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BTCEB Group Ride Report - Deer Park, Fairfax - Friday October 25th

The Weather Gods performed a double trick and created one of the finest riding days I've ever had. After pouring rain on Friday night and Saturday morning, and then letting the sun shine on Saturday afternoon and seeing the dawn (an hour early) on Sunday crisp, clear, blue and sunny, the sick, tired, and somewhat over-indulged-the-night-before Vizier creaked out of bed and decide to ride despite his initial inclination to find somebody who knew the route and abdicate his Viziership and stay home to read a book. But the Weather Gods had other plans...

As Ryan and I drove toward Marin we could see the pieces falling into place for a day among days. Sky so blue, views clear, mountains etched against the fresh-smelling air cleaned by the day before's rain. An overwhelming feeling of sympathy for anybody NOT riding on this day was the only suggestion of pathos on what was shaping up to be the best!

At Deer Park, the Coast Range Riders were gathering for a coincidentally planned birthday ride covering much of the same ground planned for our excursion. There appeared to be about ten of them and there ended up being nine of us. So with squirrels running up and down the trees in the early morning light rays, seeping down through the foliage, we had the appearance of a little mountain bike festival shaping up with friends all greeting each other and everybody completely awed by the brilliant turn of the weather! Being as our planned routes were somewhat at variance, and the fact that our combined groups would have been somewhat huge for a Sunday ride in Marin, we decided to go our separate ways.

Our group was comprised of: Ryan Christbaum Eric Muhler-Quasi Ride Leader Wilk Von Gustedt Eva Klohnen Cheryl Stockton? BruceVan Voorhis Joe Towbis Nigel Dabby Jon Greany Nigel had planned the perfect surprise for the Vizier by bringing his completed Membership Application and a check for $20 to start off the Viz's day with a bang. Great move, there, Nigel!

Biting the bullet and getting to rambling we headed up to Five Corners and on to the lakes and up Rock Springs. While waiting for a regroup at the bottom of Rock Springs, Cheryl noticed two beautiful does standing right next to the trail. They seemed to have heard about the Weather Gods smiling upon us so they tranquilly watched us and gave the start of our climb a nod from the Animal Kingdom as well. The climb predictably spread us out with the Vizier leading from dead last and Joe Towbis amiably keeping him company. After a set in the sun at Potrero Meadows, which was warming up to a pleasant 68 degress, we hooked down Laurel Dell and rode like (rhymes with Dell). Once up on the West Ridge the Vizier wanted to stop and look at the view of the ocean. But due to the Boeing Aviation levels of titanium around, some riders refused to either break the law by taking their bikes to the top of the hill or leave $8,000 lying by the side of the highway. Mt. Tam State Park really ought to consider this when making such arbitrary rules!

Once on top Eva started accusing this ride of "sitting around too much." After three minutes of view absorption we hit the sprint down Westridge to BoFax road. Speeds were attained. (Pavement, everybody, take a deep breath) (Inside joke for readers of last weeks Ride report) Have I mentioned the Weather Gods arranging flawless and perfect traction for us? Thank you Great Gods! The rain had made everything smooth, tacky, packed and ready. It was the best. On Bolinas Ridge Eva, who I guess was trying to make up time wasted looking at views, took a small bongo dip on her hip and loosened up a bar end and as we eventually found out, broke a spoke nipple. Everything OK, we rode on down the ridge for lunch at the rock. A cow with her brand new baby calf joined us adding once again to the aura of inclusion that the Animal Kingdom was extending to us. I've never ridden Bo Ridge with such flawless traction. After happily and peacefully sharing the trail with a quartet of equestrians we came upon a genuine cowboy roundup! Whole bunch of cowboys and cowgirls were sitting in the middle of a meadow with a big herd of cattle all around 'em! That was unique.

Down Jewell, up the Cross Marin Bike Path stopped for water and for Joe to screw his nipple (extra alloy spoke nipple) onto Eva's spoke. Joe made quick work of that, we watered up and headed on to Shafter and up 16 Knolls (the short route) to the ridge. Showing no signs of tiring, the Euros, (Wilk, Eva, and Nigel) shot ahead up the climb. Bruce, Joe and Eric were lagging. Ryan hung on the Euro's tail and Cheryl was consistently with them up all the climbs. After a mandated Gu Stop, we headed down to Hunter's Camp and up to the Ridge and on to Tamarancho.

At the end of B-17, Jon and a few others garnered their applications and Jon stated his absolute love of the trails and his desire to join the Friends ASAP. Eva was slightly skeptical and thought that it might be possible "to ride off such a narrow trail." The Vizier asked her the basic question "Did you?" and when she answered "No!" he assured her this somehow mystically meant it wasn't possible. There were bikes a-plenty all over Tamrancho. Somehow, despite the dire predictions of doom and destruction that all bike-haters constantly profer, we easily managed to go past 10-15 other bikers, from around blind turns, and in all types of conditions without a single incident. When trail users offer this silly argument (fear) that bikes go too fast around blind corners to be able to stop in time to avoid running hikers and horses off the trail, ask them how the bikers manage to miss each other on very narrow trails when coming around turns and (while presumably going much faster than other users) never seem to run each other's wide-handle-barred steeds off the trail. Sermon over.

Choosing to go down Cascade after the usual bliss of Serpentine, the whole crew cleaned the trail without incident and headed back. Cheryl happened to whack a rock in one of the creek gully crossings on the bottom of Cascade giving her the proverbial snake-bite. While half the riders wondered what had happened to them, Joe jumped in and fixed the flat in two minutes, saving the day. And what a great, glorious, and perfect day it was.

STATS: Many speedo readings, let's call it 40 miles. 5,500 feet of elevation gain. One carbon fiber bike. Two Ibis Bow-ties. One steel classic Bridgestone MB 1. Another Steel steed. Four aluminum bikesfrom GT, Trek, Specialized, and Marin. One small crash. One loosened bar end. One broken spoke nipple. One flat tire. One massive set of Weather God perfected, ultra-manicured trails. Some cool puddles. Nine extremely pleased, quasi-euphoric riders, muttering "What a ride, what a ride..." Thank you Weather Gods!

Once we were back at Deer Park, somebody mentioned the raccoon trapped in the garbage can. When the Viz took a look, he saw it was a iddy, biddy, baby raccoon! So Ryan, despite the fact that an errant family of moocher raccoons decided to move into his house without paying any rent, and the raccoon eviction had caused him $500, took the road less traveled and tipped the garbage can over setting the critter free. Up the tree he (the raccoon) went where he put his cute litte raccoon baby face in the fork of two branches and put the final blessing of the Animal Kingdom on all mountain bikers who rode the Perfect Sunday!

Eric Muhler The Grand Vizier

ericmuhler@btceastbay.org

http://www.btceastbay.org