USS Iowa just visible behind the Ford building, sunrise Christmas Eve.
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Yosemite - Tuolomne Meadows to May Lake trailhead and back
Riding a bicycle on Tioga Pass Road in Yosemite National Park was a bit like riding in a dream. Generally good pavement, stunning scenery, good sight lines and wide curves, it was a great experience. Going in I thought drivers might be distracted, but instead it seemed they were paying more than usual attention to the road and to an unexpected cyclist. I like to think this state of grace was a beneficial side effect of drivers being awed by nature.
Measuring effort with the elevation consistently in the 8,000-plus foot range set me back a couple of gears while climbing, but I was in no hurry for the ride to end so it didn't really matter. A highly, highly recommended bike ride for strong riders comfortable in traffic with no shoulder and confident handling a flat or other common potential mechanical issue. Here's a map of the route.
We camped at the Tuolumne Meadows campground, with online reservations made at recreation.gov website. The campsites are small and packed together, with a long walk to the faucet and bathroom for most, but we felt lucky to have a camping spot in Tuolumne Meadows.
Bears would seem to be a common sight. A mama bear snuck up within a couple of feet of our open bear locker while I was making coffee an arms reach away. She scared the living daylights out of me, but I followed the advice of making myself big and making a lot of noise by banging a frying pan on a rock. Mama bear retreated a few nonplussed steps then sat down to scratch herself while looking around to see if I might provide another shot at the food. She wandered away after a bit and her cub was chased out of the tent cabins a minute later. Over the next half hour we heard evidence of their encounters with many other campers.
The store at Tuolomne Meadows sells snacks and refreshments. There is a water faucet at the entrance to Tuolomne Meadows campground, just west of the stone reservations building, and another faucet NE of the wilderness permit building next to Tuolomne Meadows Lodge. There are bathrooms at each trailhead along Tioga Pass Road, including Sunrise and Tenaya Lake, but I did not see any water faucets. There is a bathroom but no drinking water at the May Lake trailhead.
The side road up to May Lake trailhead is pretty bumpy and pot-holed, with gravel and sand washed across the road in many places on the steeper sections. The uphill was a challenge after only 1 night of acclimation, the recovery sections helped a lot. Downhill I stayed well in control so as to weave a relatively flat and debris-free path.
Temperatures ranging from high 90's in summer to sub-freezing in fall can pose additional challenges. The road is closed for the winter once the snow arrives, usually around mid-October. This ride was in late September, just posting late.
I'm planning on coming back next year and looking into a ride from TM down to the Yosemite Valley and back. Riding a bicycle through Yosemite lets you glide through the sights, sounds, and smells in a way you just can't do either by car or walking.
We hiked up to an un-named lake to the north of May Lake the day after the ride. Here's a terrain map showing the route .
Take the well marked trail up to and around north-east shore of May Lake. At the northernmost point start going cross-country, taking a diagonal route uphill toward the saddle to the north of a prominent rock escarpment, then stay roughly on the 10,200 foot contour around the back side of the spur to a long, thin scenic lake up against a cliff. Didn't see any fish here, but did catch some nice brook trout in May Lake on the way out.
Measuring effort with the elevation consistently in the 8,000-plus foot range set me back a couple of gears while climbing, but I was in no hurry for the ride to end so it didn't really matter. A highly, highly recommended bike ride for strong riders comfortable in traffic with no shoulder and confident handling a flat or other common potential mechanical issue. Here's a map of the route.
We camped at the Tuolumne Meadows campground, with online reservations made at recreation.gov website. The campsites are small and packed together, with a long walk to the faucet and bathroom for most, but we felt lucky to have a camping spot in Tuolumne Meadows.
Bears would seem to be a common sight. A mama bear snuck up within a couple of feet of our open bear locker while I was making coffee an arms reach away. She scared the living daylights out of me, but I followed the advice of making myself big and making a lot of noise by banging a frying pan on a rock. Mama bear retreated a few nonplussed steps then sat down to scratch herself while looking around to see if I might provide another shot at the food. She wandered away after a bit and her cub was chased out of the tent cabins a minute later. Over the next half hour we heard evidence of their encounters with many other campers.
The store at Tuolomne Meadows sells snacks and refreshments. There is a water faucet at the entrance to Tuolomne Meadows campground, just west of the stone reservations building, and another faucet NE of the wilderness permit building next to Tuolomne Meadows Lodge. There are bathrooms at each trailhead along Tioga Pass Road, including Sunrise and Tenaya Lake, but I did not see any water faucets. There is a bathroom but no drinking water at the May Lake trailhead.
The side road up to May Lake trailhead is pretty bumpy and pot-holed, with gravel and sand washed across the road in many places on the steeper sections. The uphill was a challenge after only 1 night of acclimation, the recovery sections helped a lot. Downhill I stayed well in control so as to weave a relatively flat and debris-free path.
Temperatures ranging from high 90's in summer to sub-freezing in fall can pose additional challenges. The road is closed for the winter once the snow arrives, usually around mid-October. This ride was in late September, just posting late.
I'm planning on coming back next year and looking into a ride from TM down to the Yosemite Valley and back. Riding a bicycle through Yosemite lets you glide through the sights, sounds, and smells in a way you just can't do either by car or walking.
We hiked up to an un-named lake to the north of May Lake the day after the ride. Here's a terrain map showing the route .
Take the well marked trail up to and around north-east shore of May Lake. At the northernmost point start going cross-country, taking a diagonal route uphill toward the saddle to the north of a prominent rock escarpment, then stay roughly on the 10,200 foot contour around the back side of the spur to a long, thin scenic lake up against a cliff. Didn't see any fish here, but did catch some nice brook trout in May Lake on the way out.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
San Francisco (Embarcadero BART) to Guerneville and back
New asphalt! Highway 1 along Tomales Bay is getting repaved. Looks like they will do at least 20 miles, from Point Reyes Station up through Tomales. On Labor Day new blacktop was in place from Tomales (mile 45) to just north of Marshall (mile 35.5), with about half of that northbound.
New pavement, lush scenery, great food, and challenging profiles make for great riding in West Marin. Today's 2 routes offer an easy and a hard option to get from BART in San Francisco to the Russian River, and there's plenty more pain available if you want to seek it out.
This northbound Embarcadero BART to Guerneville route is 95 miles with maybe 6,000 feet of climbing. It's definitely no picnic, with Bolinas-Fairfax and Joy Road added to rolling terrain and prevailing headwinds. The first time it may be wise to use a flatter route north and leave harder options for the return.
Elevation profiles in West Marin are downright deceptive. I enjoy climbing something long like the north side of Diablo on a consistent grade where you can get a rhythm, but I always find myself cursing out loud at some point while riding north along the "flat" section by Tomales Bay against the wind. Although the profile looks pretty flat the rollers are nonstop and it's impossible to find a steady rhythm, you're always punching it to get over one more crest. If you are also fighting the wind it's very taxing. The few times I have cramped up on a bike have almost always been on long, windy West Marin rides.
This route ends at Coffee Bazaar on Armstrong Redwoods Road, a good spot for rejuvenation. Guerneville has long been a weekend getaway for San Francisco, and offers a range of lodging ranging from house rentals to motels to camping. We like the Creekside Lodge on Neeley Road when our in-laws place gets too crowded.
This southbound route is about as flat and quick as possible (85 miles, about 4,000 feet), starting at Coffee Bazaar in Guerneville.
The stretch of Highway 1 through Stinson Beach and Muir Beach to Sausalito is a beautiful route but very narrow. A lot of tourists drive it with their eyes on the scenery, so I tend to avoid it on busy weekends.
Some tips on bike friendly sections, organized south to north.
Crossing San Francisco early in the morning you can stay on the waterfront using Jefferson Street to a shoreline path next to the Maritime Museum, or use the bike lane on Northpoint all the way to Van Ness if you don't mind the small incline. Take Van Ness to the water's edge and follow the path up and over the hill, then along the marina and through Crissy Field.
Follow the bike path off Lincoln to the bike lane on the west side of the Golden Gate bridge, then drop through Sausalito to catch the Sausalito-Mill Valley path that traverses the bay shore for a couple of miles east of Mill Valley.
From Corte Madera to Larkspur a bike path by the freeway connects Lomita Drive to Meadowsweet Drive with very little climbing. Camino Alto does more climbing but the consistent grade, decent shade, and nice scenery make it worth the effort.
Check the map for the bike routes that parallel Sir Francis Drake Boulevard from Larkspur through Fairfax, there's many zigs and zags. Be aware that Sausalito, Larkspur, Ross and other towns along this heavily used bike route tend to care more than average about cyclists running stop signs.
On the northbound map, Bolinas-Fairfax (or Bofax) Road rolls up and down through some secluded and scenic woodland alongside Lake Alpine. The road meanders up and down for a long while, then after crossing the dam at the end of the lake the road turns sharply right and tilts uphill for a long, grinding climb. Lots of shade, and recovery sections following the steepest parts take the edge off this hard climb. Watch out for bumpy pavement around the corners on the downhill after the saddle. There's not much traffic but any vehicles tend to use the whole road so keep your ears open.
On the southbound map, San Geronimo Valley Road is a relatively well shaded 2 1/2 mile alternate to Sir Francis Drake Boulevard between Woodacre and the hill. It is not as level as the main road, but there is less traffic, some shade, and quiet.
A key discovery for me has been the full length of the Sir Francis Drake bikeway - a mixed dirt and paved path with the eastern end at a footbridge on the north side of the road about 1/2 mile west of Lagunitas. On the map Park Road running out of Lagunitas should connect to the trail, but there's a chain link fence blocking the access as of Labor Day 2010 so you still need to take SFDB through the first narrow, winding section with no shoulder. The first 3 miles or so of the trail are dirt fire road, but after you cross the bridge into the campgrounds it's paved to the end.
Platform Bridge Road is a slightly longer way to ride to Point Reyes Station versus going over the hill to Olema and along Highway 1, but there's much less traffic.
Smooth and wide Mesa Road in Point Reyes Station takes you around the back side of town, bypassing over a mile of highway.
Heading west out of Tomales on Dillon Beach Road then north on Middle Road adds a bit of climbing versus staying on Highway 1 with much less traffic. At the north end of Middle Road the Marsh Road spur is little-used and saves about half a mile on the highway. Coming home, southbound the climb out of Valley Ford on Middle Road is steep and hot but mercifully short. The grade is mellow on the southern section until the 100 yards before Dillon Beach Road.
The Joy Road climb is steepest near the bottom, but it is shaded most of the way up. Bohemian Highway is a much easier option up to Occidental but gets more traffic and sun, and has virtually no shoulder.
After the descent from Occidental continue straight on Main Street into Monte Rio, it is wider and straighter than the stretch of Bohemian Highway on the right (east) side of Dutch Bill Creek.
My favorite food stops out here include Bovine Bakery in Point Reyes Station (vegan whole wheat scone, pizza slices), Tomales Bakery (mini-pizza/focaccia, oat cakes, coconut-chocolate-pecan bar), Wild Flour Bakery in Freestone (double chocolate espresso scone), Marshall store (oysters!), and Fairfax ice cream shop. Stinson Beach, Point Reyes, Tomales, Valley Ford, Freestone, Occidental, Lagunitas, Olema, Woodacre, Fairfax, and Marshall all have little stores for drinks and snacks.
There's a water fountain in the park by the stop sign in Stinson Beach. In Point Reyes I fill up my water bottles at the bakery, fire station, or a faucet on the NE corner of the bakery building near the phone booth. I've seen a sign for public restrooms pointing south down Mesa Road but I haven't tried them. Other bathrooms along the way included Mill Valley Community Center and Samuel P Taylor park, both next to the path, and Bear Valley Visitor Center near Olema about 1 mile west of Hwy 1.
New pavement, lush scenery, great food, and challenging profiles make for great riding in West Marin. Today's 2 routes offer an easy and a hard option to get from BART in San Francisco to the Russian River, and there's plenty more pain available if you want to seek it out.
This northbound Embarcadero BART to Guerneville route is 95 miles with maybe 6,000 feet of climbing. It's definitely no picnic, with Bolinas-Fairfax and Joy Road added to rolling terrain and prevailing headwinds. The first time it may be wise to use a flatter route north and leave harder options for the return.
Elevation profiles in West Marin are downright deceptive. I enjoy climbing something long like the north side of Diablo on a consistent grade where you can get a rhythm, but I always find myself cursing out loud at some point while riding north along the "flat" section by Tomales Bay against the wind. Although the profile looks pretty flat the rollers are nonstop and it's impossible to find a steady rhythm, you're always punching it to get over one more crest. If you are also fighting the wind it's very taxing. The few times I have cramped up on a bike have almost always been on long, windy West Marin rides.
This route ends at Coffee Bazaar on Armstrong Redwoods Road, a good spot for rejuvenation. Guerneville has long been a weekend getaway for San Francisco, and offers a range of lodging ranging from house rentals to motels to camping. We like the Creekside Lodge on Neeley Road when our in-laws place gets too crowded.
This southbound route is about as flat and quick as possible (85 miles, about 4,000 feet), starting at Coffee Bazaar in Guerneville.
The stretch of Highway 1 through Stinson Beach and Muir Beach to Sausalito is a beautiful route but very narrow. A lot of tourists drive it with their eyes on the scenery, so I tend to avoid it on busy weekends.
Some tips on bike friendly sections, organized south to north.
Crossing San Francisco early in the morning you can stay on the waterfront using Jefferson Street to a shoreline path next to the Maritime Museum, or use the bike lane on Northpoint all the way to Van Ness if you don't mind the small incline. Take Van Ness to the water's edge and follow the path up and over the hill, then along the marina and through Crissy Field.
Follow the bike path off Lincoln to the bike lane on the west side of the Golden Gate bridge, then drop through Sausalito to catch the Sausalito-Mill Valley path that traverses the bay shore for a couple of miles east of Mill Valley.
From Corte Madera to Larkspur a bike path by the freeway connects Lomita Drive to Meadowsweet Drive with very little climbing. Camino Alto does more climbing but the consistent grade, decent shade, and nice scenery make it worth the effort.
Check the map for the bike routes that parallel Sir Francis Drake Boulevard from Larkspur through Fairfax, there's many zigs and zags. Be aware that Sausalito, Larkspur, Ross and other towns along this heavily used bike route tend to care more than average about cyclists running stop signs.
On the northbound map, Bolinas-Fairfax (or Bofax) Road rolls up and down through some secluded and scenic woodland alongside Lake Alpine. The road meanders up and down for a long while, then after crossing the dam at the end of the lake the road turns sharply right and tilts uphill for a long, grinding climb. Lots of shade, and recovery sections following the steepest parts take the edge off this hard climb. Watch out for bumpy pavement around the corners on the downhill after the saddle. There's not much traffic but any vehicles tend to use the whole road so keep your ears open.
On the southbound map, San Geronimo Valley Road is a relatively well shaded 2 1/2 mile alternate to Sir Francis Drake Boulevard between Woodacre and the hill. It is not as level as the main road, but there is less traffic, some shade, and quiet.
A key discovery for me has been the full length of the Sir Francis Drake bikeway - a mixed dirt and paved path with the eastern end at a footbridge on the north side of the road about 1/2 mile west of Lagunitas. On the map Park Road running out of Lagunitas should connect to the trail, but there's a chain link fence blocking the access as of Labor Day 2010 so you still need to take SFDB through the first narrow, winding section with no shoulder. The first 3 miles or so of the trail are dirt fire road, but after you cross the bridge into the campgrounds it's paved to the end.
Platform Bridge Road is a slightly longer way to ride to Point Reyes Station versus going over the hill to Olema and along Highway 1, but there's much less traffic.
Smooth and wide Mesa Road in Point Reyes Station takes you around the back side of town, bypassing over a mile of highway.
Heading west out of Tomales on Dillon Beach Road then north on Middle Road adds a bit of climbing versus staying on Highway 1 with much less traffic. At the north end of Middle Road the Marsh Road spur is little-used and saves about half a mile on the highway. Coming home, southbound the climb out of Valley Ford on Middle Road is steep and hot but mercifully short. The grade is mellow on the southern section until the 100 yards before Dillon Beach Road.
The Joy Road climb is steepest near the bottom, but it is shaded most of the way up. Bohemian Highway is a much easier option up to Occidental but gets more traffic and sun, and has virtually no shoulder.
After the descent from Occidental continue straight on Main Street into Monte Rio, it is wider and straighter than the stretch of Bohemian Highway on the right (east) side of Dutch Bill Creek.
My favorite food stops out here include Bovine Bakery in Point Reyes Station (vegan whole wheat scone, pizza slices), Tomales Bakery (mini-pizza/focaccia, oat cakes, coconut-chocolate-pecan bar), Wild Flour Bakery in Freestone (double chocolate espresso scone), Marshall store (oysters!), and Fairfax ice cream shop. Stinson Beach, Point Reyes, Tomales, Valley Ford, Freestone, Occidental, Lagunitas, Olema, Woodacre, Fairfax, and Marshall all have little stores for drinks and snacks.
There's a water fountain in the park by the stop sign in Stinson Beach. In Point Reyes I fill up my water bottles at the bakery, fire station, or a faucet on the NE corner of the bakery building near the phone booth. I've seen a sign for public restrooms pointing south down Mesa Road but I haven't tried them. Other bathrooms along the way included Mill Valley Community Center and Samuel P Taylor park, both next to the path, and Bear Valley Visitor Center near Olema about 1 mile west of Hwy 1.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Albany Bicycle Master Plan walk-in workshop - Sept. 14th, 4-8pm, 1249 Marin Ave
The Pedestrian Master Plan and the update to the Bicycle Master Plan are currently ongoing and the City needs your input on ideas for making Albany a more bicycle and pedestrian-friendly City. Please attend an informative walk-in workshop on existing pedestrian and cycling conditions where you will have an opportunity to voice your concerns and generate ideas to enhance the pedestrian and cycling environment. Here are the details:
When: Tuesday, September 14
Where: Recreation and Community Services-Main Hall at 1249 Marin Avenue.
Time: Walk in format from 4 to 8 PM.
For more information contact:
Aleida Andrino-Chavez
achavez@albanyca.org
528-5759
When: Tuesday, September 14
Where: Recreation and Community Services-Main Hall at 1249 Marin Avenue.
Time: Walk in format from 4 to 8 PM.
For more information contact:
Aleida Andrino-Chavez
achavez@albanyca.org
528-5759
Aleida Andrino-Chavez
Transportation Planner
City of Albany
1000 San Pablo Avenue
Albany, CA 94706
Ph: (510) 528-5759
Fax: (510) 524-9359
Transportation Planner
City of Albany
1000 San Pablo Avenue
Albany, CA 94706
Ph: (510) 528-5759
Fax: (510) 524-9359
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Alhambra Valley, Morgan Territory, Tassajara, Wildcat Canyon loop - access from EC, WC, Concord, Dublin, Lafayette BART
This 90+ mile loop (approx. 5,000 feet climbing) takes in remote and scenic Morgan Territory Road on the back side of Mount Diablo. You can access the route from BART stations in El Cerrito, Walnut Creek, Concord, Dublin, Lafayette, Orinda and Berkeley. Here's a map of the route.
Morgan Territory is one of my favorite roads in the Bay Area. Don't get to see it much because going around the back side of Mount Diablo is a big commitment from the East Bay.
If you are leaving from El Cerrito you want to get an early start. If it's hot in Walnut Creek it will be scorching on Diablo, and there's no shade for 20+ miles from the top of Morgan Territory into Danville.
My day starts with a nice flat warmup out through El Sobrante. If it's early take San Pablo Avenue to McBryde as there's little traffic before 7 am on a weekend and it's a nice smooth ride.
Once we get over the hill on Castro Ranch Road we follow a creek up a valley of sun-parched golden grasslands and old gnarly oaks casting oases of shade. It's a mellow incline all the way to Bear Creek Road, then it stiffens by the ostrich farm until the road pitches up at Pig Farm hill. This is a short, brutish climb from the west side.
The second, longer steep section is around the curve.
You can't really avoid going in the red, but save what you can for later in the day since Morgan Territory and Wildcat come at 40 and 80 miles. The run down the other side is fast, we skirt Martinez and Pleasant Hill into Walnut Creek.
Water fountain in front of the Larkey swim center if you need it. In back of the center a bike/hike trail heads southwest up to Acalanes Ridge open space, that's for another day. We continue east on 1st street to catch the Contra Costa Canal Trail. Although it's congested with runners and other users I think it is one of the better options for non-locals to cross Walnut Creek from the northeast to the west since there's really not much room for bikes on the main roads through town.
We peel of our warmers for an exposed section up Ygnacio Valley Road. This is a grim but efficient route. With a bit more time I'd try Canal trail east to the end, then catching the California Riding & Hiking trail to Newhall Park. I did this once before but got waylaid by goats-head thorns, leaving at least 7 holes in my tires. I got lucky, a local stopped to give me a second tube and then led me to the local bike shop, but if you see those darn things give them a wide berth unless you're on some kind of armored tire.
Pine Hollow Road is a quiet and smooth alternate to busy Clayton Road. We stop to fill our water bottles in the park at the intersection of Marsh Creek Road and Main Street, one block off Clayton Road. This is just about the last opportunity for water for a hot 25+ miles so don't forget.
Clayton Road climbs up to a low pass at Divide Reservoir, then drops down a long hill. Morgan Territory Road takes off to the right at the bottom. The first 3 1/2 miles are fast rolling through old ranches and new ranchettes. Then the road narrows, from here it slowly gets rougher and steeper for 6 1/2 miles of fairly well shaded stair-step climbing. I first learned of this ride from a short but sweet ride list on an obscure UC Berkeley computer-nerd website (International Netrek League?), where the description and this picture hooked me.
Photo credit www.inl.org I've done pretty much all the roads on that list except the main section of Tunitas Creek, and (fingers crossed) that one is coming up in 2 weeks.
After Morgan Territory Road narrows there's virtually no traffic. I saw about a half-dozen cars total in 2 times climbing it. Did see a tarantula the size of a salad plate that spooked the living daylights out of me near the bottom, and a four to five foot snake slithering into my path on a slow, steep hairpin which accelerated my already racing pulse up another notch.
The first four miles of this uphill are classic stair steps, a steady diet of 2 or 3 steep hairpins followed by a flatter recovery section. You can maintain a good pace by attacking the steep bits. But, be aware, around mile 7 the conveyor belt of short steeps is broken by a section of 8 or 10 hairpins with the steepest grades yet. Heart attack time. After that it flattens out again until the parking lot around mile 9, then there's a last couple of short steep pitches before the climbing is all over around mile 10. It's been dry as a bone both times I've gone, but I don't carry a camera and all the pretty pictures I can find online are from spring.
Photo credit Rene Rivers
As long as you don't tangle with the few cars the downhill is awesome. Long sight-lines so you know what's coming, high speeds, and challenging corners near the top that smooth out as you descend into twisty sections through the trees. After a right turn on Manning and 20 minutes into the wind through hot, open country on Highland Road, Dublin BART is about 5 or 6 miles off to our left at the intersection with Tassajara Road.
After the right on Tassajara it's hot with no shade, but the grade is not bad and it's still fairly scenic. We stop for water at Diablo Vista School and sit for a snack in the deep shade across the road on gated Hansen Lane. Tassajara continues slightly downhill and we make good time in the heat. The road pinches at Crow Canyon and the bike lane is shunted onto the sidewalk for a quarter-block on the north side of the intersection before rejoining the shoulder. Strange routing, but the rest of the way along Tassajara the shoulder is wide so maybe it's a fair trade.
A left on Sycamore Valley Road to Iron Horse Trail gets you into Danville, or you can continue on Tassajara to a left on Diablo Road. There's a Peets in Danville at Railroad Avenue, just 1 block from where Iron Horse Trail hits Danville Boulevard.
San Ramon Valley Boulevard is a false flat going slightly downhill but your speed is generally limited by the countervailing wind. Depending on traffic I sometimes take a left on Las Trampas to use the Iron Horse bike path to bypass downtown Alamo, rejoining SRV Boulevard at Ridgewood.
Today we use the flat and relatively safer Castle Hill - Lancaster - Lilac - Newell route rather than the shorter Hillgrade - Tice Valley option.
Through Lafayette we take a back route on Brook Street to avoid a couple of tight, congested blocks near the Safeway. Peets and Noahs Bagels are next to the Safeway if you need refreshments, and Lafayette BART is 2 blocks off our route. Most days I'd take the Half-Happy option back to Orinda, but I'm tired and instead opt for the easiest bike route from Lafayette to Orinda: up Mount Diablo Boulevard to Hidden Valley to the St Stephens path. Stop for water in town if you need it, there's nothing from Camino Pablo in Orinda until you are over Wildcat.
Wildcat Canyon Road is my backyard climb, and I leverage my experience to cajole my cramping legs up the the steep sections near the bottom. After the turnoff for El Toyonal it starts to ease and before long I'm at the top layering up for a last plunge back down into foggy Albany/El Cerrito. Awesome day, I wish Morgan Territory Road was just a bit closer because I could get used to the solitude and scenery.
Morgan Territory is one of my favorite roads in the Bay Area. Don't get to see it much because going around the back side of Mount Diablo is a big commitment from the East Bay.
If you are leaving from El Cerrito you want to get an early start. If it's hot in Walnut Creek it will be scorching on Diablo, and there's no shade for 20+ miles from the top of Morgan Territory into Danville.
My day starts with a nice flat warmup out through El Sobrante. If it's early take San Pablo Avenue to McBryde as there's little traffic before 7 am on a weekend and it's a nice smooth ride.
Once we get over the hill on Castro Ranch Road we follow a creek up a valley of sun-parched golden grasslands and old gnarly oaks casting oases of shade. It's a mellow incline all the way to Bear Creek Road, then it stiffens by the ostrich farm until the road pitches up at Pig Farm hill. This is a short, brutish climb from the west side.
The second, longer steep section is around the curve.
You can't really avoid going in the red, but save what you can for later in the day since Morgan Territory and Wildcat come at 40 and 80 miles. The run down the other side is fast, we skirt Martinez and Pleasant Hill into Walnut Creek.
Water fountain in front of the Larkey swim center if you need it. In back of the center a bike/hike trail heads southwest up to Acalanes Ridge open space, that's for another day. We continue east on 1st street to catch the Contra Costa Canal Trail. Although it's congested with runners and other users I think it is one of the better options for non-locals to cross Walnut Creek from the northeast to the west since there's really not much room for bikes on the main roads through town.
We peel of our warmers for an exposed section up Ygnacio Valley Road. This is a grim but efficient route. With a bit more time I'd try Canal trail east to the end, then catching the California Riding & Hiking trail to Newhall Park. I did this once before but got waylaid by goats-head thorns, leaving at least 7 holes in my tires. I got lucky, a local stopped to give me a second tube and then led me to the local bike shop, but if you see those darn things give them a wide berth unless you're on some kind of armored tire.
Clayton Road climbs up to a low pass at Divide Reservoir, then drops down a long hill. Morgan Territory Road takes off to the right at the bottom. The first 3 1/2 miles are fast rolling through old ranches and new ranchettes. Then the road narrows, from here it slowly gets rougher and steeper for 6 1/2 miles of fairly well shaded stair-step climbing. I first learned of this ride from a short but sweet ride list on an obscure UC Berkeley computer-nerd website (International Netrek League?), where the description and this picture hooked me.
Photo credit www.inl.org I've done pretty much all the roads on that list except the main section of Tunitas Creek, and (fingers crossed) that one is coming up in 2 weeks.
After Morgan Territory Road narrows there's virtually no traffic. I saw about a half-dozen cars total in 2 times climbing it. Did see a tarantula the size of a salad plate that spooked the living daylights out of me near the bottom, and a four to five foot snake slithering into my path on a slow, steep hairpin which accelerated my already racing pulse up another notch.
The first four miles of this uphill are classic stair steps, a steady diet of 2 or 3 steep hairpins followed by a flatter recovery section. You can maintain a good pace by attacking the steep bits. But, be aware, around mile 7 the conveyor belt of short steeps is broken by a section of 8 or 10 hairpins with the steepest grades yet. Heart attack time. After that it flattens out again until the parking lot around mile 9, then there's a last couple of short steep pitches before the climbing is all over around mile 10. It's been dry as a bone both times I've gone, but I don't carry a camera and all the pretty pictures I can find online are from spring.
Photo credit Rene Rivers
As long as you don't tangle with the few cars the downhill is awesome. Long sight-lines so you know what's coming, high speeds, and challenging corners near the top that smooth out as you descend into twisty sections through the trees. After a right turn on Manning and 20 minutes into the wind through hot, open country on Highland Road, Dublin BART is about 5 or 6 miles off to our left at the intersection with Tassajara Road.
After the right on Tassajara it's hot with no shade, but the grade is not bad and it's still fairly scenic. We stop for water at Diablo Vista School and sit for a snack in the deep shade across the road on gated Hansen Lane. Tassajara continues slightly downhill and we make good time in the heat. The road pinches at Crow Canyon and the bike lane is shunted onto the sidewalk for a quarter-block on the north side of the intersection before rejoining the shoulder. Strange routing, but the rest of the way along Tassajara the shoulder is wide so maybe it's a fair trade.
A left on Sycamore Valley Road to Iron Horse Trail gets you into Danville, or you can continue on Tassajara to a left on Diablo Road. There's a Peets in Danville at Railroad Avenue, just 1 block from where Iron Horse Trail hits Danville Boulevard.
San Ramon Valley Boulevard is a false flat going slightly downhill but your speed is generally limited by the countervailing wind. Depending on traffic I sometimes take a left on Las Trampas to use the Iron Horse bike path to bypass downtown Alamo, rejoining SRV Boulevard at Ridgewood.
Today we use the flat and relatively safer Castle Hill - Lancaster - Lilac - Newell route rather than the shorter Hillgrade - Tice Valley option.
Through Lafayette we take a back route on Brook Street to avoid a couple of tight, congested blocks near the Safeway. Peets and Noahs Bagels are next to the Safeway if you need refreshments, and Lafayette BART is 2 blocks off our route. Most days I'd take the Half-Happy option back to Orinda, but I'm tired and instead opt for the easiest bike route from Lafayette to Orinda: up Mount Diablo Boulevard to Hidden Valley to the St Stephens path. Stop for water in town if you need it, there's nothing from Camino Pablo in Orinda until you are over Wildcat.
Wildcat Canyon Road is my backyard climb, and I leverage my experience to cajole my cramping legs up the the steep sections near the bottom. After the turnoff for El Toyonal it starts to ease and before long I'm at the top layering up for a last plunge back down into foggy Albany/El Cerrito. Awesome day, I wish Morgan Territory Road was just a bit closer because I could get used to the solitude and scenery.
Monday, August 9, 2010
Tour de BART - El Cerrito - Butters Canyon - Redwood - Palomares - Fremont - Alameda Creek Trail - Bay Trail loop
Highlights of this long loop around the East Bay hills and the bay shore include low traffic, scenery and long segments with no stop signs or lights. Route includes remote Redwood Road, rustic Palomares Road, bike trails across Fremont and Union City, and a long return up the Bay Trail with waves breaking so close you have to dodge the spray in a few places.
Here's a map of the route. Unfortunately the mapmyride elevation profiler stopped displaying for me a couple days ago so I can't show the climbing, but it's all mellow grades maxing out around 6% and the route is very front-loaded, with all the climbing done by halfway. Hope they have the profiler fixed soon.
Map image copyright Terra Metrics, by way of Mapmyride.com
There's convenient BART access in many places, passing near El Cerrito, Berkeley, Ashby, Castro Valley, Fremont, South Hayward, San Leandro, Fruitvale, and West Oakland stations. Carry tools, food, water and a patch kit since you'll be on your own for quite a while for some stretches.
Riding the Bay Trail at a decent pace in strong wind on gravel and dirt is challenging, it may be flat but it is definitely not a recovery ride. It felt comfortable pushing relatively fast on the gravel since there's hardly anyone out here and you can see miles ahead, it would be very difficult to run into someone unexpectedly.
You can access the bottom of Butters Road from a foot/bike path just to the east of the Highway 13 off-ramp after you cross the overpass.
Crossing Castro Valley southbound I used Proctor, Rockhurst, and Seaview to a trail off Nash Court that connects to Columbia Drive and passes swimming and fishing facilities in Cull Canyon recreation area. Bay Trees park at the bottom of Cull Canyon has a good bathroom with running water.
At the bottom of Niles Canyon I took a left onto Old Canyon Road and joined the paved Alameda Creek Trail bike path which goes under Mission Boulevard. Even on a Sunday this was pretty fast riding, with nice scenery along the creek bed. Birds seen today included snowy egrets and white egrets.
I used Decoto to cross to the gravel path on the north side of Alameda Creek Trail. Pavement resumed after about 1/4 mile. Using Arizona Street to the bike trail next to Niles was very convenient, and it was great being out of traffic.
After riding the bike lane on Niles for a long block turn right on Tidewater ("no outlet") and go straight several blocks until it veers left at a small kids park. The path along the east side of the park goes through a gate to access the paved bike trail. If you access the trail earlier at the railroad tracks you'll ride a few blocks of gravel. You'll have to do a right and a u-turn at Whipple to cross.
There's a nice bike bridge over Highway 92 taking the Bay Trail from Salt Way. The Interpretive Center by the San Mateo bridge is a great stop. Clean cold water from the fountain out front, and if they are open you can buy sodas and snack bars inside plus there's bathrooms. A lot of derelict infrastructure around here from salt harvesting. This place is a photographer's playground - whether you like birds, flat land and seascapes, decaying industrial facilities juxtaposed against wilderness, or abstracts there's something for everyone. Shooting around dawn or dusk or on an overcast day with the right light it's a magical combination.
Salt flats from the air - caribb Making salt is a slow process. They flood a flat field with saltwater, seal it off, and let the sun slowly evaporate the water to leave a crust of salt crystals. The dirty salt is scraped up and used rough or cleaned up, depending on the market. The red color reminds me of the red salt ponds near Salt Pond park on Kauai
Old pilings - damada2
HDR effects - damada2
I got an adrenaline surge crossing a narrow wooden bridge over an inlet. I was focused on my line and all I could see was planks over opaque, swirling water and I got this spooky feeling of racing across a string of wood trying to reach dry land before getting inundated. Your mileage may vary.
Photo size8jeans
Bathrooms and water where Neptune Drive runs into the San Leandro Marina. Turning left from Marina onto Neptune is odd, I think you are not supposed to go left but instead have to go down the block and do a U-turn.
Going uphill to the right at the entrance to Oyster Bay park leads to trails with with lots of loose gravel and you eventually approach the bridge from the east. Next time I'll check out the paved trail that heads south-west to wind around the park and approach the bridge from the west.
Where East 7th street appears to dead end at 29th go straight across 29th using the crosswalk on the west side of 7th and take the path under the overpass, then continue straight on 7th towards the traffic lights. Next time I may check out Kennedy to Park Street bridge to see how that works instead.
Mandela Parkway has a good bike lane and is a nice way to get from Jack London Square in Oakland to Emeryville.
With all the climbing at the start and the low-traffic routing this is a relaxing long day's ride from Berkeley area. If I was starting from Fremont I'd probably do the loop in reverse to take care of the climbing early in the ride while it's still cool out.
Here's a map of the route. Unfortunately the mapmyride elevation profiler stopped displaying for me a couple days ago so I can't show the climbing, but it's all mellow grades maxing out around 6% and the route is very front-loaded, with all the climbing done by halfway. Hope they have the profiler fixed soon.
Map image copyright Terra Metrics, by way of Mapmyride.com
There's convenient BART access in many places, passing near El Cerrito, Berkeley, Ashby, Castro Valley, Fremont, South Hayward, San Leandro, Fruitvale, and West Oakland stations. Carry tools, food, water and a patch kit since you'll be on your own for quite a while for some stretches.
Riding the Bay Trail at a decent pace in strong wind on gravel and dirt is challenging, it may be flat but it is definitely not a recovery ride. It felt comfortable pushing relatively fast on the gravel since there's hardly anyone out here and you can see miles ahead, it would be very difficult to run into someone unexpectedly.
You can access the bottom of Butters Road from a foot/bike path just to the east of the Highway 13 off-ramp after you cross the overpass.
Crossing Castro Valley southbound I used Proctor, Rockhurst, and Seaview to a trail off Nash Court that connects to Columbia Drive and passes swimming and fishing facilities in Cull Canyon recreation area. Bay Trees park at the bottom of Cull Canyon has a good bathroom with running water.
At the bottom of Niles Canyon I took a left onto Old Canyon Road and joined the paved Alameda Creek Trail bike path which goes under Mission Boulevard. Even on a Sunday this was pretty fast riding, with nice scenery along the creek bed. Birds seen today included snowy egrets and white egrets.
I used Decoto to cross to the gravel path on the north side of Alameda Creek Trail. Pavement resumed after about 1/4 mile. Using Arizona Street to the bike trail next to Niles was very convenient, and it was great being out of traffic.
After riding the bike lane on Niles for a long block turn right on Tidewater ("no outlet") and go straight several blocks until it veers left at a small kids park. The path along the east side of the park goes through a gate to access the paved bike trail. If you access the trail earlier at the railroad tracks you'll ride a few blocks of gravel. You'll have to do a right and a u-turn at Whipple to cross.
There's a nice bike bridge over Highway 92 taking the Bay Trail from Salt Way. The Interpretive Center by the San Mateo bridge is a great stop. Clean cold water from the fountain out front, and if they are open you can buy sodas and snack bars inside plus there's bathrooms. A lot of derelict infrastructure around here from salt harvesting. This place is a photographer's playground - whether you like birds, flat land and seascapes, decaying industrial facilities juxtaposed against wilderness, or abstracts there's something for everyone. Shooting around dawn or dusk or on an overcast day with the right light it's a magical combination.
Salt flats from the air - caribb Making salt is a slow process. They flood a flat field with saltwater, seal it off, and let the sun slowly evaporate the water to leave a crust of salt crystals. The dirty salt is scraped up and used rough or cleaned up, depending on the market. The red color reminds me of the red salt ponds near Salt Pond park on Kauai
Old pilings - damada2
HDR effects - damada2
I got an adrenaline surge crossing a narrow wooden bridge over an inlet. I was focused on my line and all I could see was planks over opaque, swirling water and I got this spooky feeling of racing across a string of wood trying to reach dry land before getting inundated. Your mileage may vary.
Photo size8jeans
Bathrooms and water where Neptune Drive runs into the San Leandro Marina. Turning left from Marina onto Neptune is odd, I think you are not supposed to go left but instead have to go down the block and do a U-turn.
Going uphill to the right at the entrance to Oyster Bay park leads to trails with with lots of loose gravel and you eventually approach the bridge from the east. Next time I'll check out the paved trail that heads south-west to wind around the park and approach the bridge from the west.
Where East 7th street appears to dead end at 29th go straight across 29th using the crosswalk on the west side of 7th and take the path under the overpass, then continue straight on 7th towards the traffic lights. Next time I may check out Kennedy to Park Street bridge to see how that works instead.
Mandela Parkway has a good bike lane and is a nice way to get from Jack London Square in Oakland to Emeryville.
With all the climbing at the start and the low-traffic routing this is a relaxing long day's ride from Berkeley area. If I was starting from Fremont I'd probably do the loop in reverse to take care of the climbing early in the ride while it's still cool out.
Monday, August 2, 2010
Geysers Road - Dry Creek loop, Sonoma County
We stayed the weekend at the KOA up between Healdsburg and Cloverdale. The kids enjoyed the pool and biking around the campground. If you go there Google maps had the road incorrectly named Koe Road when it should be Asti Ridge Road or KOA Road.
Geysers Road is a long and remote ride, carry basic tools and some extra water. Here's a map of the route.
There's plenty of other descriptions of The Geysers loop out there, but there's a couple things I did not remember reading before I rode.
First is that Geysers Road includes gravel sections. You hit the first patch just after the turnoff for Pine Flat, and I thought for a bit that I must be on the wrong road. The first stretch is one of the longest, the rest range from about 100 to 300 yards. There's maybe 6 to 10 gravel sections on the route up from Cloverdale to Geysers Resort Road and 2 or 3 of them on the way from there back to Healdsburg. There did not seem to be rhyme or reason for them, some were downhill, a couple uphill, and others flat. A couple butted up against some pretty darn good pavement that would go for 1/3 mile before returning to the rougher old surface. At least all of them had a "Loose Gravel" warning sign. The only reference I could find was to regular seismic activity causing cracked roads, perhaps the gravel is where faults cross a road?
It seemed like Geysers Road has more than it's share of cattle grates, especially on the way down. You can't miss them. Unfortunately.
The last thing to note was the lack of options for water once I returned to the valley. There was a general store on Alexander Valley Road about a mile or two after the 128 intersection, and there's a campground where the road crosses the river that could have water. Didn't see anything other than wine tasting options until another general store at the corner of Lambert Bridge Road. Probably should have continued into Healdsburg for refreshments then taken Dry Creek to Lamber Bridge Road, or Westside Road to West Dry Creek.
The riding was good in the morning, with some great scenery along the creek riding up from Cloverdale. It looked like you could get to the river for a swim where the bridge crosses the road about 10 miles up. The grade is a bit steeper after the bridge, but still very manageable. I was able to stay mostly in the shade by using the full road.
The road ramps right up after the right turn at Geysers Resort Road. Get in a good gear because it's about 1 1/2 miles of mostly exposed steeps before it eases up significantly. There were a couple of spots where you can catch your breath, but not many. The road continues up on a mellow grade for a mile or two before a gated fire-road climbs up to Geyser Peak on your right at around 2,650 feet elevation, then there's a long downhill followed by a moderate climb.
After the run down from the hills and across the sun-baked valley West Dry Creek Road offered some welcome shade. There's a "No Outlet" sign at the intersection with Joachim Bridge Road. I'd wager the sign is wrong but I was late getting back to the campground and couldn't afford to double back at a dead end so I headed back over to Dry Creek Road.
The chateaus and villas were beautiful but it all felt rather exclusive and oriented to one type of visitor. Also was hard to stop thinking of all the people tasting their wine and then getting back behind the wheel of their cars. I liked the Geysers Road climbing alright, but was not so fond of riding in the valley.
Geysers Road is a long and remote ride, carry basic tools and some extra water. Here's a map of the route.
There's plenty of other descriptions of The Geysers loop out there, but there's a couple things I did not remember reading before I rode.
First is that Geysers Road includes gravel sections. You hit the first patch just after the turnoff for Pine Flat, and I thought for a bit that I must be on the wrong road. The first stretch is one of the longest, the rest range from about 100 to 300 yards. There's maybe 6 to 10 gravel sections on the route up from Cloverdale to Geysers Resort Road and 2 or 3 of them on the way from there back to Healdsburg. There did not seem to be rhyme or reason for them, some were downhill, a couple uphill, and others flat. A couple butted up against some pretty darn good pavement that would go for 1/3 mile before returning to the rougher old surface. At least all of them had a "Loose Gravel" warning sign. The only reference I could find was to regular seismic activity causing cracked roads, perhaps the gravel is where faults cross a road?
It seemed like Geysers Road has more than it's share of cattle grates, especially on the way down. You can't miss them. Unfortunately.
The last thing to note was the lack of options for water once I returned to the valley. There was a general store on Alexander Valley Road about a mile or two after the 128 intersection, and there's a campground where the road crosses the river that could have water. Didn't see anything other than wine tasting options until another general store at the corner of Lambert Bridge Road. Probably should have continued into Healdsburg for refreshments then taken Dry Creek to Lamber Bridge Road, or Westside Road to West Dry Creek.
The riding was good in the morning, with some great scenery along the creek riding up from Cloverdale. It looked like you could get to the river for a swim where the bridge crosses the road about 10 miles up. The grade is a bit steeper after the bridge, but still very manageable. I was able to stay mostly in the shade by using the full road.
The road ramps right up after the right turn at Geysers Resort Road. Get in a good gear because it's about 1 1/2 miles of mostly exposed steeps before it eases up significantly. There were a couple of spots where you can catch your breath, but not many. The road continues up on a mellow grade for a mile or two before a gated fire-road climbs up to Geyser Peak on your right at around 2,650 feet elevation, then there's a long downhill followed by a moderate climb.
After the run down from the hills and across the sun-baked valley West Dry Creek Road offered some welcome shade. There's a "No Outlet" sign at the intersection with Joachim Bridge Road. I'd wager the sign is wrong but I was late getting back to the campground and couldn't afford to double back at a dead end so I headed back over to Dry Creek Road.
The chateaus and villas were beautiful but it all felt rather exclusive and oriented to one type of visitor. Also was hard to stop thinking of all the people tasting their wine and then getting back behind the wheel of their cars. I liked the Geysers Road climbing alright, but was not so fond of riding in the valley.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)