Woodside Ride – one year later
Posted twice last year regarding our Ride from Fremont to Woodside. The first post was about the ride and the accident we saw. The second post was about the news the next day that a cyclist was killed. Today we learn that the 69 year old driver was sentence to 90 days in jail and 3 years probation. From this mornings Chronicle:
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
A 69-year-old Colorado man was sentenced Tuesday to 90 days in jail and three years’ probation for killing a Menlo Park elementary school teacher a year ago when he accidentally swerved his car into a bicycle lane where she was riding in Woodside.
Theodore Charles Thornbrough of Westminster, Colo., told police he was looking for the on-ramp to Interstate 280 on Oct. 2, 2005, when his Mercedes-Benz drifted into the bicycle lane on Woodside Road, hitting Michelle Mazzei of Redwood City.
Mazzei, 34, was taken to Stanford Medical Center, where she died. Thornbrough pleaded no contest Aug. 11 in San Mateo County Superior Court to misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter in the Oak Knoll School teacher’s death.
Mazzei’s mother, sister and two friends addressed the court at sentencing, remembering a woman known for her athleticism and fondness for the outdoors.
“They lost a very good person,” prosecutor Josh Stauffer said after leaving the Redwood City courtroom. He described the 90-day sentence as reasonable.
Thornbrough was not speeding, was not on a cell phone and had not been drinking, defense attorney Brendan Conroy said. Thornbrough has no criminal record.
“He’s crushed,” Conroy said after the sentencing. “Obviously, the victim’s family is more crushed.”
Thornbrough will serve his time in Adams County, Colo., Conroy said
Barb and I are voting early and voting often! “YES on K” will ensure that the last large parcel of land in Fremont will NOT be left to the whim and design of money hungry developers and big business. 
This measure is near and dear to our hearts, as the land in question is the 500+ acres that sits next to Coyote Hills Regional Park and San Francisco Bay. We were just out there on Sunday, amazed at the beauty and serenity of the area. To have 600 home replacing the farmlands would be shameful. 
I have many good memories of Westlake Bowl. “The Bowl” was only about two blocks from our house on Fairlawn Ct. My parents had moved into the house when it was built in 1958. Westlake was a Daly City subdivision that sprouted out of the post WWII baby boom. My folks, living in San Francisco, were outgrowing their rental and were able to afford the $28 a month house payment on the $12,000 house built by 
Barb and I hiked Mission Peak for the last couple of Sundays. We were thinking that we must have hiked to the peak around fifty times since we first did it in October of 2002. The seven mile round trip usually takes us around three hours to complete, that includes rest time at the top and sometimes along the way. Sunday’s hike was typical and great. Overcast skies and cool temps are always good when doing this hike. The 2000+ foot climb from Ohlone College parking lot is not for the faint of heart. Once you get out of the parking lot and through the trail gate, you start climbing right away. Walking up chalk hill to the seasonal pond is maybe the toughest part of the whole hike. Constent and steady uphill for 30 minutes or so. Still gets me huffing and a puffing. The arrival at the seasonal pond marks the end of the first part of the hike. The trail levels out a bit and gives me a chance to catch my breath. The next part of the hike is my favorite. Now on the back side of the peak, we make our way up shady tree covered single track trail. 
Yesterday we saw a dozen wild turkeys grazing in the bush. Its so quiet over here. No wind. You feel very far away from civilization back there. The trail takes us by a HUGE tree that we call the whomping willow, then up and out of the trees and back onto the fire lane that will take us almost to the peak. From here we are about halfway up with nothing but steady climbing ahead. After another 25 minutes we are at the spot where we leave the fire road and begin the final ascent. Where everything up to now could be called walking, the final push to the top has to be called climbing. Very steep up hill , rocky climb. Not to where you have to use your hands or anything but again, a good uphill. Always a joy to get to the top. Yesterday it was windy. There were probably about 10-15 other people up there 
and even a couple of mountain bikers who had come up from the southern route. We enjoyed some trail mix and the million dollar views of the Bay Area and beyond. We cut short our stay on top and headed down the same way we came. Where the hike up is all lungs and legs, the hike down is all knees and feet. We made our way down and were back at the car. After some stretching it was back in the car and back home.
