1 mile. 20 minutes.
No time for an epic adventure this Monday morning, so we took a walk around the neighborhood and caught up with the flowers that are in bloom, said hi to a couple of neighbors and admired our view of Mt Tam. A walk around the block can re-connect you to where you live and all that it offers.
STATS: 41 miles. 3 hours, 4 minutes. 4450′ elevation gain.
After a nice Sunday morning breakfast – I hopped on my bike and rode up Mt. Tamalpais via Bolinas-Fairfax road. It was my first ride of the season all the way up to East Peak. Tam is one of those climbs that never seems to end. From where I ride, it’s about 20 miles to the top, with a few losses in elevation along the way, which gives the legs a nice break but makes for more climbing overall.
Today’s ride was hot – about 80 degrees for most of it
with almost no wind. When I got to the top I felt accomplished, exhausted and hungry for my CLIF bar. I sat at the top and enjoyed the view and the stillness, getting my breath back before hurtling down the smooth descent into Mill Valley and then home to San Rafael.
30 miles. Overnight trip.
Yesterday after work, Lillie and I packed our panniers (bags that fasten to a bike rack), strapped on our tent and sleeping pads and rode out at 5pm for a local bike camping adventure to Samuel P. Taylor State Park.
We headed past Fairfax, over the hill and through the rolling green hills of West Marin, towards Point Reyes station. As we entered the redwood forest, the separated bike path ended – so we took the cross Marin bike path to avoid the narrow shoulder and traffic on the paved road.
We reached the state park before 6:30pm – with plenty of time to unpack our bags and setup our tent. Before leaving, we had tossed salad fixins into a tupperware and picked up some bread, cheese and olives on the ride over – taking the hassle out of dinner prep.
To make after-work adventures fun and stress free, it’s all about making it easy. Bringing leftovers, using what you have in the fridge or picking up takeout on your way to go camping is totally legit – who says you have to slave over a campfire or grill for a couple of hours to make dinner in the dark after a late arrival? If you make adventuring easier, you’ll do it more often.
After setting up the tent, we bought some firewood from the ranger station for a campfire – no car, no problem – bungee cords and a bike rack are all you need!
Our friends Angela and Garrett stopped by to hang out around the campfire, and they brought fixins for banana boats – bananas grilled in the peel with a vein of melty chocolate – a campfire necessity! After they headed home, we crawled into our cozy tent for a night under the stars.
I woke before Lillie and prepped breakfast – here again we kept it easy, bringing some fresh fruit, almond milk in a thermos, and 2 portions of homemade granola. And don’t forget the best thing about chilly mornings in camp – camp coffee!
After breakfast, we took a nice 2 mile hike along the creek before packing up for our short ride home. We’d been meaning to do a close-to-home camping trip for quite awhile -adventures don’t need to be far from home, and you don’t need a 3-day weekend to do them! Next weekend, try camping close to home – and rediscover the amazing places nearby.
