This is one of the more ridiculous impulsive rides I’ve done.
I’ve always loved the BBQ-your-own-oysters-fresh-from-a-few-hundred-feet-away at Tomales Bay Oyster Farm, and last year a group of us did a 30-mile day trip from Point Reyes to there.
But I’ve wondered– how reasonable would it be to ride up from SF, have a leisurely lunch of BBQ oysters (because what’s the point if you’re in a hurry?), then ride back, all in the same day? It’s about 100-110 miles and a moderate amount of climbing (4000’-8000’, depending on the route). I managed to convince someone to join me, and off we went:
[edit: I’ve been reminded that early ride highlights included a nearly-empty golden gate bridge, and a lanky deer on Camino Alto, bounding ahead of us along a fence for a few hundred feet until it could cut off the road into the woods.]
Fat Angel in Fairfax has some of my favorite scones (in the interest of keeping a brisk pace, this was the first stop of the day):
Biking along off-road paths in Samuel P Taylor park (which, surprisingly, I’d never done):
Highway 1 North of Point Reyes is beautiful riding, with lots of rolling twisty hills that are fun and keep cars and motorcycles from driving too fast:
Tomales Bay:
Lunch!
And then, somehow, we were back in SF.
It took from about 7am to 7pm to do the whole ride, with a few-hour lunch break to grill, one serious flat (a potentially ride-ending slice through a tire), and a handful of other stops for food or water.