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Random Images……Halloween Day – Redwood duff – Cataract Trail
Show on mapAn image that really has nothing much to do with bicycles (like many of my other “Random Images“), but it feels very autumnal and fitting for the holiday.
This was made on the way up the Cataract trail toward Mt. Tam.
In months past, I’ve written extensively about the area around Cataract.
On the Road……Cataract Mushroom Gallery
Last week, instead of biking I went for a rainy day hike up the Cataract Trail to Laurel Dell. Lots of mushrooms, but not a Chanterelle to be found 🙁
Route Map……Cataract to Laurel Dell
If you’re cycling up to Mt. Tam or over the ridge and you want to get off, stretch your legs, and hike, this is a nice side trip. The trail follows a steep canyon with waterfalls, all the way up to Laurel Dell and beyond (potentially to the summit of Mt. Tam).
On the Road……Cataract to Laurel Dell
Let’s pack up and take off and dig Laurel Dell camp. Then we’ll hike over the trails down to the sea and swim.
That’s Japhy Ryder from the Jack Kerouac novel, Dharma Bums. Kerouac based the Japhy character on my personal hero, poet Gary Snyder. Kerouac’s narrator continues below with some local references to areas around Mt. Tam. He takes some poetic license with his description of the landscape and the distinction between Laurel Dell and Portrero Meadows, but still, how cool to have these places I know so well immortalized in a Jack Kerouac novel:
We arrived at Laurel Dell camp at about ten, it was also supplied with stone fireplaces with grates, and picnic table, but the surroundings were infinitely more beautiful than Portrero Meadows. Here were the real meadows: dreamy beauties with soft grass sloping all around, fringed by heavy deep green timber, the whole scene of waving grass and brooks and nothing in sight.
On the Road……Cataract to Laurel Dell
On the Road……NO CAMPING, NO BOATS, NO SWIMMING…
…NO OPEN FIRES, so says MMWD. Still, you can always ride a bicycle or go for a hike via the nearby Cataract Trail. (p.s. thanks to the group from SF who shared water and some delicious grapes at this scenic little spot).
Route MAPS
Most maps are generated from a compact GPS data logger that I’ve attached to my bicycle handlebar bag. I’m still refining my workflow. For now, I convert these tracks recorded by this device into GPX or KML files using this nifty site (gpsvisualizer.com) or by using a program like GPS Babel.
Click on the links below to see the maps.
Fairfax-to:
Bolinas (with elevation profile)
San Rafael Farmer’s Market (with elevation profile)
Cataract trail waterfall hike (with elevation profile)
Angel Island (with elevation profile)
Other Routes:
Carquinez Strait Circumnavigation
Sabino Canyon, Tucson, AZ (with elevation profile)
Sausalito to Pt. Bonita Loop (with elevation profile)
