I went out for an evening ride on the Eagle today and it suddenly became magic. Kowabunga as in WoW!! I've been here in Palo Alto for six years and I am only just now discovering this. Seems all the cyclists here are so consumed with training and/or speed, that I've never heard this routing discussed, much much less celebrated like it should be. I feel like I've opened the doors to a whole new world of bicycle joy.
I can get to the heart of Mountain View where there are restaurants, coffee shops and even a metaphysical bookstore, etc. in the same time it takes me to get to University Ave where there are pricey restaurants, rug galleries and other establishments that only the well heeled can afford to frequent. To be fair, however, Palo Alto's main downtown (I prefer California Ave, its other downtown located in the middle of the city) does have an Apple Store and a Rite Aid.
The ride through Mountain View using this route is so painless that you will be surprised that it gets you to your destination so effortlessly. Nor is it boring or hamstrung by light controlled intersections like Palo Alto's famous Bike Blvd. Because it is is not a straight shot, the time you would normally spend waiting for lights, is time you spend biking away from where it looks like you want to get. But it takes you off Alma Street (aka Central Expwy), through quiet neighborhoods and is so very well signed (even with travel time estimates) that you will be on Shoreline, Rengstorff, or Castro Street well before you expect to be there!!
Here it is - http://www.bikeroute.com/BRdC/routeViewer.php?routeid=228
(do also feel free to plot routes of your own at our site and if you can code for such a page, we need it to run on IE and also we need it to be able to accept GPS data)
WoW - do use the comments here to let me know what you think!!
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