Wednesday, December 22, 2010

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Wyatt and I decide to meet up at noon with Deb at Blackie’s Pasture in Tiburon for the canceled/delayed Paradise Loop ride. Water and restrooms are available along the bike path near the parking lot.

We head out on Greenwood Cove Dr to hop onto the bike path that will take us around and through Strawberry Point. We climb the very short steep hill on Harbor Cove Rd to E Strawberry Dr and hug the shoreline along Seminary Dr to Redwood Hwy. We get wonderful views of Richardson Bay.

The route then takes us over a small hill on Hamilton Dr to Mill Valley. We hop on the bike path located across from the Police Dept. Water and restrooms are available there. We go over the bridge and take a right at the end of the path to get to East Blithesdale Ave.

We continue on E Blithesdale to Camino Alto. The climb on Camino Alto is about 1.5 mile long. The average gradient is around 4.5%. There is one short section that is a bit steeper. You’re at the top when you pass Chapman Dr. On a dry day, the descent on Corte Madera Ave can be very smooth and fast.

We continue on Magnolia St and maneuver through a bit of heavy traffic through Larkspur in order to get on Bon Air Rd. We cross the bridge on Bon Air to S Elisio Dr to get to the bike path that takes us along the Larkspur Lagoon towards the Ferry Terminal.

We make a left on Larkspur Landing Circle into the shopping center. We make another left at the Larkspur Century Theater parking lot to get to the newly opened Cal Park Tunnel. It’s very easy to miss if you don’t watch out for the small green bike route sign. The path is located behind the theater. The total length of the pathway is just over a mile and the tunnel itself is only 1100 feet. The tunnel is very well lit and brand spanking new! It’s so cool to be able to ride
through it.

We end up on Anderson Dr in San Rafael. We head east on Anderson to Irwin St and ride through an industrial area before reaching Bret Harte Park. Water and restroom are available. We continue up Irwin to Tiburon Blvd. We’re riding along the San Rafael/Greenbrae ridge. The views are fantastic! There is a very short and steep climb up Via La Cumbre but don’t worry, the momentum you gain from coming down Tiburon Blvd will get you up and over! From that point on, it’s a roller coaster ride all the way to Elisio Dr. WOW!

We continue on Sir Francis Drake and head up and over the bridge along the frontage road towards Redwood Hwy. We cross Fifer Ave and stay on the frontage road to Wornum. The next right turn takes us on Redwood Hwy. We ride pass the Corte Madera Shopping Center and hop on the bike path that will lead us onto Paradise Dr.

The lunch stop is in Tiburon near the Shoreline Park. Food, hot/cold drinks, water and restrooms are available at Caffe Acri. There is an open plaza with outdoor benches for public use. There are some fabulous views of the Bay.

For the return, we continue on Main St and head up Beach Rd through the small town of Belevedere. We get great views of the cove and lagoon.

We drop down Golden Gate Ave to San Rafael Ave and ride along the shoreline of Richardson Bay. We then take the bike path back to the parking lot at Blackie’s Pasture.

Thanks to Deb for delaying the start time and leading this ride after all! The most exciting part of the day was riding through the newly opened Cal Park Tunnel; what fun we had! The climb up Irwin along the San Rafael/Greenbrae ridge was totally new to me too. It was another fabulous day to be out!

7 people in attendance from the start with 1 tandem

31 miles with 1544′ of elevation gain

Weather: Not bad at all! Overcast cloudy skies with light fog and mist at the start. Once we got up and over to Corte Madera, it was clear. Temps ranged from 56-58

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>GET OUT & RIDE!>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>