The Ride Home

Apart from seeing some familiar faces for the first time in ten days, a great thing about Paul and Jane coming up to Bodega Bay was that I dropped all my gear off for them to bring back to Marin, substantially lightening my load. I had about 60 miles to Larkspur and as I went outside I felt something alien. It was....warmth! Yes, it was warm outside! For the first day of the entire trip I did not wear a jacket - just a short-sleeved bike jersey and, as I climbed the first hill out of Bodega Bay I was hot. Quite a change from the cold rain that had marked my departure two weeks earlier.

I was now riding on familiar roads - sections of the Marin Century and Mt Tam Double Century. The towns of Valley Ford and Tomales came and went and I was back on Highway 1 flying down the coast along Tomales Bay with a tailwind.

Tomales Bay - Marking the San Andreas Fault

I passed the Tomales Bay Oyster Company - rocking out on a busy Fathers' Day - and knew that it was only a few miles to Pt. Reyes Station and my planned rest stop. Anyone visiting Pt. Reyes Station needs to stop at the Bovine Bakery for sustenance. Its hugely popular among the weekend bike crowd.

I Can Smell Home...oh, Wait. That's the Pain d'amande I Just Bought

Leaving Pt. Reyes Station it would be an hour and fifteen minutes to Larkspur; through Nicasio, past San Geronimo, up White's Grade followed by the smokin' descent. Through Fairfax, San Anselmo and Ross. Easy pedaling now; warming down from two weeks of hard riding. I pull up to my driveway, hop off the bike and walk to the door. Home.