Bolinas Ridge
It's another beautiful day in the San Geronimo valley as I cruise out of Woodacre via Bates canyon. Before long I hit that long, lonesome stretch of highway locally known as Sir Francis Drake, and head west. No sooner had I smirked to myself at the dour expressions on the commuters headed east, than who do I see but a 4-pack of Forest Knolls Free Wheeler's on their usual Friday morning ride. After exchanging pleasantries, I buzz through Lagunitas turning left on the west side of the second green bridge [ Shafter bridge]. After passing through the Leo T. Cronin fish viewing area , I'm riding along Lagunitas creek, home of the California record size for Coho salmon. This creek supports 10 percent of all remaining Coho salmon in the state.
I make the first right and head uphill. A word to the wise here, the blue port-a-potty you just passed is the first and last one on this trip. The macadam gives way to fire road and the angle steepens. I try to settle into a groove and slowly make my way up the 1.7 miles to Bolinas ridge. There aren't to many places where you can coast or catch your breath, but the trail is dry, the air is crisp, and this deeply forested area smells great. I make my way up slowly.
The fog is getting heavy now, giving the trail good traction with no dust. Even so, I dab once and decide to take a break halfway up. The second half of Shafter goes quicker and I feel my chest hairs grow as Bolinas Ridge comes into sight. Shafter took me a total of 44 minutes.
Heavy, heavy fog at the top, it's cold and I don't dawdle. Turning south, I break through fog shrouded webs spun the night before. Bolinas Ridge is a breeze compared to Shafter and I enjoy the ride through rolling grassland, nary a cowpie in sight. On a clear day the views through here are stunning. This area is also square on top of the San Andreas fault, near here is the epicenter of the '06 quake. Soon the grasslands give way to deep redwood forest and all of a sudden it's dark and mysterious as the trail snakes for miles beneath the giant trees. Its all quite beautiful and I make it to the McCurdy trailhead in 25 minutes.
The fog in the treetops has created a steady downpour now and I'm soaked.
My tires are getting caked, looking and feeling like two warm tootsie
rolls. As I head down McCurdy the trees thin out and the trail dries up
again. I'm pleasantly surprised to find that the trail isn't as washed
out as I had remembered it, but I didn't remember the giant waterbars
either. I mean LARGE waterbars able to swallow a bike whole. It
sure slows down the downhill. Be careful. Anyway, I reach the lower single
track
section in one piece and notice quite the quail population , so many in
fact that they startle me at one point and I wreck. Top of McCurdy to
highway 1 is 1.7 miles and I do it in under 15 minutes. After taking a
short break with a ' trail treat ' I turn right on Hwy. One and I'm at
the Randall trailhead in what seems like no time at all.
Randall is great, an easy uphill grade, smooth as silk with no waterbars. Much easier than Shafter or McCurdy and I"m back on Bolinas Ridge in 28 minutes. Its the trees-fog-rain scenario again. Soaked and freezing, I turn left and make it to Shafter in no time. Going balls-out downhill I'm back at Shafter bridge in a winzig!
On the BTC difficulty scale I'd rate it a 3. It would have been a 4 plus had I gone DOWN Randall and UP McCurdy. Be advised that this report is through the eyes of a 50 year old, mediocre rider. Your results and experience will most assuredly differ.
Always remember to check http://www.mtnbikehq.com
for the latest valley weather conditions, seismic activity, and solar
flare
reports [ sometimes a little extra sunscreen might be prudent], and trail
conditions.
The information about this ride is provided as a courtesy to the reader and is as current and accurate as possible; however land use policy, weather, acts of god, war and ignorance may make the content incomplete, out of date or just generally useless; so, as trust goes only so far these days, use your brains and your heart before you ride.
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