The Mount Tam Century

We are back in the saddle again - literally.  Now that we are both equipped with roadbikes we decided to test our endurance on possibly one of the prettiest road bike rides in Northern California.  The Mount Tam Century (not to be confused with its sister the Marin Century, held on the same day) requires you bring your climbing legs along for the ride.  9,000 feet of climbing over a 96 mile course according to their website.
http://www.marincyclists.com/Resources/Documents/100%20Tam.pdf
5AM start in Los Gatos
We chose to drive there early in the morning, get a good breakfast inside us, lots of coffee and we hit the road .

By 7.05AM we were checked in and ready to start pedaling

These rides always start off with too much testosterone and a peleton racing ahead as if they could see the finish line.  Luckily for us the testosterone induced riders continued on the Marin (wimpy) ride while we headed off towards Mount Tam.
Mile 39 at 10.30 AM - Top of Mount Tam
At a leisurely pace we reached the summit of Mount Tam by 10.30 AM.  It was sunny, the bongo players had a rhythm going and we were feeling good.

As we departed from Mount Tam, I stopped to admire our vista from the Ridgeline, watching the fog line roll in.  Little did I realize that I was headed exactly in that direction.

Within 10 minutes of descent, it was time to don the raingear and shiver our way down the backside of Mount Tam, all the way to the coast.  Poor visibility, frozen hands, slick roads.  The drive around Highway 1 coastline was a challenge....not to mention the weekend drivers.

Mile 73 we arrived in Olema, back out of the fog but feeling the drudgery of Highway 1.  Still it was a good feeling knowing that only a few hours before you were nearly in San Francisco.

After Olema, the countryside transformed into classic California terrain.














Two cans of Mountain Dew at the Mesa rest stop in Point Reyes Station gave us the fuel injection we needed for the last 25 miles.  We raced around Nicasio Reservoir, enjoying a tail wind and the allure of not being on our butt in a few more miles.  We had the good luck to meet up with a great peleton to pull us the last few miles home and arrived back in San Rafael at a lightening pace of 22 miles per hour.
3PM The Finish Line
The sweetest part of the day is always the final dismount for the day.  We did the entire ride in 8 hours, exactly as we had planned.  Lots of relaxed time at the rest stops.  Great food, great support.  Thanks to the Marin Cycle Club.

My favorite picture of the ride.

The Big Apple

I know things are a little backwards but somehow Memorial day weekend in New York got away from me.  I blame the insufferable weather (again) for the delay in posting my photos.  Also it did not help that I had so many to choose from.

Fred and I took a red-eye to New York and hit the town running.  First stop, a walk across the Brooklyn Bridge to visit Heidi at work.

  

 Heidi makes rude posters to terrify little kids into behaving themselves in pools.  We were all a little concerned with the mixture of poop and urine, why not stick to colloquialisms.  Urine is a big word for the average aged kid who pees in a pool.

 We had a chance to see ground zero from one of Heidi's buildings.  It is only from this perspective that you get a sense of how huge ground zero actually is.

 A fire engine with its umbilical cord still attached.

 Jack the vandal likes to play with fire hydrant covers.

 The high-line is worth the trip across Manhattan.  It was a great place to take Jack for a relatively safe and relaxing walk, away from cars. 

 No matter how wonderful New York is, the 100 degree heat makes it tough to stick around.  Just like last year, we had to retreat to Noel and Noelle's house in Greenport to escape the heat.  Check out 4th of July 2010 posting.

 Their house is designed for keeping yourself entertained, with bikes to ride into town, swim or just hang out in the back garden which is 20 degrees cooler than Brookly Heights.  Jack gets his first ride in the bike basket.

 We chose to swim in the chilly Atlantic water.

 Later came the food fights.  Fred must have been napping because I had to take over the job of BBQ bully.  Noelle had made us pick up some very scary looking fish at the market.

 You have got to admit that Jack's red hair looks awfully like Noel's.  And notice how comfortable he looks.

We took a boat ride from the place that looks on to Jersey skyline to the side that looks on to the Brooklyn skyline.  It took us down by the Statue of Liberty, which is always such an impressive sight.

 Fred could not go back to California without trying New York pizza.  With one of the most famous being a mere stones throw from Colman and Heidi's we stood in line for at least 45 minutes before it was our turn to be abused by the Pizza natzi from Grimaldi's.  The only pizza place I have ever seen who prides itself on having a coal fired pizza oven.
The Pizza was worth the abuse.

 Sunset over Manhattan from the end of Orange Street

 Early morning down at the gardens/converted pier near Colman.  Fred buried in the New York Times.