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Gnat! Harris's Journal
Muir Woods/Stinson Beach - now with fog!
posted by gnat23 at 09:33 AM on May 28, 2007
- Region:
- Marin, Muir Woods, Stinson Beach, Mount Tamalpais
- Location:
- San Francisco, CA
- Country:
- United States of America
- Ride Type:
- Road
- Nearest Zipcode:
- 94129
Ride Description
Fun with GPS data
(apologies: pictures are not showing up in my gallery... go see 'em here)
It took a determination of the gods to get up Sunday morning. Between a bonk on Saturday, sleeping with a belly full of heavy German food/beer, and a thick fog that whited-out everything beyond the curtains, the call of the wild was more a whimper. But I knew that I wasn't going to get any riding in on the holiday Monday, so if I was going to do it, I had to get moving.
Shorts, jersey, arm-warmers, full-on leg warmers, long fuzzy socks, full-fingered gloves, and a windbreaker later, I arrived at the meeting point for the weekly Velo Girls Northern Exposure ride. The ride leader teased me about my enthusiasm from the last time I went (I don't care where we go, as long as it's UP!), and I admitted that I was here today on sheer will-power and coffee. The six of us departed across the Golden Gate Bridge, practically able to drink the air.
There was hope as we descended into Sausalito when the sun began to poke through and warm my back. I took off my jacket but couldn't figure out a good way to stash it, and so I put it back on thinking that I'd figure it out when I got overheated. Somehow, that never happened.
Some beautiful climbing (once I put my chain back on) through switchbacks full of houses with slanted garage doors, lush greenery, and classic cars. Topped out at 750ft, where the horizon disappeared completely beyond the street sign. Then a quick zip down to Muir Woods National Monument. I was feeling pretty good; Muir Woods is the sort of place that I never would have thought of biking to: it was a place you took visiting relatives to, and you drove it. Yet, here I was, popping the crick in my back while looking up at gigantor redwood trees. Love it!
A little more up and down, then lots of dodging cars on the downhill to Stinson Beach. And yes, there were people at the beach, wrapped in blankets fighting the ocean wind's chill. I mentally declared them crazy, as I was clomping around the sidewalk in roadshoes, sucking energy-syrup from a bag, and dressed head to toe in spandex. Hrm.
Back on the bike and huffed it sort of skirting around the Mount Tamalpais peak. It felt like I hadn't been out of my granny gear for a year, and there were some steep bits that I seriously wondered if I could convince my feet to get over the top, but there it was. Four miles and 1500ft of elevation later, we sat around and laughed about this new strange definition of "a little climb" to get back out of the beach. The cold fog was still blanketing everything in sight, and I thought my IT bands would curl up into my buttocks for warmth if they could. I bounced up and down on my toes and rubbed my thighs vigorously. My feet had become thick and numb. I started picturing a frothy mug of hot chocolate curling steam at the end of the route. I turned my hardcore card and just wanted to go home.
Some pretty spectacular crosswinds punctuated the ride back. Golden Gate Bridge was a white-knuckle experience of balance and counterleaning, highlighted by going around the posts into a kick in the chest of headwind that stopped my bike right when I turned.
My reward to myself for not sleeping in was to treat myself to a new pair of full-fingered gloves. The white bits that used to adorn the old ones were now so soaked with grease, snot, and sweat that they matched the black parts of the gloves. Ew!
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Comments (2)
07:22 AM on May 29, 2007 UTC AC Shilton wrote:
sounds like quite a ride- I loved living in that area because the rides are so awesome, your discription totally made me long for climbing through the Santa Cruz mountains again... Next time I go out there I know where I'm going to ride!
12:36 PM on May 30, 2007 UTC RoubaixRider wrote:
sheer will power and coffee, it would seem, are not to be messed with. What an awesome ride description! And gotta love the GPS data!