Charlie Chaplin made The Tramp in 1915 in Niles, a small town at the western end of Niles Canyon, where the Essanay studio briefly turned out silent films. The canyon road, Highway 84, still winds along Alameda Creek between steep, oak-covered hills, with a heritage railway running alongside, and it is one of the classic rides of the East Bay.
This stop lies in the hills south of Pleasanton, near Sunol, where the valleys of the East Bay give way to ranch land and wilderness. The Sunol Water Temple, a small classical pavilion built in 1910, marks the spot where water from the hills was gathered for San Francisco, and it is a strange and lovely sight among the fields.
Calaveras Road, south of Sunol, is a narrow, twisting road along a reservoir, popular with bikers and cyclists, with tight bends, steep drops and few guard rails. The surface is variable, and the road is sometimes closed for repairs.
For a swim, Shadow Cliffs, in Pleasanton, is an old gravel quarry turned recreation area, with a swimming beach in summer. Lake Del Valle, south of Livermore, is a larger reservoir with beaches and boating. Both are popular on hot weekends.
By late spring the hills turn the colour of lions, and the heat inland can be fierce even when San Francisco shivers in fog an hour away. Carry water, ride the canyons in the morning, and keep an eye on fire warnings in late summer. Pleasanton's old main street, with its arch and its cafés, is the civilised place to refuel bike and rider.