Northern California - Jacktripper's Mt. Tam Journey

Here it is ... the ride report and pic thread. For now, you'll all have to wait in anticipation for the reports. Creative juices not flowing yet.

http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa292/taxi777/Horizen.jpg

Great ride to you guys! Nice and mellow.

Welcome Johnathan (photogeek) the new guy. Great to have you with us!
http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa292/taxi777/ChrisJonjack.jpg

I met up with Chris, Jon, Jack at the Ferry building and we were running late, Richard couldn't make it for his sick kids needed his Fatherly assistance...Sorry to hear that Richard, see you next time.

Marco and Ruth had to bail, so we met up with Ramon & Ron at the bridge.
http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa292/taxi777/Ramonjon.jpg
http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa292/taxi777/Chrisbathroom.jpg

The sky was Steel blue and crisp, the Golden Gate bid us a safe and mellow crossing. We made some great time with the bold leader; Gladiator Humongous Erectus at the helm!


We paused for a nutrition stop at Mikus of Bikus, near the ficus which was very niceus!

I trumped my young warriors up Corte Madera grade...actually I could hear them whispering and laughing at "Old Gaseous Fartus" wasting his gas through the hill and dale!
http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa292/taxi777/Ronramon.jpg
http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa292/taxi777/Rollin.jpg
Soon we took the twists and turns through the forests of San Anselmo to arrive in Fairfax and paused at the office of the Sheriff to lend our hands to "Mother Nature". We then climbed ourselves out of the chill...Ramon reminded us that it would get warmer as we got closer to the sun...That made quite a bit of sense...we must have gotten very close to the sun for I did notice a great amount of "hot air" all about.
http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa292/taxi777/Roncamera.jpg

At the great "Dam of the Alpine" we crossed paths with the Klan of "PeterBilt"
http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa292/taxi777/SDC11742-1.jpg
and were much taken by the beautiful red haired maiden where Sir Ron announced that we were about to mount the F***ing 7 sisters...An odd pronouncement indeed! We climbed and watched for raining deer!
http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa292/taxi777/Junction.jpg
We then took turns mounting the "Seven Sisters" and were quite warn down with all this tithe-ring after awhile...The views made us ecstatic and we soared down the mountain with ease.
http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa292/taxi777/Jack7.jpg

Chris and I stopped for a hot brew while the others hurried back to the kingdom back across the moat. I took Chris through a bugger of a journey through the great city and soon I back in my lair feasting of Scones and Cows milk...Great ride my brothers as I must reiterate...

http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa292/taxi777/Peteclosed.jpg
http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa292/taxi777/Chris-8.jpg
http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa292/taxi777/ChrisRon-1.jpg

The End...

http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa292/taxi777/Skyline-1.jpg

Hey gang- Somehow missed you guys. I got to the Ferry Bldg about 5 minutes late (9:55) and no one was there, so I figured you were already on your way (I had said not to wait for me). I thought I would catch you guys at the bridge, but you must have already left (I was there from about 10:20-10:30). Then I thought I might catch you in Sausalito or at Mike's, but no luck. You guys must have left right on time and really trucked along. Anyway, I had a nice solo ride up Mt. Tam and back. About 52 miles total and ~4100 feet of climbing. I will try harder to be on time for the next one!!!

MB Data Here: http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/episode/view.do?episodePk.pkValue=7387924

EDIT: Saw that I was actually in front of you guys! Oh well, will have to bring my cell next time. In any case, I would not have been able to hang on your ride! Plus I wanted to be back by 3 and so I did the "short" route. How many miles and how much climbing did you guys end up doing? When did you get back to the city?

That looks like a great ride - :(

Glad to report that my daughter is doing OK, nothing major, but did mean I couldn't hang with you guys today - hopefully Jack got my text. I'd also phoned Justin this morning, but it seems that he suffered some other bad luck that had him riding this solo.

To lift me out of my funk I did get ~4000ft of climbing in the Oakland hills today - but I did find myself wistfully glancing over at Tam from across the bay. Next time guys, next time.

EDIT: Saw that I was actually in front of you guys!... In any case, I would not have been able to hang on your ride!

Eh? sounds like the first statement implies that the second statement is not true! Me thinks that Justius Asskickius underestimates his cycling heroics.

This was a blast, thanks for having me along! Maybe next time I'll be able to keep up...

Your rides always sound fun, Pete, and the pictures great, but that first one of sky + water is striking. Well done!

Your rides always sound fun, Pete, and the pictures great, but that first one of sky + water is striking. Well done!

Yep it was one of those extraordinary days...Perfect lighting!

Hope you two had a good day too!:)

Yep it was one of those extraordinary days...Perfect lighting!

Hope you two had a good day too!:)

See my post in the "Where'd you ride..." thread. :rolleyes:

Pete,

Nice pics. I have to ask "How many bikes to you own?". Every picture I see you in, you've got a different ride.

Cliff

Great ride, guys. I'm destroyed. My manhood is also injured now that I just read Pete saying that it was a mellow ride! Need...more....rides...

My first time up Mt. Tam was pretty nice. I'm glad that we had the old hand of Pete to guide us through the route. The forest after the Alpine Dam was enchanted. 7 Sisters was a tough ride. We should do this more often.

Congrats to Jonathan for coming out and conquering Tam.

Sorry that we missed you Roja and Beaker. We should have waited longer for you, Roja, and I think you did the ride thing, Beaker, taking care of the little one first!

Jim/Beaker I

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_pxY28OCdAfg/SWA4kMDQZVI/AAAAAAAABRU/9hmXbnlTmX0/s640/P1020056.JPG
It was an absolutely beautiful day for a ride. The visibility was better than HD. That was a stark contrast to New Year's Day, where you'd be lucky to see the other side of the street.

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_pxY28OCdAfg/SWA4yeDHQPI/AAAAAAAABR4/V9ndX2qlxH8/s640/P1020064.JPG
Ramon and I got to Sports Basement, then rode over to Golden Gate Visitor's Center, awaiting Pete and the rest of the Caltrain gang. True to form, we made our usual stop at Mike's Bikes, for fuel and supplies.

The pace was pretty brisk, as we knew ahead of time we wanted to make it a short day, if we were to finish the ride by 3 PM or so. Now either all the climbing I have done has done me good, or everyone was taking it easy climb-wise, but I was able to keep up with everyone on the first climb. That gave me a vote of confidence, as we wound through Pete's Wild Ride through San Anselmo. Hmm ... Pete's Wild Ride ... Mr. Toad's Wild Ride ... maybe we should call Pete Mr. Toad?

http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w112/spingineer/th_VID00001.jpg (http://s174.photobucket.com/albums/w112/spingineer/?action=view&current=VID00001.flv)
We didn't stop for 7-11, or coffee, but we did take a quick stop at Fairfax, for water and bathroom break. This gave Pete and opportunity to get really goofy.


Onwards to the climb up Alpine. I assumed my usual position in the back of the pack. Although not as chilly as the previous week, it was still chilly when we got into the shade. This definitely was not a time to remove the jacket. We kept seeing signs of road closure, and that it was closed to even pedestrians and cyclists. Um, I think we forgot to read that part of the sign.

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_pxY28OCdAfg/SWA5RshYKpI/AAAAAAAABSw/m5UCHEiWjJ0/s640/P1030076.JPG
Anyhow, I got to Alpine Dam, with the gang waiting for yours truly, lead butt. Pete mentioned another group giving us a hill challenge. Funny, we never did see them as we climbed out of Alpine Dam.

Soon after leaving the dam, we were approached with road closures. After about a mile up, I saw why the road was closed. We saw a huge chunk of road missing, evidently due to erosion of the shoulder, which no longer existed. Hopefully, they will be able to repair the road in time for summer, if funds for that haven't dried up.

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_pxY28OCdAfg/SWA5Um7lyqI/AAAAAAAABS0/0BJjPubZCxM/s640/P1030077.JPG
Met up with the gang again at the intersection before making the climb up the 7 sisters ... or as I called it earlier at Alpine Dam, the "f#%#@ 7 *****es".

The climb of the 7 sisters was nice. I didn't take time to stop and take any pics, but the view was breathtaking. Pictures would not tell the whole story. I saw that Pete uploaded some pics, but again, it didn't tell the whole picture.

The descent was slow, because the road was full of loose gravel. However, we all made it down without incident. Pete and Chris decided to stop at a cafe in Sausalito, but we still had the climbs out of Sausalito, and then the crossing of Golden Gate bridge. The rest of us decided to forego the coffee stop, and continue on back to the cars.

It was a great day, great ride. I got in 50.55 miles, with 4978 feet climbing. As an added bonus, we actually finished a North Bay ride before darkness! Wow, I'm not used to that. Eventually, Pete and Chris showed up at the Sports Basement parking lot.

More pics
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_pxY28OCdAfg/SWA4wK09dSI/AAAAAAAABR0/aGuuXa67v_I/s640/P1020063.JPG

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_pxY28OCdAfg/SWA41GkGKDI/AAAAAAAABR8/a3Jq3w8x4Z8/s640/P1020065.JPG

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_pxY28OCdAfg/SWA43uKJwFI/AAAAAAAABSE/FGaP_3OHZss/s640/P1020066.JPG

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_pxY28OCdAfg/SWA49ZflpTI/AAAAAAAABSM/eFZkCYlmTTI/s640/P1020068.JPG
Pete using a pole to stop him. Hmmm .... he seems to be staddling that pole a little too much for comfort.

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_pxY28OCdAfg/SWA5H0WZ-9I/AAAAAAAABSc/awz6hijpcnQ/s640/P1030072.JPG
Alpine Dam

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_pxY28OCdAfg/SWA5NMwOGYI/AAAAAAAABSo/FNsla_TycSM/s640/P1030074.JPG
Gladiators in the hood

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_pxY28OCdAfg/SWA5XLoDdWI/AAAAAAAABS4/TKVVubrwARs/s640/P1030078.JPG
Chris, that's just waaaaay too much hair dude ... you have more hair on your arms than sasquatch does ... :roflmao2:

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_pxY28OCdAfg/SWA5Z0sTxaI/AAAAAAAABS8/l5fw_siObjU/s640/P1030079.JPG

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_pxY28OCdAfg/SWA5chgienI/AAAAAAAABTA/f7hb9yiiagM/s640/P1030080.JPG

More pics at http://picasaweb.google.com/ronster/JacktripperMtTam#

Did I just see Chris with his hands inside his shorts in two separate pictures? What's up with that?? :lol:

New Yorkers .... they have some strange habits!

So you have a bunch of native Californians, comfortable with our gloves, arm and leg warmers, in this cold weather, and you have the New Yorker, who is trying any creative means to keep himself warm ... Say no more!

New Yorkers .... they have some strange habits!

So you have a bunch of native Californians, comfortable with our gloves, arm and leg warmers, in this cold weather, and you have the New Yorker, who is trying any creative means to keep himself warm ... Say no more!
I think he happened to mention ...err...Crabs!:lol:

It's called Raynaud's Syndrome (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raynaud%27s_disease). I will note that my hands are not near my private parts, unless you consider my thighs a private part. The climb up Mt. Tam after the dam sure was cold. In general, it was not that cold today but even with good, heavy gloves, Raynaud's rears its ugly head. But I shall not be deterred, still I ride.

It's called Raynaud's Syndrome (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raynaud%27s_disease). I will note that my hands are not near my private parts, unless you consider my thighs a private part. The climb up Mt. Tam after the dam sure was cold. In general, it was not that cold today but even with good, heavy gloves, Raynaud's rears its ugly head. But I shall not be deterred, still I ride.

I know the pain of which you speak.

When I was riding around in 20-degree weather in MA last month, even with two layers of gloves on, my hands were killing me and I was trying to warm them in my armpits while riding (no it didn't help very much). :o

http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa292/taxi777/SDC11785-1.jpg
http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa292/taxi777/SDC11777-1.jpg
http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa292/taxi777/SDC11797-1.jpg
http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa292/taxi777/SDC11793-1.jpg
http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa292/taxi777/SDC11778-1.jpg

It's called Raynaud's Syndrome (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raynaud%27s_disease). I will note that my hands are not near my private parts, unless you consider my thighs a private part. The climb up Mt. Tam after the dam sure was cold. In general, it was not that cold today but even with good, heavy gloves, Raynaud's rears its ugly head. But I shall not be deterred, still I ride.

I feel your pain..I have Carpal, from physical stress and on long rides I have to just stop and shake them out. I think Ramon has a bit of that syndrome too?

Sounds like a great ride, guys, and some awesome pictures! Looking forward to the next one! I take it you guys didn't have time to go up to the peak?

Oh, and I have Reynaud's as well. I was diagnosed as a kid. I think my case is pretty minor as far as they go.

I am thinking about trying these liners: http://www.rei.com/product/661608 They are supposed to be windproof and super warm, yet light and thin. Anyone know anything about the material ("space-age" Lurex)?

Sounds like a great ride, guys, and some awesome pictures! Looking forward to the next one! I take it you guys didn't have time to go up to the peak?

Oh, and I have Reynaud's as well. I was diagnosed as a kid. I think my case is pretty minor as far as they go.

I do that on off road rides up the front, but the summit is kind of a pain in the butt, but maybe you should suggest it next time...I'll probably do it with you.

Chris, that's just waaaaay too much hair dude ... you have more hair on your arms than sasquatch does ... :roflmao2:

You found out my secret. I confess, I am a mammal.
mammal (măm'əl) n. Any of various warm-blooded vertebrate animals of the class Mammalia, including humans, characterized by a covering of hair on the skin and, in the female, milk-producing mammary glands for nourishing the young.

Now there are 3 photos of me with my hands down my pants (Pete, that last one is fantastic, you got skills), and one with them up my shirt. I guess I get it where I can...

I am thinking about trying these liners: http://www.rei.com/product/661608 They are supposed to be windproof and super warm, yet light and thin.While I haven't used those specifically, I've bought a few Seirus products in the past, and they've been anything from disappointing to just plain crap. I'm surprised that REI continues to stock them.