My second year bike camping for a three-day weekend in Point Reyes: eight of us rode up lugging camping gear, braving the hilly Four Corners / Panoramic / Highway 1 route, and admiring the views. , The blackberries were out in full force. We filled up a whole container for breakfast the next morning: Oyster break in Olema: ...
This is one of the more ridiculous impulsive rides I’ve done. I’ve always loved the BBQ-your-own-oysters-fresh-from-a-few-hundred-feet-away at Tomales Bay Oyster Farm, and last year a group of us did a 30-mile day trip from Point Reyes to there. But I’ve wondered– how reasonable would it be to ride up from SF, have a leisurely lunch of BBQ oysters (because what’s the point if you’re in a hurry?), then ride back, all in the same day? It’s about 100-110 miles and a moderate amount of climbing (4000’-8000’, depending on the route). I managed to convince someone to join me, and off we went: ...
Thanks to Jason and Erica and Cat, I got to go on an interesting 120-mile bike tour up to Wisconsin and back while I was visiting Chicago, and I didn’t have to do any of the planning. (rhetorical question: who rides 120 miles to a Super 8 motel at the edge of a cluster of strip malls, just for fun?) I was less interested in any specific destination than I was in checking out a variety of towns, environments, and regional cycling infrastructure (impressive!), and this ride certainly delivered. ...
ice cream stop at mile 100
Yesterday a friend organized a ride from San Mateo to San Gregario (via Kings Mountain road, which I’d never biked), through La Honda (past Alice’s Restaurant), and back up Tunitas Creek (which I’d been on once before). And just for the heck of it, I decided to add on an early morning ride from San Francisco to San Mateo rather than take the Caltrain down. The forecast for 40% chance of afternoon rain fell our way– just 10 minutes of freezing rain and misery on our way into Woodside on Skyline, but otherwise clear, sunny, and cool– great biking weather. ...
Here are a few other 1-day or weekend rides I’ve been kicking around, to do this spring or summer… including a few repeats of good rides from last year, since that makes the planning easy. None of them have dates yet, just giving people a heads-up… and if you’re especially interested in certain ones, let me know and it will be more likely to happen… From shortest to longest: A ride to San Bruno Mtn (8 miles each way from the Mission) combined with a few-hour hike and a picnic A casual “Tour De Dumplings” 15-20 mile ride around SF or the east bay, stopping at various dumpling shops, in the spirit of the Fiets & Frites ride (http://fietsandfrites.wordpress.com/) A casual 25ish-mile afternoon bike ride around some vineyards in Livermore (similar to a ride from last year, but different vineyards: [/post/photos-from-our-recent-7-person-livermore-wine/]) A bike+hike to the Tourist Club in Mill Valley for one of their weekend beer-and-sausage-and-German-music festivals (May or July). Basically a copy of this ride A mysterious, medium-hilly 40-50 mile ride in a remote part of the East Bay that I bet most people have never biked in (even I haven’t). I like the idea of keeping the details secret and just telling people to meet at a certain BART stop at a certain time An overnight bike camping trip to Point Reyes, with oysters (50ish miles each way, similar to what a group of us did last year though at a different camp site for variety), maybe as a three-day weekend Taking Amtrak to Sacramento and doing some riding around the American River Valley
120+ miles, a group of 15 great people, sunny weather, lush farmland and shady redwood forests, a few exciting hills, the kindness of strangers, good beer, and an action-movie just-in-time finish… easily one of my favorites. Read on for a longer than usual writeup in story form, with photos and details… Back in December I’d floated the idea of an overnight ride up to Russian River Brewing Co during the two-weeks-a-year Pliny the Younger release. Interest blossomed, we hashed out logistics, and by the day of the ride we were a group of 15(!): people I’d done long rides with as well as new friends-of-friends, on loaded touring bikes and sporty road bikes, people who’ve ridden centuries and people who’ve rarely biked more than 40 miles… and even someone who hadn’t biked more than 7 or 8 miles in a stretch (I’ll admit, I was a little worried, but he was a natural). ...
Pliny the Younger, after 11 hours of biking + standing-in-line
55 miles in, sunny
Cheese Factory stop