Living and Dying by My Cambelbak

Last week I wrote about taking a nasty fall at Camp Tamarancho and the good fortune of landing on my full Camelbak that spared my spine and back. Well, I must not have thanked it enough, because this week my Camelbak was bad Camelbak, having some fun at my expense. On Saturday I was on the upper stretches of Bayview trail at China Camp and there was a tree stretching across the path about 5' off of the ground. I slowed a bit but decided that a mountain bike limbo was more than sufficient to clear the obstacle . . . but I forgot about my cherished Camelbak. Sure, my head was hugging the handlebars and skirted underneath the tree without even touching it until suddenly my Camelbak seemed to leap up, grab the tree, and clothesline me like a defensive back. It was all I could do to hang on to my bike so I didn't fall to the ground like a cartoon character with my bike careening forward. Anyway, bad Camelbak incident notwithstanding, mountain biking around China Camp was great.

I did two loops, with the first one taking up Bayview to Echo Trail, and then heading up Bay View Road (I think), which is a grind of a climb, through the gate and up to the old Nike Missile Radar site. I then continued down the road, and hung a left onto Ridge Fire Trail, to Back Ranch, and then back to Bayview. Bayview turns into Oakridge which is a fun ride down to Shoreline, which takes you all the way back to the main entrance.

My second loop largely followed my last post about the main China Camp Loop, but instead of riding some of the Powerline Fireroad, I stayed on Bayview the entire way. Both loops were great, and riding right when the trails opened at 8 a.m., they were relatively quiet, except for some wild turkeys - which are much bigger than you'd expect, especially when you round a corner and one is on the trail. Also, watch out for the small reddish newts sunning themselves on the trail.

China Camp is a great place to ride, just watch that tree on Bayview, and don't trust your Camelbak!

For more great rides, check out Marin Fat Tire.

Hoo-Koo-E-Koo Just as Holy The Other Way

Last month I wrote about riding to the top of Mt Tam on Eldridge Grade and then descending on Old Railroad Grade to Hoo-Koo-E-Koo and what a great mountain bike ride it is - http://marinfattire.blogspot.com/2009/02/holy-hoo-koo-e-koo.html. Well, last week I ascended Hoo-Koo-E-Koo and Old Railroad Grade and it was just as great of a ride. Here's the difference.

Up Eldridge Grade to East Peak and Down Old Railroad Grade
Leaving from Ross Commons and riding into Natalie Coffin Greene Park, this ride takes you straight up Eldridge Grade all the way to the top of the East Peak of Mt. Tam. It's the shortest and relatively fastest route to the top, and the last mile of Eldridge Grade is punishing with lots of fist-sized loose rocks that make it more technical. The trip down Old Railroad Grade and Hoo-Koo-E-Koo offers unbelievable views and it's nice to take them in after an invigorating climb and coasting downhill most of the way. The bad news comes when you realize you've descended below 1000' feet on Hoo-Koo-E-Koo and then have to climb back up to around 1200' feet to Blithedale Ridge, and then ride an almost unclimbable section of Blithedale Ridge for only a couple hundred feet up to Indian Fire Road, where you get another .5 miles or more of tough climbing back up to 1450'. The good news is that you're back at Eldridge and have a fast and fun descent all the back down to Ross from there.

Here's a link to this ride: Eldridge-Hoo-Koo-E-Koo Loop

Up Eldridge Down Indian Fire Road Up Hoo-Koo-E-Koo Up Old Railroad Grade and Down Eldridge
People are honestly split between whether they prefer climbing or descending Eldridge Grade. If you like descending it, then this is a the better loop. Of course, you also get to climb up to 1450', where you take Indian Fire Road downhill, hang a right on Blithedale Ridge, and then a hard right onto Hoo-Koo-E-Koo just long enough to get lost in the fun of the downhill when you realize, as with the other loop, that you've just shaved off 500' that you have to re-climb on your way up to the top of Mt. Tam. The climbing up Hoo-Koo-E-Koo and Old Railroad Grade is gradual almost every foot of the way, however. It just seems to go on forever, but it's still a beautiful ride. Once at the top, you'll relish in the fact that you have almost zero climbing to do and can focus all of your strength - what's left of it - and energy on descending Eldridge.

Here's a link to the directions for this ride: Hoo-Koo-E-Koo-Eldridge Loop

No matter which way you go, you can't go wrong. For more great trails, check out www.MarinFatTire.com. And don't forget to check-out www.Alesandtrails.net.

Giving Blood at Camp Tamarancho

Nothing is certain but death, taxes, and mountain bike crashes. I was long overdue to hit the ground hard, and I had an unpleasant reminder of how painful that can be at Camp Tamarancho last weekend. I was getting into a rocky section of Wagon Wheel trail, missed my target, and did a side flip onto my back, landing about 3 feet below the trail onto some basketball sized rocks. My camelbak completely saved me from a more severe injury, my shins are badly battered and ripped from the rocks, and my chest has a now-yellowish welt that's still sore to the touch. There was a certain calm for a few seconds as I lay face up on a bed of boulders with my bike resting atop my bloody body, watching some birds circling above, and appreciating the stillness of the morning and the fact that nothing felt broken. Once I muddled through the physical comedy of getting unstuck from the rocks with a bike on top of me, I cautiously finished that stretch of Wagon Wheel and enjoyed a great ride.

Camp Tamarancho has some of the best (and maybe the only true) legal singletrack in Marin. The trails are on property owed and maintained by the Boy Scouts, and the main loop, including a .6 mile out and back access trail, is about 8.5 miles, and takes around an hour (more if you ride it the way I did). You can ride the loop clockwise or counterclockwise; last week, I went clockwise around the following trails - Goldman, Serpentine, Wagon Wheel (curse you!), B-17 , Broken Dam, and back to the Goldman Trail. You access the loop from the Alchemist Trail off of Iron Springs Road. Since there's no parking on Iron Springs Road, it's best to Park in downtown Fairfax next to Java Hut. From there you head West on Center/Broadway for several blocks, and then follow the Bike Route signs for several blocks (with some turns) until you take a left on Rockridge which becomes Iron Springs. You get to climb several hundred feet of elevation over a mile up Iron Springs until you see a sweet singletrack trail - Alchemist - on your left. Overall, roundtrip from downtown Fairfax will cover 12.5 miles and just over 1700' of elevation gain.

If you ride Mt. Tam or fireroads all the time, then it's great to hone your technical skills on some singletrack trails. If you're new to singletrack, then I'd definitely tackle something like China Camp before trying out Camp Tamarancho. Here's a link to a great loop at China Camp: Bayview-Shoreline Loop.

To ride Camp Tamarancho, you need to have either a season pass ($45) or a day pass ($5) which you can get through Sunshine Bicycles in Fairfax or buy online through the Boy Scouts website. I'd also recommend bringing a Camp Tamarancho Map, which you can print from the above link, and, if you plan to give blood, riding with a friend!

For more great trails and mountain biking resources, check out http://www.marinfattire.com/.

GPS Links for China Camp and Mt. Tam Rides

Here are a couple of quick updates on mountain bike trails on Mt. Tam and China Camp. In the past two weeks, I've captured the GPS data for a great short loop around Mt. Tam and a classic China Camp Loop. Below are links to the rides and the Motion-based GPS data:

China Camp Bayview-Shoreline - Mountain Bike Loop - 9.7 miles, 1200' gain

- GPS data link

Mt. Tam Shaver-Lake Lagunitas - Eldridge Mountain Bike Loop - 11.1 miles, 1484' gain

- GPS data link

This loop takes you around Lake Lagunitas, pictured above.

Holy Hoo-Koo-E-Koo

Besides having a great name, the Hoo-Koo-E-Koo trail offers incredible views of the San Francisco Bay, downtown, and the expansive Pacific coastline. Yesterday's mountain bike ride may be a third candidate for a great Mt. Tam area Sea Otter Classic training ride, but whether or not you're training for Sea Otter, these are great trails to explore.

As with many of my Winter rides, I began at Ross Commons in Ross, CA, and rode to the trail-head at Natalie Coffin Green Park (the fireroads around Mt. Tam drain incredible well and make for great winter riding). From there I rode around Phoenix Lake, and climbed Eldridge Grade to the East Peak of Mt. Tam. I came back down Ridgecrest slightly past Eldridge and took a left on Old Railroad Grade, which was over 3 miles of twisty, fast fire road, with each steep downhill section looking like it could dump you straight down into the Pacific Ocean. This trail also takes you past the West Point Inn. I then took a left on the famous Hoo-Koo-E-Koo trail, which descends past several small waterfalls, through redwood groves, and by more great views of the Pacific and San Francisco. I then had to climb a bit up to Blithedale Ridge and then up Indian Fire Road, which took me back to Eldridge Grade. From the 1450' mark at Eldridge, it was pure downhill the rest of the way back to Ross Commons.

Overall, the ride was just over 19 miles and 3200' of elevation gain . . . very similar figures to past Sea Otter Classic loops. Check out my two other Sea Otter training ride candidates: Lance's Sea Otter Classic Training Ride and the Mt. Tam Epic Twin Peaks Ride, each of which is just over 19 miles with more than 3200' of gain.

See the full details of the Mt. Tam Summit - Eldridge Grade-Hoo-Koo-E-Koo Mountain Bike Loop at MarinFatTire.com, or check out the GPS data at Motion-Based.

Get Ready for Ales and Trails 2009

Start gearing up for one of the best mountain bike events in Marin. Ales and Trails at China Camp is always a huge hit and fun event where you can sample great beer, go on group rides, test yourself on a skills course, and interact with great people. There are even events for kids like a kids race for children under 11 and jumping demos. All attendees get a grab bag of goodies.

David Weins, the mountain biking powerhouse who beat Lance Armstrong last year in the Leadville 100 and who was named one of Outside Magazine's badasses off 2008, will be leading an Advanced ride around China Camp’s great mountain biking trails, and I'll be leading an Intermediate ride sponsored by MarinFatTire. There are a number of other great rides for everyone from Beginners to Experts. Check out the site for all of the event info. Sponsors include Marin Bikes, Ergon, REI, DirtRag, WTB and MarinFatTire.com, to name a few. All proceeds go to IMBA California, an organization dedicated to keeping trails open for mountain biking and mountain biking advocacy in general. For more information about the event, please go to the Ales and Trails website.

I hope to see you there on May 2, 2009!

China Camp is located off of 101 in San Rafael. Take the North San Pedro Exit East. For China Camp mountain bike trail information check out China Camp Trails.

Mt. Tam Twin Peaks Loop - Epic Mountain Bike Trail

While the Sea Otter Classic Training Ride is a great training ride with steeper grades, today's ride may be my new favorite mountain bike trail on Mt. Tam. Beginning at Natalie Coffin Park, I rode around Phoenix Lake and took Eldridge Grade all the way to the top of the East Peak of Mt. Tamalpais (2350')(as far as you can get on a bicycle), and then I road along Ridgecrest Blvd until I passed the West Peak Summit (2500')(elevation on the road). The views at East Peak and along Ridgecrest are magnificent. Today I could see well past San Francisco and miles out into the Pacific.


I continued down to about 2080' where I picked up Rock Springs. You climb for the first .5 miles or so up Rock Springs, but then it's pretty much downhill all the way back. I branched off onto Rocky Ridge trail, which is much more fun descending than climbing and the views are great, particularly when you start getting closer to Bon Tempe Lake. Ride across the Bon Tempe dam, and take the road back out to Lagunitas Road where you pick up Shaver Grade trail. Shaver leads you down to Five Corners where you continue on Shaver back down towards Phoenix Lake and Natalie Coffin Greene. The loop from Natalie Coffin Greene park was 17.04 miles and 3301' of elevation gain; you can download the GPS motion-based data for the mountain bike loop here. If you start at Ross Commons, add another 2.1 miles to the overall trip and another 100' or so of elevation gain. This ride also very closely mirrors the distance and elevation gain of past Otter Creek Classic cross country loops.


Details of this ride are posted here on MarinFatTire.com, where you can explore lots of great Mt. Tam Mountain Bike Trails.

Summer in February on Mt. Tamalpais

I'm as worried as everyone else about the inevitable drought we'll experience this year, but the best way to assuage my sorrow is to hit the dusty Mt. Tam bike trails on my mountain bike when the sun is bringing the mercury north of 70. Today I broke away for an hour and did my standard loop on Mt. Tam that I call the Eldridge-Fish Gulch Quick Loop, and I began from Ross Common in the center of Ross.

The trailhead actually begins at Natalie Coffin Greene Park about 1 mile away, but parking always fills up fast there. Instead, park in Ross, warm-up with a mile ride up Lagunitas road where you can ogle the Ross mansions, and then head up the fireroad once you're in the park. The loop has you ride past and around the right side of Lake Phoenix, heading back towards a four-way intersection where you take a Left on Eldridge Grade and climb up to 980' (963' according to my new (refurbished) Garmin 305 Edge, but that's another post). Take a Right down Lakeview trail (BUT FIRST, take a Left and ride up a few hundred feet and take in the incredible views of the Bay and the Richmond Bridge and beyond). Hang a Left into the redwoods and enjoy a flat fast lap around the West side of Lake Lagunitas, crossing 3 footbridges and then hanging a Right across Lagunitas dam. From there you have to head down Sky Oaks Rd for a few hundred yards and then bang a right down a paved trail/road, and then take a left on Fish Gulch trail. This is a seriously fast harrowing trail and you must watch your speed. In no time you'll see the odometer approaching 30 (I'm told) and then you have a 90 degree right hand turn in your face. It's a great test of seeing how quickly you can bring your bike down to a reasonable speed without locking up the disc brakes. The .6 miles of sheer downhill fun is over in seconds and you wonder why it took you so much longer to climb up Eldridge. Fish Gulch heads straight through the 4-way intersection back towards Phoenix Lake and the park entrance. Round trip was only 8.97 miles with 1,284 feet of elevation gain. I'll soon have exact ride details/mileage on Marin Fat Tire.

Here's the link to the motionbased.com data for Eldridge-FishGulch Quick Loop.

Summer in January at China Camp

After last week's Sea Otter Classic training ride on Mt. Tam, yesterday's mountain bike ride at China Camp was a walk in the park. Located just a few miles outside of San Rafael in Marin, China Camp provides some of the only singletrack mountain bike trails in Marin, and the views of San Pablo Bay, San Francisco Bay, and the surrounding bridges and mountains are magnificent.

Yesterday I rode what many consider to be the classic China Camp Loop covering about 10 miles and providing about 1100 feet of total elevation gain. Access China Camp from North San Pedro Road. You can park on San Pedro just outside the campground entrance to the park, and head up Bay View Trail immediately inside the park entrance. While there are a number of intersections, the basic route I took yesterday had me cover most of Bay View Trail, down Miwok, across Oak Ridge Trail, and then back on Shoreline trail. For complete ride details and distances go to China Camp - Bay View - Shoreline Trail at MarinFatTire.com.

This loop is great for beginner and intermediate riders alike, and the singletrack portions of Bay View trail dish out a few obstacles that will keep even more experienced riders on their toes. If you're like me and do most of your riding on fireroads around Mt. Tam, it's worth a trip to China Camp to brush up on your technical skills. A quick warning - from about .3 to .75 miles, you'll have some steep climbing up a very rutty fireroad, but stick with it and then the rest of the ride involves traversing fun singletrack and doubletrack trails with great views.

On your way to or from China Camp, check out a new bike shop on San Pedro called Bikes and Beans where you can get a jolt of espresso or any other essentials before your ride.

Finally, while it doesn't show all of the trails, the China Camp Bike Trail Map on page five of the linked pdf provides you with a great overview of the area.

Rocky Ridge Woes on Sea Otter Classic Mountain Bike Training Ride on Mt Tam

This Morning I rode the Mt. Tam - Sea Otter Classic Training Ride, and it was an amazing ride. Beginning in Ross Common and riding up to Natalin Coffin Greene park, I picked up the bike trail and rode around Lake Phoenix. From there I banged a right up Shaver Grade towards Five Corners. Anytime it's rained within the past two days, expect this stretch of Shaver Grade to be muddy in places and sticky throughout -- it was like a random resistence trainer, where you'd be slogging up the hill and suddenly the dial was turned from "8" to "10". I continued up Shaver Grade from Five Corners and then headed down Sky Oaks and took a left on Bullfrog.

From Bullfrog take a left into the first parking lot and head up towards Bon Tempe Dam. This is one of the most beautiful places in the Mt. Tam watershed. Continue across the dam and ride your bike up Rocky Ridge. MAJOR WARNING -- About .3 miles up Rocky Ridge you will forgot the glory of riding across Bon Tempe Dam, rethink your sport, and wonder why you're not chasing a little white ball around a fairway. But continue on and about .6 miles from the dam, you'll hit a plateau and your life will get better. There's more climbing, but in shorter more gradual sections, with some rolling hills in between. I headed downhill on Rock Springs to Lake Lagunitas, and rode counterclockwise around the lake, crossing 3 wooden footbridges. Take a right on Lakeview which turns into Eldridge Grade and climb another 15oo feet of elevation gain up to the top of Mt. Tam. As detailed in other rides, the last 1.5 miles up to the road near the summit of Tam is challenging with lots of loose rocks, or "death cookies." Getting there covered 12.9 miles and roughly 3200' of elevation gain. Head back down Eldridge all the way, turning right on Eldridge (instead of straight on Lakeview) and back to Natalie Coffin Greene, which is 19.9 miles. Time yourself and see whether this loop ends up being a good indicator of your eventual time at Sea Otter Classic.

You can cool down on the mile back down Lagunitas Road to Ross Commons. For more detailed ride instructions, go to MarinFatTire.com, which is the best source for mountain bike trails on Mt. Tam and in Marin.

If you're so inclined, please post other training rides that you may be doing to train for Sea Otter Classic. Also, if you happen to do the Mt. Tam training ride, post your time and then come back and let us know how well that correlated with your Sea Otter Classic time. I'm not proud of this, but my time was 2 hours and 35 minutes of riding time, with another 15 minutes of stops to down some GU, catch my breath, talk to the varsity team riders on San Rafael Bull Dogs, a the champion high school mountain bike team (these guys blew by me on the final stretch up Mt. Tam, and were training for Otter Creek and their opening NorCal race), and note mileages along the way.

Sea Otter Classic in Marin?

Not exactly. But if you live in Marin and are planning on riding the Sea Otter Classic, consider trying out Lance's Sea Otter Classic ride on MarinFatTire.com. The loop doesn't include singletrack, and the elevation gain of 3200' falls short of last year's Sea Otter Classic loop, but the the ride is 19.9 miles, covers 3200' of elevation gain, and includes two epic climbs of 800' and 1530', which should condition you well for Sea Otter Classic. Obviously the pros get all the attention at Sea Otter, but they have a beginner category - Category 3 - that races on Friday, April 17, 2009. Check it out, ride, and train on Lance's Sea Otter Classic ride!

Great Mountain Bike Loop From Fairfax

Not sure if the best part of the ride was the great views of Lake Lagunitas or the amazing Stout at Iron Springs Pub and Brewery in Fairfax, which is were I began and ended my ride. I headed up Bolinas to Porteous and started at Deer Park. Deer Park trail runs up to Five Corners, and I took Shaver Grade up to Skye Oaks Road. From there I headed up across the Lagunitas dam and around Lake Lagunitas. From there I climbed a bit more up until I hit Eldridge Grade and headed back down to Shaver Grade and up to Five Corners and back down to Deer Park (nice run-on sentence). Overall, the ride was about 11.8 miles and 1400' of elevation gain. For complete ride information, check out MarinFatTire.com. Besides the Stout, the Fish Tacos and Chile Relleno were pretty good, too.

Indian Fire Road Loop From Larkspur

Seventy degrees and great riding today out of Larkspur. I started from Emporio Rulli in Larkspur fueled by a delicious latte and an apricot doughnut - it's a carb, isn't it? I headed out Magnolia Avenue towards Ross Common and headed up Lagunitas Road to Natalie Coffin Greene park. After looping around Lake Phoenix, I headed up Eldridge Grade up to the 1450' elevation and branched off of Eldridge onto Indian Fire Road. From there I banked a right down Blithedale Ridge, one of my favorite trails, and then worked my way back towards Larkspur on Southern Marin Line Road. This ride ends about 800' above Larkspur, so you have to wind down some very steep narrow paved roads, but it's still a chance to take in some great views -- all roads lead back down to Magnolia where you can head straight back to Rulli. For more details and mileages check out MarinFatTire.

Lake Lagunitas Loop - Mt Tam Trails

Mountain biking around Lake Lagunitas is great but every once in awhile it's nice to hike around the lake with your kids and enjoy the serenity of the area. With temperatures in the high 60s, today was a great day to explore the paths and understand hikers' perspectives of mountain bikers -- all of whom passed us today where incredibly considerate.

We began our hike just outside of Fairfax, CA. Take Sir Francis Drake to Bolinas Road and then follow the signs for Lake Lagunitas. Take a left on Sky Oaks Rd and continue to the last parking lot. Hike up through the camping area next to the man-made waterfall, cross the dam, hike past the house, and follow the trails around the lake, including crossing three bridges, which my kids really loved. This is mountain-biking paradise. You can find information about mountain biking trails at http://www.marinfattire.com/. Enjoy!

Marin Fat Tire Is Live - Great Source of Marin Mountain Bike Trails

Check out MarinFatTire.com which is now live and check back regularly as we build out more great trail information.

Last Saturday, I did the up-and-back ride from Ross Common (actually started in Corte Madera) to the East Peak of Mt. Tam. The views from the top (and along the way) and the killer descent are worth the climb. Bike traffic on the trail was surprisingly light for such a gorgeous day. And on a side note, I'm pretty sure I passed Dean Karnazes descending Eldridge Grade not far from the summit.

Let me know if there are trails, rides, links or other resources you'd like me to add to MarinFatTire.com. Thanks!