Thursday, August 11, 2011

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I meet up with Wyatt in Point Richmond to do a recon ride out to Point Molate. The both of us have never been out there before! There is ample street parking on Railroad Ave with no time limitations.

Chevron Way off Richmond Parkway takes us to on the bike path that leads us up to I-580 heading west. We’re riding along the shoulder area for a short section before we take the Western Dr/Point Molate exit. There’s only one road to take and that is on Western Dr.

The majority of the buildings and open areas are fenced off to the public. You get fabulous views of the bays, Mt Tam and of the Richmond Bridge.

We reach the end of the road with no outlet but there is a sign pointing to a very steep hill that will takes us up and over to the Point San Pablo Yacht Harbor. The road conditions up this hill are really bad; it’s filled with huge potholes throughout! We ride up on the tandem for a bit and decide it’s better to walk it than try to maneuver around the obstacle course of bad road. It’s plenty steep too, the gradient hits 22%!

We drop over the other side and reach the yacht harbor. It’s a really neat place to look around. We meet a resident that does recycled art that’s displayed along the RR tracks; it’s all very visually appealing. There’s a small community of floating homes here along with what looks like a final resting place for all old equipment, trucks and other recyclable stuff.

This harbor is also where you can tke a ferry to get out to the East Brother Light Station.

We head back up the hill and drop back down to the other side. We stop for a bit to admire the views once again.

We exit Point Molate and take the bike path back onto the freeway to Point Richmond. We stop at Little Louie’s for lunch and sit at the outdoor patio area. The potted dahlia flowers are very colorful and beautiful!

We have more reconning to do and follow the Bay Trail signs along Richmond Parkway to the Wildcat Creek Trail. The staging area has plenty of parking along with a flush toilet and water fountain; you don’t find that too often! The trail is a very short out and back jaunt with nice views of the open shoreline.

We ride through the industrial area of Richmond Parkway to follow the Bay Trail signs to the West County Landfill on Parr Blvd.

Road resurfacing is being done to make way for a parking lot for people to access the Wildcat Marsh & Landfill Loop. We enter through the gated area and start exploring! This loop of the Bay Trail consists of riding on compacted aggregate. The use of wide tires or a mountain bike is highly recommended here!

There are many interpretive signs along the trail that tells a story of this shoreline and its habitat. You get great views of San Pablo Bay and the surrounding creeks.

The eastern section of the trail is closed due to continuing construction and improvements to the area.

We finish the loop and additional spur on the trail and reverse our way back on Richmond Pkwy to Point Richmond.

Thanks to Wyatt for taking on this adventure with me!

27.36 miles with 1102′ of elevation gain

Weather: Cool and breezy with morning clouds and afternoon sun. Temps ranged from the low to mid 60’s

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>RIDE ON!>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>