After much indecision about where to ride, we settled on Calero County - the park with the best dirt loop in the Bay Area. We started late and it was warm at the beginning but not too bad. The late start would come back to haunt us though. This was Suzanne's first time at Calero County and, despite the jerk thistles and jerk flies that were biting me, I think she agrees that the park is great. Really pretty with fun and flowy trails. By the time we got to the San Vicente parking lot, it was getting hot. Little did we know that the temperature would continue to rise the whole way back to the cars. By the time I got back, I could feel the first signs of heat stroke. It took a while of A/C in the car before I started to feel okay again. Only having one bar as a snack at the top of the big climb for the whole ride (and not having lunch) probably didn't help either. Before getting back to the cars, I was starting to feel bonky but luckily never did. I hit a thistle and it drew blood on my knuckle. Also past another wall of thistles and I took the one hand off the bars so as not to get stung. When I grabbed the grips again, I got a thorn in my glove. Apparently, it had stuck to the grip when I rode through and then it stuck into my glove. Thistles are real jerks! I can't remember the last time I got bit by a fly but they were going to town on my legs. Super aggressive.