Another incredible ride to cap off a great month…

We are supposed to get rain on Thursday. It’s about time because the area really needs it. Water rationing is a very real possibility and a current reality down in Bolinas. However, the summer-like weather brought out the cyclists in droves to West Marin. I definitely attribute my January sales to the weather. Compared to the the cycle (pun intended) of sales by month, January is usually a slow month for bike shops. My January was up 350% over January of 2008 and then February 1, superbowl Sunday, saw one of my busiest single days in a long time with sales on the order of 1/8th of January’s sales.

Anyway, I was pretty happy after I closed Sunday and knowing that Monday, the day I’m closed, was going to continue with the spectacular weather, I decided to ride out the the lighthouse on Pt. Reyes. The weather on the point is totally unpredictable. Actually, that’s not really true at all. The weather is totally predictable. Foggy and windy are the norms. Pt. Reyes where the lighthouse is is considered to be the 2nd foggiest spot in the lower 48 and a wind speed of 133mph has been recorded. But not today. The wind did play a part in the ride today with a nice tailwind for a lot of the ride and only a moderately painful headwind for 10-15 miles back up the seashore.

Here’s some pictures, map, and elevation profile – it was a total of about 3800 feet of climbing. The observation deck above the lighthouse (the furthest point out one can ride your bike) is exactly 20 miles from Pt. Reyes Station. I extended the ride a couple of miles by riding to the Chimney Rock trail head and then taking the trail to the Elephant Seal overlook. Even from about 1/4 mile away, those were some noisy beasts. The males had a very low bellow that was very clear and the pups made sounds like monkeys in the forest – screechin’ and hollerin’.

All in all, it was a great day on the bike and probably the last clear day before we get hit with some rain in a couple of days.

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Elevation profile.

From Ride Photos

Self-portrait – yep, short sleeves and zipped down out on the point in February.

From Ride Photos

On the way to the lighthouse, the tailwind (and slight descent), made for some fast riding. That speed was while pedaling along no-handed (no speed wobbles here!).

From Ride Photos

Looking out over the Pacific.

From Ride Photos

Historic “B” Ranch, established around 1869, looking out over Drake’s Bay.

From Ride Photos

What the lighthouse looks like on a clear day.

From Ride Photos

While eating my lunch at the overlook above the lighthouse, there was absolutely no wind, and the sun actually felt hot on my back.

Elephant seals on the beach.

From Ride Photos

(What’s playing: Wilco Either Way)