Today, I did the whole Bolinas Ridge trail on my trusty mountain bike, 22-mile round-trip, 2300' up and 2300' down. (For locals, this is the fire road/double-track that goes from the top of the hill on Sir Francis Drake east of Olema, to the top of the Fairfax-Bolinas Road, right at the 3-way split. I am just about completely beat. It IS mostly downhill on the way back, and good thing, because I was just about out of climb by the time I hit mile 16 or so. Otherwise, a wonderful ride, and a great sense of accomplishment.

High points:

• I actually caught and passed a mountain-biking couple who were resting beside the trail - presuming they were going the same direction as me, this might have been a definite first.
• Garter snake crossed my path. Spring is definitely coming.
• Catching sight of Bolinas and the ocean, and shortly afterward, seeing Mt. Tamalpais (which dominates just about every view in Marin County) from a new angle for the first time in MANY years.
• Making it to Fairfax-Bolinas Rd., and finding my carrot cupcake still intact in the backpack.

Anyway.... The elevation profile:

The maps, I hope, are self-explanatory:

There are some pictures from previous hikes and bike rides on Bolinas Ridge from December 2001 and October 2001. It's all much greener now.

Panorama from the ridge (25% - click for 50%):