7 friends, Epic Ride, and Naked Old men
05-01-01, 02:44 PM
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This past Sunday I went on an incredible ride which reminded me why I love Mt. Biking so much and how beautiful the Bay Area is.
On Sunday I set out for a ride with seven friends from a beautiful Redwood covered Campground/Park.
Originally we had planned on doing a trail called the Bolinas Ridge Trail which is usually done as a 21 mile out and back. But one my friends suggested adding on an additional loop that he said would be worth the "extra few miles". Little did I know that the few extra miles would turn into 12 extra miles.
Anyway...we began in a beautiful redwood covered campground near the coast and began to climb into the open hillside. The first climb is a good long one, but not to tough. Once at the top, we peeled off our intended course to begin adding on the extra few miles that my friend suggested. 1 mile down and 4 miles on the road led us to a horse stable where we hooked up with one of the more incredible trails around. This was one of the few legal singletracks in Marin County. We blazed through the fern lined, perfectly groomed trail and were met with a major grunt of a climb. This sucker wasn't that long, but it was very steep and pretty technical. Definitely a knee buster. After this climb we were rewarded with some great downhilling and some fun singletrack.
We then met back up with the road and crossed over to begin climbing back up to the ridge that we were originally heading to. This is where the old naked guys come into the picture. As we were riding we stumbled upon a pond area in which people go nude sunbathing. Not a pretty sight.
That next climb up to the ridge was a grinder!!! Steep and long...up and up it went. I didn't think that it was going to end. About 2/3 of the way I bonked hard and felt like I was going to die but I somehow managed to keep going. At the top we had logged 15 fast and tough miles and were back at the ridge. Going left would be mostly down for about 5 miles to the car. Right, would take us along the ridge for more climbing.
Two guys bailed, but the rest forged on. We rode along a ridge in which the trail was up and down, not too many flat sections and was lined by Redwood trees. The shade felt great. We rode to a great spot where we were treated with an amazing view of the ocean below. Standing there I was in awe of the scenery surrounding me. It felt so good to be able to escape the concrete jungle.
By now we were all pretty cooked so we turned around and attacked the final 10 miles of mostly fast and fun downhill. It was amazing going from a Redwood forest to an open prairie.
In the end, the 4 of us made it back safe and sound (even though I think I have a blown front shock). We were beat, but had all experienced one of the more beautiful rides you can do (except for the naked fat guys!). I was completely exhausted but had the biggest smile on my face from having experience such a great ride.
Carlos
On Sunday I set out for a ride with seven friends from a beautiful Redwood covered Campground/Park.
Originally we had planned on doing a trail called the Bolinas Ridge Trail which is usually done as a 21 mile out and back. But one my friends suggested adding on an additional loop that he said would be worth the "extra few miles". Little did I know that the few extra miles would turn into 12 extra miles.
Anyway...we began in a beautiful redwood covered campground near the coast and began to climb into the open hillside. The first climb is a good long one, but not to tough. Once at the top, we peeled off our intended course to begin adding on the extra few miles that my friend suggested. 1 mile down and 4 miles on the road led us to a horse stable where we hooked up with one of the more incredible trails around. This was one of the few legal singletracks in Marin County. We blazed through the fern lined, perfectly groomed trail and were met with a major grunt of a climb. This sucker wasn't that long, but it was very steep and pretty technical. Definitely a knee buster. After this climb we were rewarded with some great downhilling and some fun singletrack.
We then met back up with the road and crossed over to begin climbing back up to the ridge that we were originally heading to. This is where the old naked guys come into the picture. As we were riding we stumbled upon a pond area in which people go nude sunbathing. Not a pretty sight.
That next climb up to the ridge was a grinder!!! Steep and long...up and up it went. I didn't think that it was going to end. About 2/3 of the way I bonked hard and felt like I was going to die but I somehow managed to keep going. At the top we had logged 15 fast and tough miles and were back at the ridge. Going left would be mostly down for about 5 miles to the car. Right, would take us along the ridge for more climbing.
Two guys bailed, but the rest forged on. We rode along a ridge in which the trail was up and down, not too many flat sections and was lined by Redwood trees. The shade felt great. We rode to a great spot where we were treated with an amazing view of the ocean below. Standing there I was in awe of the scenery surrounding me. It felt so good to be able to escape the concrete jungle.
By now we were all pretty cooked so we turned around and attacked the final 10 miles of mostly fast and fun downhill. It was amazing going from a Redwood forest to an open prairie.
In the end, the 4 of us made it back safe and sound (even though I think I have a blown front shock). We were beat, but had all experienced one of the more beautiful rides you can do (except for the naked fat guys!). I was completely exhausted but had the biggest smile on my face from having experience such a great ride.
Carlos
05-01-01, 10:58 PM
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Sounds like an awesome ride! I would love to ride in a forest of redwoods! Hopefully i can get to that later this year, im visiting some old friends in Tulare (sp?), they tell me there's some amazing single track in the area, and not to far away i can find the redwoods.
Steve, I have a naked old man story for ya! Sadly, (luckily?) i wasn't there when this happened. Anyhow, one of my good cycling buddies was riding on some local not very well known single track. About 10 miles into the ride he past a group of 3 naked guys, all in there mid-50's or so, he was keeping up his speed when he passed, so he couldn't talk much to the guys, he did manage to get out a few words, "hows in hanging". He didn't even think about what he said until he was over the next ridge.
Steve, I have a naked old man story for ya! Sadly, (luckily?) i wasn't there when this happened. Anyhow, one of my good cycling buddies was riding on some local not very well known single track. About 10 miles into the ride he past a group of 3 naked guys, all in there mid-50's or so, he was keeping up his speed when he passed, so he couldn't talk much to the guys, he did manage to get out a few words, "hows in hanging". He didn't even think about what he said until he was over the next ridge.
05-02-01, 06:21 PM
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Hey Joe:
I'm not sure where Tulare is located but you are going to love riding in the Redwoods. Hopefully you'll see some old growth which will give you an idea how huge these trees where.
Hopefully you won't run into any Naked old men during the ride.
One quick question Joe...How do you add an image to a post?
Carlos
I'm not sure where Tulare is located but you are going to love riding in the Redwoods. Hopefully you'll see some old growth which will give you an idea how huge these trees where.
Hopefully you won't run into any Naked old men during the ride.
One quick question Joe...How do you add an image to a post?
Carlos
05-02-01, 11:30 PM
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You can add an image using the vB code. The contex is basicly, [ img ]https://www.yoursite.com/yourimage.jpg [ /img ] , without the spaces 
05-08-01, 08:05 AM
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Man, that must get annoying...all those big redwoods in the way, dangerous rocky scenic views, all the traffic in front of Jerry's old house. As for me, if I biff it on a trail, all I have to worry about is getting the corn out of my wheels and the soybeans out of my helmet.
05-08-01, 11:29 AM
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Hey Steele...Luckily we don't have to worry about crashing into corn fields but you definitely don't want to fall over the edge of a ridge. It's a long ways down.
The Bay Area lacks singletrack but it does have amazing views. Now, I have to find some vacation time so I can make it to Moab and Sedona.
The Bay Area lacks singletrack but it does have amazing views. Now, I have to find some vacation time so I can make it to Moab and Sedona.
05-08-01, 12:46 PM
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Joe,
Actually, 20 miles away we have a 15-20 mile single track trail system. It is quite hilly and most of it runs through dense woods. There are different degrees of difficulty on various trails, so there is something for everyone. And it runs along side a large lake, so I don't even think you can see a corn field.
Actually, 20 miles away we have a 15-20 mile single track trail system. It is quite hilly and most of it runs through dense woods. There are different degrees of difficulty on various trails, so there is something for everyone. And it runs along side a large lake, so I don't even think you can see a corn field.
