and enjoy more than redwood groves and ocean views. Nick Peterson, Jim Zavagno and myself embarked in September 2020 on two bike journeys within a couple of weeks to four Bay Area missions. We chose those landmarks not to celebrate or honor the missions but rather because the sites are centuries-old and historically familiar. However, we found that three of the missions have been completely rebuilt.