Saturday June 1, 2013 - A Marin Adventure

The Ride:

The Bike:

With temps soaring my ideas of a local "mixter" seemed foolish. I had created a route some time ago starting from the SFR's Crissy Field location with the miles totaling about 100k. Getting my typical late start I hit traffic at the Mill Valley exit and bailed on the first two starting point options and hit the park and ride under the freeway. then is was a matter of saddling up and heading out. I rolled through MV and joined the bike path to Blithedale. Lots of folks on the path of course, but my travels quickly brought me to the road. Using all the maps on the Marin OSP site I found a fireroad  just off of Camino Alto. The rather steep Overhill Rd was the access point, but the fireroad was quite nice, fairly flat and a welcome change from riding the roads. I had pieced together a series of fire roads for this route and had another really steep climb to access the Southern Marin Line Road - a very nice stretch of fire road running along the hill overlooking Larkspur, Corte Madera and Ross.

View from Southern Marin Line Road

The cut is flat but the drops a are steep. You are mostly in the woods, but the temps were getting higher. Passed a few folks enjoying the day and was well pleased I had found this road. Sadly it ended and I knew the drop to Ross would be steep. I had planed on taking Crowne St. all the way but poor signage dropped me down on Idyllwild and into Ross, where I quickly found the traditional route. Ross then Fairfax, I stayed on the bike route until the base of White's Hill, then it was back to the shoulder for the grunt up the hill. This time however my route led me to the White's Hill trailhead. A dark, forested cavern just of the road with a luxurious singletrack trail, coated in earth and redwood - sadly it was also straight up.

Steep singletrack off of SFD Blvd.

I began the first of MANY Hike-a-Bike sections and pushed the bike up this trail, to another steep fire road, the White's Hill Fireroad. No denying it was damn hot out now, and this road kept going up. It flattened and became exposed, but superb views - Woodacre is below me to the west, and east is China Camp, the bay and Mt. Diablo. The trail here is rocky and disappears into the trees. A nice, soft singletrack trail switchbacks up the hill and for the next hour or so I climb, walk, sweat, curse and bounce over rubble. I miss the cut-off for the Blue Ridge fire road, and discover I have dropped my map. I eek out enough signal to verify my alternate destination is "just up ahead." The rocks get worse but the surrounding stunted forest is spectacular as White's Hill fire road finally ends at the junction for the San Geronimo fire road.

San Geronimo Fire Road

Phew, hot and getting low of agua. This road cuts over the ridge and the views are, of course, awesome. A baby rattler enjoys the cool shade and I munch my grapefruit, as I stroll. The skinny tires of my CX bike shake me on the rock strewn wasteland - this is pleasure? How can a flat ridgetop have so much climbing? My lips crack in the sun. A cyclist rides by "Yo." He's young, tan, shirtless and effortlessly glides up the hill. I suck it up and follow and slowly I cross over and see the trail drop. Due to time constraints I had already trashed my plans of Bolinas-Fairfax over to Hwy 1 and was now looking at a return on Drake. I can see the Golf Course on BoFax Rd. and the SG FR ends getting me onto the legendary Pine Mountain Fireroad, Pine Mountain my ass, rock mountain.

Pine Mountain

I hit upon the bright idea of keeping it dirt and the trailhead map shows me that Sky Oaks Rd leads back into the lower Mt. Tam trails. So I zip down BoFax Rd and almost miss the damn sharp right turn. More climbing. I enter the Bon Tempe/Lake Lagunitas area and the road ends but the dirt continues. I have been on this before, but opt for the exit at the Eldridge Grade junction. A fun, rapid descent follows -  down, down, down to Phoenix Lake. I find water as well here and drink my fill, fill up the bottles and hit the road for the return on the Marin Bike Route. One last climb awaits, the Corte Madera/Mill Valley bump on Camino Alto.