China Camp And Reverse Bolinas Ride

that was basically all the convincing it took with this one. as i’ve mentioned the last few weeks have been very busy, but sarah and i blocked off a weekend in advance to possibly do a buddhist themed bikepacking tour type event, but we never got called off the waitlist, so we made do with the local stuff. since it’s so hard to book a campsite around here we opted for a hike’n’bike site at china camp in san rafael. far enough to feel apart from civilization, but close enough to get there in just a few hours. we packed up our baskets with sleeping bags and mats and headed out in the morning after a delicious coffee.

before long we were out on the bridge, skin-suited roadies buzzing by, racing to boost their strava stats. we dipped down into sausalito and rode along before grabbing breakfast at the lighthouse cafe, which is right along bridgeway. a breakfast with fruity pancakes all the fixings was consumed, washed down with more coffee.

not too much to report on the ride to china camp. most notable was the long tunnel we rode through next to the larkspur smart train station, and later when it feels like you’re riding through downtown san rafael and then suddenly the skyline opens up and you can see the coastline, and the long blue water. only about 30 miles passed before we were riding through gravel to the camp host’s RV. we paid our ten bucks, set up our tent, and took all the heavy junk off our bikes before riding away to andy’s local market for a Little Sweet Snack. the market is like a mirage, not around much else other than a harbor and greige track houses. but it was awesome, home to many candies, a wicked-looking deli, friendly staff, and a bar. we got fig bars, ice creams, candy, and chips, and sat outside eating junk food and luxuriating on concrete seats for a few hours, feeling like we were fully on vacation. it was glorious.

the ride back to the campsite was a masters-earning thesis in lollygaggery. for quite some time we spent it cruising around a seemingly deserted brick and block… factory? mining location? pieces of brick wall were littered on the shore, post-apocalyptic style.

working our way all the way back, the whole campground was full up with kiddos and parents running around, blasting classic rock and drinking brewskis. were able to drop the remains of our junk food haul off at the campsite, noting a new tent in the hike and bike area, and took a long stroll around the area. we caught sight of more deer than i’ve ever seen in one place, daintily crossing the trail in a group of around ten, bashfully peering back at us. returning to the campsite again we were greeted by yet another new hike and biker. we introduced ourselves to both new neighbors, mike and brian, and went out to walk another trail, this one more distant, and enjoyed views of the ocean and crispy air.

walking again back to the campsite someone approached us in the midst of the apparent partying and let us know the commotion is on account of a third grade camping trip, and that one of the parents is a chef who made way too much food, and that we were welcome to partake. not much convincing needed, we were enjoying plates of beans, chicken thighs, cornbread, carnitas tacos, and fresh salsa.

we let our new neighbors know about the bounty, and sat and chatted with them a while. brian was a retired bike mechanic turned truck driver, touring from seattle down to santa barbara, and mike was a pilot taking time off to bike through to all the missions of california. we wish we took a picture with them.

brian was telling us that new trucking technology tracks your face while you drive for hours and hours and notes when you eyes wander, reminding you to focus. mike actually mentioned that the cockpit of a plane has the same technology, and that any sort of perceived distraction can lead to a disciplinary conversation. they lamented the fact that the companies they work for want them to work as perfectly as machines, and their livelihood depends on an inhuman level of performance. riding the bike, getting lost in nature, and self-sufficiency seemed like the perfect antidote to a demanding, alienating job in a an ever-growing surveillance state. over the two days we were out sarah and i had so many great interactions with kind, generous, and interesting folks, which itself feels like a good stick-it to the man. tour as an extended period of this sort of weekend sounds heavenly.

after tucking in for the night to escape epic winds, waking to the shrieks of third graders, and chasing off an errant raccoon trying to make off with brian’s english muffins, we woke the next morning with the intent of keeping it brief before our long journey home. after some ultralight bean and cheese burritos and moka pot coffee courtesy of mark (whose wife, he reminded us a few times, is itallian, and won’t drink anything else), we broke camp and rolled out.

it was not too long before we were in lucas valley, enjoying redwood cover, onto nicassio with its nearly empty roads and farmland stretches. we watched a coyote stalk a school of ducks, who patiently waited for him to get bored and trot away. on point reyes-petaluma road we simply crushed some low incline dead miles, before what would be one of the highlights: the cross marin trail. while it may seem boring or too flat or too whatever for some, it was awesome to finally be off the road. no traffic, hardly anyone on foot, and soft earth for miles and miles. we rode under tree cover, avoiding the growing heat. about thirty miles in altogether, we reached samuel p. taylor campground and whizzed through onto the inkwells, where we stopped for lunch. we heated up some dehydrated pea soup and ate through some of our residual snacks, waterside. the worst was coming.

shafter grade is a notoriously evil climb that connects to bolinas ridge trail before the cow pasture portion, which we were warned to skip, hence the detour. while short in distance, it’s truly heinous. despite a brief attempt, after 30 miles with very little incline, it felt like an impossible task. we pushed our bikes for a considerable amount of time.

at the peak, we reached the bolinas ridge double track and breathed a brief sigh of relief. we traversed more rolling gravely hills and rocky ascents that sketched out sarah and her semi-skinnies. further along it was pretty dreadful to traverse the redwoods uphill and fully loaded with camping gear, despite their beauty. having now done this route in the opposite direction, going southbound is something i probably would never do again, but i’m glad we had the experience.

after what felt like an eternity, we exited the trail onto ridgecrest for a respite, and some mellow road riding until we worked our way up to mt. tam, and further onto the panoramic highway. things started looking familiar from our ride through alpine dam a few weeks prior. we ran out of water but knew we’d be coming up on some campsites soon with spigots out front. we remarked that southbound felt so much easier than northbound and that we were impressed with ourselves for having done alpine dam, and having come so far in terms of strength on the bike.

we made it to the campsites, and unbelievably they were out of water. still unsure how that works but the two sites, side by side, had no water access. imagine being a camper in this situation. sketchyyyyyy. we rerouted to mill valley to pick up some provisions for the last leg. it felt so long to get back there, complete with hairbending descents, traffic, and wrong turns, and by the time we rolled back into downtown mill valley, we dragged our dirty bodies into mamahuhu (mid by the way) to sit and reflect on all that went wrong.

for all that challenged us, didn’t go according to plan, and was inconceivable, the ride was awesome, one of the hardest we’ve done so far, and actually very fun. guzzling water and cold fries before saddling back up to climb up through sausalito in the dark and across the bridge, the sense of accomplishment was worth the pangs of complete and utter frustration.

weeks have passed since this trip, and i’ve spent a long time trying to write this one. i’m happy to put this episode to rest, and work on planning the next outing. hopefully we can get some cold weather fall camping in. until next time.