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- This isn’t a race; though to the
untrained eye, it may on occasion appear otherwise.
- We travel at a brisk pace that an
experienced rider should enjoy. But don’t worry there’s room for less
seasoned riders.
- We always wait at ALL turns on the ride
route for the group to re-form and verify we haven’t lost anybody.
- Individually, we should always travel at
a pace that’s within our capabilities and comfort level for the current
conditions.
- If you’re holding someone up, don’t
stress, we’re all friends. WAIT for a straight away and wave them past.
- If someone is holding you up IN THE
CORNERS, Wait and give them a little space, than pass them safely in
the straight.
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special
thanks
to James for all
his help planning and pre -
running this ride
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First we
head out north through town out over thre Golden Gate bridge, and
exit at HWY 1 in Mill Valley. We can fuel up here if anyone
forgot gas.
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Highway
1
is a motorcyclist's dream come true.
Cruiser or sportbike, this stretch of
road
is
poetry on two wheels.
Just before we reach Stinson beach we'll
turn right on Panoramic HWY.
We'll climd from here to the top of MT Tamalpais about 3,000 feet up.
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The
veiw
from the top is incredible. On th day we checked out the ride it was
foggy at sea level and we just came right out of it as we climbed up
the mountain. You can see in this shot we're above the clouds. And the
ride was so fun fun good for sportbikes and cruisers alike.
On the way down we take Ridgecrest RD.
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Bolinas Ridge Road
Ridgecrest Blvd
Golden Gate Nat Rec Area
The
treeless expanse of green meadows never
ceases to amaze us, while only minutes away are lush forests of
redwoods. This diversity is a seeming dichotomy of two ecosystems
living side by side.
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The
view. you can see for miles and miles. you can see Lake
Alpine along Fairfax Bolinas Road. you can see on a clear day over the
top of Lucas
Valley Road across San Pablo Bay all the way up to Napa and
Sonoma. Below the road to the west is the ever-present world of
endless blue- the Pacific Ocean melds with the sky on a scale that is
difficult for the brain to absorb. Below, but out of sight, is Highway
1, -the Shoreline Highway- running parallel along Bolinas Lagoon and
Stinson Beach.
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A short
distance later, you may see hang gliders that seem painted into the
sky. Just south over the ridge in these pics is a small parking
lot that they frequent (slow down appropriately). The hang
gliders soar upon the updrafts created by the ridgeline with winds
that've traveled across the endless sea.
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and
this
take us to Fairfax Bolinas RD.
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Fairfax Bolinas Road |
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On a detailed map, the line doesn't get any
more
squiggly than this. And your anticipation grows.
Westbound from the
town of
Fairfax: Fairfax is a small community in
southern
Marin County on the very edge of an extremely populated area
just west of Interstate 101. North of the Golden Gate Bridge, the
money seems to drip off the hillsides. The beautiful thing is
years ago someone very smart created a place called the Mt Tamalpais
State Game Refuge. And virtually no one lives there.
Fairfax Bolinas Road skirts across the northern border of this state
game refuge.
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WOW!!
We had such a
good time on this road when we
checked it out. No traffic great views. Awesome corners.
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The ride on over to Alpine
Lake is a thrilling roll of emotion full of
wild back forth S curves cut into the steep hillsides. The ride
comes out along the edge of the hillside and you can see the road below
in the distance sheltered under a canopy of trees. Perfect for
bicyclists too! Plenty of those along this ride. Closer to
Alpine Lake, the ride delves into the greenery of forest before running
up along the shore to a spectacular dam. During the winter and
spring, plenty of water is flowing over the dam which is terraced one
concrete layer at a time to the bottom.
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James likes
it
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Thats a twisted road.
and that leads us to Sir Francis drake BLVD.
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Here we get a
chance to just
enjoy the scenery. This road has to much traffic to do anything but
enjoy the views as we cruise the redwoods and cool off a bit. As we
head towards the coast.
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HWY 1
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As we head north
through Marin County, Hwy 1
hugs
the ocean for a few miles through several joyous rolls of emotion- the
road writhing to and fro then passing though Point Reyes National
Seashore. Some of the roads headed inland in
this
part of Marin County portray the most pastoral lifestyle, green
pastures, many farms, lotsa cows. Ride a few if you have the time.
Along the way, you'll see signs for Drakes Beach and the
Point
Reyes Lighthouse. It's a bumpy road and a 40-mile round trip
(don't expect to do 40 miles in 40 minutes) but the beach is well worth
the trek if you decide to head out there.
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Rolling
north, you'll ride
past
Marshall-Petaluma Road and then the ride heads inland past Tomales
Petaluma Road. Already, you can feel that twinge of
disappointment like a child that has their toy taken away. Don't
worry, the ocean will be back momentarily once you arrive in Bodega
Bay.
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Tomales
The Historical Jewel Of Marin
County, California,USA
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We'll stop
here for lunch,
there's a lot of places to choose from.
After lunch we'll head out up HWY 1 through Bodega Bay untill we
reach Coleman valley road.
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Coleman
Valley
Road
Coleman Valley
Road is a paved path through the
coastal forest- little
used by locals and unknown to tourists. It's also a fine bicycle
ride,
albeit one with no shoulders so do keep an eye out. This is also
a
short 10 mile ride that makes a great alternative to riding up to Monte
Rio on the Russian River.
in the picture just to the left you can see Cloman
Valley road
turn off on HWY 1
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This road
isn't a
high-speed peg dragger but more of a relaxed gentle ride through
beautiful countryside in the Coastal Range. Relax, enjoy the feel
of
the motorcycle beneath you. The sound, sensation, and thrill of
being
on the bike.
Take your
time while looking
for
hawks, crows, native grasses, firs,
laurel and coastal live oaks. These old giants are now threatened by a
viral infestation sweeping the entire Western Coastal Range called
Sudden Oak Death.
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Once you reach the ridgeline, the trees begin to thin out
and the views
become spectacular as you ride alongside Mt. Sugarloaf, el. 1173
ft. Sweeping vistas pan out to the right and the left, courtesy
of your position atop the coastal ridgeline.
You might want to pull to the side, flip out the
kickstand
and pause for moment. You can see over the top of Bodega Bay,
even to Point Reyes to the south.
Whether you ride on a cloudy or foggy day or a bright
sunlit
morning,
the views are fantastic. The constant coastal winds have created
moor-like conditions of wind-swept open grassy fields with solitary
trees breaking the horizon. Riding this area on a foggy day is
fun
too, with the fog trailing over the ridges and around the trees.
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Coleman
Valley Road is an ideal
postheavy-lunch ride. Good road surface, smooth with minor
imperfections along most of its length. Don't count on usable shoulders
but do count on finding some water runoff and gravel overspill showing
up in the dark shadowy turns.
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and that
brings us right into
Occidental
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Nestled among the towering
redwoods of West Sonoma County, the historic landmark town of
Occidental, California, provides a wealth of get-away opportunities.
You’ll enjoy excellent lodging, shopping, and recreation. Stroll in
this lovely, relaxed setting and browse the town’s unusual shops,
boutiques, art galleries, and nurseries. Nearby there are beaches,
hiking trails, hands-on farms, wineries, and spas.
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Bohemian
Highway |
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Want a relaxed
kick back ride? This'll
work! No shortage of curves thrown in there as the ride hugs the
hillside. The road is an excellent connector for you to
plan into your trip. Point A to Point B- with the Bohemian
Highway thrown in there somewhere.
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the ride throws out a healthy dosage of high speed curves without any
crazy stuff or switchback elevation changes. More so just a lazy
afternoon ride. You on the cruiser will dig this ride. |
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From Here we
just head back home
on HWY 1 back along the coast
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come with me if you want to ride
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