Here I am, standing in our little 10x10 booth.
I'm pretending to show our product to an imaginary customer.
Mark and me in the Corda booth.
Our lovely home away from home.
Back at our HoJoXpress.
I passed this church on Blithedale road; parents were dropping kids off at the preschool next door.
Travelling farther through Mill Valley, Blithedale Road narrows.
On the other side of this gate is a bridge and the beginning of the Old Railroad Grade, which climbs up the side of Mt. Tam.<br /><br />Leaning against the gate is My Faithful Steed, a rental bike from Bike n' Roll in San Francisco. It's similar to my bike at home, except for the nice disc brakes that turned out the be very squeaky (ick!)
This is the first of many, many turns on the Old Railroad Grade.
The good part of the old railroad grade is that it has a consistent, even uphill grade. The bad part of the old railroad grade is that it has a consistent, even, uphill grade, that never seems to end!
This stand of trees protects a gully above the old railroad grade fire road.
Redwood trees are plentiful on the lower slopes of Mount Tam.
Along the sides of the fire road, I spotted burnt areas, the air had a bit of a haze in it, I couldn't tell if it was because of the regular weather conditions or the prescribed burn.
This view looks towards San Franciso, which is barely visible in the distance on the horizon.
I found a geocache, hidden inside a small fake rock at the base of this tree (to the right of my pack).<br /><br />The Bowknot is a series of switchbacks that the old railroad took directly above this location.
This is the upper terminus of the Hoo Koo E Koo trail, a famous fire road on the slopes of Mt. Tam (famous for mountain bikers, that is...Gary Fisher bikes has a model named after this trail).
Trail marker for the Old Railroad Grade and Hoo Koo E Koo.
Looking down Hoo Koo E Koo.
The Double Bowknot was a set of tight switchbacks on the Old Railroad Grade. At the bottom, an old gravity train took passengers down to Muir Woods.
The Old Railroad Grade continues up the side of Mt. Tam.
A refreshing-looking waterfall along the Old Railroad Grade.
Some cabins of the West Point Inn come into view.
One of the cabins of the West Point Inn.<br /><br />From here, you could see Muir Woods below you, and the Pacific Ocean in the distance. It would be a spectacular place to stay!
The main building of the West Point Inn. This was a major stopping point for the scenic railroad in the late 1800's-early 1900's.
Looking back down the Old Railroad Grade fire road back towards Mill Valley.
View of the Mt. Tam summit.
View of the watchtower, seen from the parking lot at the top of Mount Tamalpais.<br /><br />Bikes aren't allowed beyond this point, so this is as far as I went!
Here, at the top of Mount Tamalpais, I parked my bike while I went to the bathroom, stretched my legs, and made some phone calls.
Parked at the top of the Mt. Tamalpais road.<br /><br />The visitor center (behind the sign) was supposed to be open, with sandwiches and souvenirs and stuff. It was closed, so all I had to eat was energy bars, gels, and water. Kind of bland, but it got me here.
From Inspiration Point on the Eldrige Grade, this view is to the north of Mt. Tam.<br /><br />Below is Bon Tempe Lake. I'll be riding past it in a little while!
A telephoto view of Bon Tempe Lake.
I spotted this memorial at Inspiration Point while looking for a geocache.
The riding was FINE along here, after the first mile which was rather rocky and not-too-fun with my squeaky brakes.
It's ironic that here, at the birthplace of Mountain Biking, that bikes are banned from all the singletrack trails.
The Eldridge grade continues down towards the lakes.
Passing another grove of redwood trees along the Eldridge Grade.
The Windy Ridge Trail and the town of Larkspur.
I admired this trail that runs up and over this bald hill. It was only when I got to the fork in the trail that leads to it that I realized that this was the trail I had planned to take back to 'civilization'. When I saw the climb, I decided against it. There's another reason, but I'll explain that later...
I loved the smooth bark on these trees.
The smooth bark on these trees looks sort of like a red version of sycamore.
I had to stop and take a picture of the fire road as it wound down this pretty valley.<br /><br />What a ride!
I saw a lot of lizards on my ride, but no newts.<br /><br />This sign was spotted near Lake Lagunitas.
The first of three lakes that I passed.
These bushes looked kind of like forsythias, it's hard to tell from this picture.
When I reached the worn springs trail, I decided not to take it because 1) it was uphill and I was getting tired, and 2) there was this 'Mountain Lion' warning sign.
Mountain Lions, tigers and bears. Oh My!
Alexandar Avenue in Larkspur crosses the old railway line (now a bike path) via this old art-deco style bridge.
My ride began in Mill Valley, at the foot of Mt. Tam.
I was amazed to see this spin class located on the patio of this health club. Wouldn't that be fun?!!
On the way out of town, I saw this nifty store. It'd be fun to stop and look at....next time!
Also known as Mt. Tam, this is the birthplace of Mountain Biking. Reaching the summit was my goal.
