Windmills with wooly llamas

OK, there was one llama. And also a bison, I'm pretty sure. I'll post the pic, and you can decide.
Not sure what to say about last week's ride, except that it was a very pleasant surprise. The only thing I know about Livermore is that it's usually where I get stuck in traffic when heading up towards Sacramento on a weekend.
It also didn't bode well that first I had to turn back after one block when I forgot my bike computer, and then that I couldn't find the actual meeting place and had to circle back halfway around the Livermore airport.

However, after I managed to get there, 'twas a fine fine day. Within minutes after crossing over the highway we were in rolling green hills (this is after all the time of year for that) and with a few excursions into the ever-expanding suburbia we stayed in that kind of terrain.
In short order we saw a llama and, I believe, a buffalo. Nobody else seemed to notice it, though. Perhaps it was invisible to everyone else but me.

The climb over Patterson Pass road was a lot of work, but well worth it for the fine panoramic view, and the long downhill. I guess the Tour of California went the other way on this road, which is clearly a lot harder climb than what we did, so I have no complaints.

After we came down, we circled around and got lunch. I unfortunately ignored my first choice of the tacqueria and got food from what I thought was the more practical choice.
However, The World's Slowest Quizno's was in fact the wrong answer. Who knew a sandwich could take so long? Of course, it also had the world's dumbest customers. 'What does this salad have in it?' The counter guy then read her the ingredients off the same sign she could see. 'Oh, OK, I'll have one then.' Bah. Well, enough silly rantings. The park we ate in was nice, and filled with kids much younger than mine.

A few people turned back after lunch, the rest of us did another loop over a different part of the hills, and got back to the cars around 4:00. The tailwind for much of the way back was a nice treat, and helped me to be doing in the mid-twenties the whole way back.

Anyhow, mucho fun.