Some days I feel like a turkey too, but not today
(Just before the Marshall Wall climb).
This past week I had the luxury of deciding what weekend ride I wanted to do this weekend. I could chose from TNT’s ‘Buddy’ Ride starting in Marin and probably would have included some variation of Alpine Dam/Mt. Tam, Chris’s Mountain View 70-miler, Joseph’s 100+ Marshall’s Wall, a few other organized rides, or strike out on my own. It had been so long since I had ridden with Joseph that I opted to head for Marshall.
Saint Helen's in Marshall, CA
Ride-out was at 7:30 am sharp from Peet’s coffee in the Castro. In fact Joseph was just leaving when he saw me approach from down the street. I must not be so tardy in the morning. The route was the usual route to Fairfax which is two hours plus/minus a minute; god those stop signs get old. We had traversed the eastern walkway of the Golden Gate Bridge as we had heard the staging had gone up on the western side and that the North Parking Lot was all torn up. We only had to dodge one large group of Japanese tourists and a few hot runners. It isn’t till we hit White’s Hill that the ride starts to become really enjoyable. The sun was out, the temperature was warmer than expected, and some orange poppies were blooming. We pushed a steady but moderate pace up White’s, up Nicasio, and up Alp du Fromage, arriving at the Cheese Factory near 11 am in good time. The objective of the day was all about moderation, budgeting, and pacing myself so that I wouldn’t have a repeat of last weeks cramping.
A semi-large group of Marin Cyclist that arrived at the Cheese Factory shortly after we did.
From the Cheese Factory we headed east to Hick’s Valley Road and then north through a gorgeous green valley. It was here that Joseph gave a tutorial of serpentinite, a green and scaly metamorphic rock that has huge formation throughout California. They run in bands and can be seen from satellite photos. This next stretch of road is really what today’s ride was all about. It was about taking our time rolling through these valleys enjoying the views and enjoying the nice long climb up Marshall’s Wall (~550 feet).
Joseph climbing the Wall.
Joseph refueling at the top.
View Northwest from the Wall looking towards Tomales Bay.
After riding the wall, we headed south towards Point Reyes for lunch at Whale of a Deli. I’m sure they weren’t the best pork tacos I’ve ever had, but they definitely tasted like they were after 60+ miles and numerous climbs. After lunch brought Olema Hill, the backsides of White’s and Camino Alto, and lastly Sausalito back into the city. I was worried that we wouldn’t beat the rain, but we did. We were home, shortly after 5 pm. Tired and sore but not cramped. Successful day of pacing and budgeting.
Sneakers atop Marshall's Wall.
Just to the right of the post in the far off distance,
Mt. Tam is observed and just past that would lie the city.
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