Fairfax to Bolinas

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Today’s club ride meets up at the parking lot of the defunct Albertson’s on Center St in Fairfax. There is ample parking; no water or restrooms are available at the start.

We head out on Center St/Broadway to Olema Rd and Sir Francis Drake Blvd (SFDB). The first climb of the day is up and over White’s Hill.

We drop down SFDB and roll along the flats while passing through Spirit Rock and the San Geronimo Golf Course. The road going from Lagunitas to Samuel P Taylor Park is awfully bumpy and in very poor condition. We turn into the park and ride along the bike path. Restrooms and water are available near the campgrounds.

After exiting the park, we climb up Olema Hill. There is a regroup in Olema. There is a market, some little boutiques, a B&B and several restaurants in the area.

For the next 8.8 miles, we’re on rolling terrain heading south on Hwy 1.

We take the right turn on Horseshoe Hill Rd after passing Dogtown. It’s really easy to miss if you’re not looking for it. We continue straight on Olema Bolinas Rd.

We reach our destination lunch stop in Bolinas and head over to the Wharf. Sandwiches can be purchased at the Bolinas Market. Water and restrooms are available at the Bolinas Community Center. Do take the chance to ride to the end of the road. You get great views and can see the confluence of the ocean and bay flowing into the lagoon.

After lunch, we exit town and head back on Olema Bolinas Rd for the next two miles. It’s a flat ride over to Hwy 1.

We cross Hwy 1 to Bolinas Fairfax Rd. There is no signage for this road. The climb on this road is about 4.4 miles. The gradient steepens after the first left hairpin turn and maxes out at 12%. The remainder of the climb hovers between 7-9% all the way to Ridgecrest. You do get some nice views along the way.

The damp road strewn with debris and leaves from the recent rain made the descent on Bolinas Fairfax Rd very slow and chilly. The trick is to proceed with caution and Wyatt does a great job of that!

We drop down to Alpine Lake and we’re immediately warmed by the sun again. We climb out of the lake and descend through the redwoods before hitting the next few climbs to the top of Pine Mountain.