Archive for the ‘FAIRFAX-to-PT. REYES’ Category
On the Road……Toward Pt. Reyes on Sir Francis Drake
Show on mapFinally, finally, finally, part of Sir Francis Drake Blvd. heading out to Pt. Reyes Station and Tomales Bay has been resurfaced.
This was one of the most scarred, chipped, and potholed roads in Marin. I always pedaled on the Lagunitas bike path because it’s more scenic, but a road in this condition (even without bike lanes) is tempting!
Note: the resurfacing isn’t complete. There’s still several miles of really bad, beat-up road that resumes just before Devil’s Gulch if you’re traveling west.
On the Road……St. Rita’s Church in Fairfax
April 13th. I can’t put off doing my taxes any longer. So I take a quick ride to my local library to pick up some tax forms.
After I get my forms, I’m suddenly struck by the view looking across the street at St. Rita’s Church.
Time to make a quick portrait of the Nishiki Mixte, I think.
For better or for worse, this pretty much sums up the way most of my photos come about: spontaneously and a quite randomly.
On the Road……From the 2009 Archives
For whatever reason, certain images never got posted during 2009. So this is some year-end housekeeping.
This shot is from the crest of the hill on Sir Francis Drake Blvd. just before descending into the town of Olema.
On the Road……The Inkwells, Lagunitas
On the Road……The Inkwells and the End of Summer
Once again the heat (mid-90’s F) kept me close to home. I rode out to this semi-secret swimming hole — the Inkwells as it’s known to locals. I met some hospitable folks and had a nice swim. The Geotag shows the location. Don’t tell, but do drop by for a swim if you’re pedaling out toward Pt. Reyes.
On the Road……Tomales Bay, Pt. Reyes
I’m sure everyone who passes by this old wreck makes a picture; it’s hard to resist.
The mouth of Tomales Bay and the mighty Pacific Ocean is identifiable by the small gap between land masses on the left side of the horizon.
Espresso Review……Priscilla’s Pizzeria, Invernes
SUMMARY (64 out of 100 points): Priscilla’s espresso is sort of the mirror image of the Station House Cafe in Pt. Reyes where the crema was great, but the espresso was overly voluminous. Here, I was served a perfectly-sized cup (drinkable in 5-10 sips) just like one gets at the counter of a French brasserie. Yet the crema was nearly non-existent; a cup of thin, black liquid…Alas, my quest for the perfect espresso continues.
On a positive note, like a lot of the places I’ve reviewed there is some great outdoor seating and the food looked delicioso. Lots of people were chowing down on good looking pizza and fresh local oysters (from Hog Island or Drake’s Bay).
Taste (3/5)
Crema (0/5);
Serving size (5/5);
Presentation (4/5);
Eco-friendliness (4/4)
Click below for the rest of the review:
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On the Road……Near Woodacre, ‘Si Se Puede’
Noticed this passing through Woodacre on the back roads returning from Tomales Bay and Inverness. Woodacre is home to Zoltron, a local graphic art studio.
On the Road……Lagunitas Bike Path, Redwoods
On the Road……Lagunitas Bike Path, Coho Crossing
Here’s a ‘salmon crossing’ sign along Lagunitas Creek. The creek meanders its way along the bike path shown here and out Tomales Bay to the Pacific Ocean. The watershed is home to the largest remaining population of endangered Coho Salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) on the central California coast. The fish spend 1-1/2 years out in the ocean growing to about 2 feet in length before returning to fresh water to spawn. I’ve done some work in the past for a local non-profit that’s trying to maintain what’s left of this population (the group is aptly named: SPAWN). There are salmon in other Marin creeks (such as in Redwood Creek in Muir Woods), but these arrive via San Francisco Bay (passing under the Golden Gate Bridge) rather than via Tomales Bay.
Route Map……Fairfax-to-Inverness
On the Road……Inverness
On the Road……Pt. Reyes Station
Here’s a slightly abstract image for a change: July 3rd, Toby’s Feed Barn (and sky), downtown Pt. Reyes Station.
On the Road……Pt. Reyes National Seashore
Are you getting bored with panoramas yet?
The novelty is starting to wear off for me, but they do give a pretty good sense of the landscape so I’ll keep composing these whenever the inspiration strikes (and I’m still quite thrilled with my first try at this format, originally posted here).
On the Road……Woodacre
Lots of barbed wire fencing in West Marin. This particular barb was captured during a short rest before the final hill on the way home from Pt. Reyes.
On the Road……Olema, Highway 1
Olema is said to mean “Coyote” in the native coastal Miwok language. Long thought to be the epicenter of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, the Olema Valley is where the Pacific and North American tectonic plates meet. So, geologically speaking, everything on the east side of the valley is in North America and everything on the west side is not (such as the Bishop Pine forest, behind and to the right of this barn).
On the Road……Lagunitas Bike Bridge
Here’s where the bike path on the way to the Pt. Reyes peninsula crosses over Sir Francis Drake Blvd. Most cyclists (at least those on racing bikes and super narrow tires) don’t use this path because there’s a few dirt stretches that are a little rough. On a cyclotouriste or randonneuring bike, it’s no problem to maintain good speed and relative comfort even on the rough stretches.
On the Road……Spirit Rock’s namesake
I think Spirit Rock should bring over a Japanese bonsai master to do some pruning to this Valley Oak. Sacrilege? Perhaps. But once upon a time there was a rock with a small tree. As the tree has grow…well it just seems slightly unbalanced to my eye. Check out the depiction on the upper left of the meditation center’s website which suggests an earlier aesthetic.
On the Road……Spirit Rock
On the Road……Lagunitas Grocery
On the Road……Re-striping of White’s Hill
This stretch of Sir Francis Drake Blvd. is undergoing changes.
Some recent re-striping gives us cyclists a litle extra shoulder to work with. The black line is where the shoulder used to be.
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On the Road……White’s Hill
Because of poor pavement, blind curves, and aggressive drivers most cyclists I know consider this one of the county’s most dangerous stretches of roadway.
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