Adventure Camera - Mountain Biking the Bolinas Ridge Trail

Back in the day, when I was a kid, there wasn't much that would get me off my bike.  Well, maybe a good book, but I quickly figured out how to combine my two favorite activities by riding my bike to the library.  I was such a smart cookie.  In any event, one of my favorite places to ride, besides the library, was across the road from our neighborhood-- there was a creek with a big levy on one side that my friends and I used to dare each other to ride down.  We called it Suicide Hill, and it was all of maybe a five-foot descent, and probably not all that steep, but as a ten-year-old, it was terrifying.

These days, the levy is gone, long ago plowed down to make room for a new neighborhood, and I've traded in my pink Huffy with a banana seat and handlebar basket for a mountain bike with shocks and clip pedals, but I still love a good ride out in the woods.  I've had a hankering to get the mountain bikes out on a real ride for a while, so Josh and I headed on over to the Bolinas Ridge trailhead in Marin.  What a fantastic ride!  The out-and-back trail is mostly fire road, and climbs up and up and up on the way out, and then you get a major descent on the way back.  Suicide Hill, look out!  There were definitely a few "oh crap" moments.  The first portion of the trail was along the ridgeline, over exposed grassy hills, but after a while, it enters into redwood forest for a peaceful uphill meander through the trees.  The forest was my favorite part, and the fog lent a mysterious, other-worldly feel to our ride, while the rainforest effect lent a very muddy veneer to our bike (and us!).  Overall, though, a great place to ride, if you're in the mood for a good climb and some great views.

Now on to the reward for reading this far... the photos!

Happy Tuesday!