The Friday Cyclotouriste

Caffee Acri espresso avec le petite tiramisu

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Sitting at Caffe Acri may be as close as one gets to a truly European cafe experience in Marin County. At least on the surface. There is the outdoor seating area, the marble tables, and the general ambiance of downtown Tiburon where tourists and locals mingle on their way to the ferry terminal, local shops, and famous restaurants like Guaymas (which apparently is now a bit of a disaster judging by a slew of recent yelp reviews).

I ordered my usual —  a single espresso — and specified “for here” so as to get it in a ceramic espresso cup rather than in a silly, over-sized disposable cup. I added a mini-tiramisu for something sweet to eat and so I wouldn’t be tempted to add sugar to my drink.

So how does the espresso rate?

As a scientific observer, I would conclude the espresso was only average: rather thin crema that dissipated quickly and there was not much body or complexity to the taste. However, a rational scientist I am not when it comes to these evaluations.

On this particular day, consuming Caffe Acri’s espresso was like eating a 99-cent bowl of ramen noodles on a backpacking trip. Surely, you’ve had this experience. You’re outdoors beside a river or high-up on some mountain. You’ve been working hard and your body is tired, and for some reason the food (whatever it is) tastes sublime and you’re grateful to have it.

Despite this, for the pure espresso experience one should seriously consider other coffee establishments. Places that come to mind include: Blue Bottle, Four Barrel, and Ritual, although none of these have north bay locations yet (I can dream though).

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Along the Tiburon promenade with Angel Island and San Francisco in the background.

I’m starting to prefer the tighter field of view of this image vs. the (similar) image I posted earlier.

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TIburon peninsula on the left. Angel Island on the right.

A beautiful, sunny day in this micro-climate, but note the white clouds around the island. That’s fog enveloping most of the bay (as seen in the pictures in the above post made not too long after this one). As I mentioned in my ride report, I was tempted to bail out on this ride. I’m really glad I didn’t.

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Descending into Tiburon

Now that’s a small shoulder

Seen here from Paradise Drive, San Quentin prison (far horizon in the center) sits on some prime real estate .

Agave americana. I love these. Supposedly they live 100 years, then die in a magnificent, colorful bloom.

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Since my previous post highlighted this marsh, I thought I’d share a B&W image made with an old Fuji S2 digital camera. The view is from deep in the marsh looking west toward Mt. Tam across tussocks of Pampas Grass (Cortaderia selloana). Over the course of a couple weeks, I made a series of images in this area last spring. This was one of my favorites.

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These are images of the Corte Madera Marsh and some bike paths leading to it (discussed in my earlier ride report)

That’s a Canadian goose on the lower left (the geotag shows the spot of this photo). I think the geese use this wetland as a stopover of some kind, but where they go and from whence they come — I do not know.

On a good day the marsh is also full of Egrets, Snowy Plovers, Pelicans, and various ducks.

The marsh is situated within an active urban landscape with:

the towns of Greenbrae and Larkspur to the north

a big shopping mall and the Tiburon peninsula to the south

the San Francisco Bay and the San Quentin Prison to the east

Highway 101 and the foothills of Mt. Tam to the west

The amount of water in the marsh is infuenced by tide levels and winter rains so there are always new islands and water channels appearing and disappearing day-to-day.

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Some future bicyle advocates returning from Angel Island while I wait to board.

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From Shoreline Park in Tiburon, looking southwest with Belvedere “island” and the Golden Gate Bridge in the background

Having a goal or purpose is important in life and in cycling.

That doesn’t mean you always need a purpose — sometimes it’s okay to allow spontaneity and impulse be your guide.

But on this ride, having the goal of riding to, and circumambulating, Angel Island was critical. Without that goal I would have turned around after 30 minutes because of the extreme gusty wind and fog.

The ride was about 40 miles round trip. I carried water and one PB&J (I ate a hearty late breakfast and didn’t require much else). I wore cotton pants, a cotton t-shirt, a cotton long-sleeve collared shirt. I also brought a thinly-insulated zip-up hoodie for extra layering (but my big regret was not bringing a beanie or cap).

It was sunny and warm when I left Fairfax at about 12:15pm, and the first part of the ride was spent meandering through central Marin towns and cities: the little bike path on the canal behind College of Marin and the path along Corte Madera Creek.

But as I approached the marsh near the Village Shopping Center the winds picked up — probably 15-20 mph head and cross winds with gusts to 25-30 mph on certain straightaways. Gusts flared around nearly every bend of Paradise Drive as I rode the long serpentine back road, past the Romberg Tiburon Center for Environmental Studies, to downtown Tiburon and the Angel Island ferry.

A mile from downtown, the fog and wind let up. The azure sky and stately homes along Marin’s gold coast (Belvedere and Tiburon) stood gloriously against the choppy Bay and the San Francisco skyline. I suddenly felt happy after more than an hour of not-so-happy pedaling.

I had to wait about 20-25 minutes and then caught the 3:00pm ferry across the Raccoon Strait to Angel Island.

When I arrived on the island the fog and wind picked up again and I made a head-down, very earnest turning-of-the-cranks circumambulation of the island. The initial plan was to follow the high fire road, which is the closest a bicycle can get to the top of Mt. Livermore (741′ EL). But the signage was poor and I somehow missed the turn.

Truth be told, I was kind of glad I missed my turn. This way I could follow the more popular (and gentler) Perimeter Road loop and get back to the quay a bit before the 4:20pm return ferry (since I was initially expecting to return on the last ferryboat of the day leaving an hour later.)

Of course, I couldn’t resist stopping for an espresso and a tira misu at Caffe Acri (review to come) once I was back on the mainland. Now, sufficiently energized, I rode furiously home while getting slammed by head winds for most of the trip (but also catching a few miles of tremendous tailwinds — for which I thank the spirit of St. Velocio).

A bit past 6pm, I arrived home to a memorable hot shower.

All in all, it was a frustratingly beautiful day on the bicycle, and well worth the effort!

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Here’s a gps file of the ride to Angel Island. The mileage on the elevation profile is one-way. And the point where the pink line ends on the upper map is where my gps data logger ran out of batteries. It wasn’t a bad place for this to happen, however, as by that time the route was already nearly fully logged and delineated.

Remember you can change map types or zoom in or out to taste, using the Google map control buttons.

Audrey Hepburn on her bike at Paramount Studios, 1957

I wanted to give credit to the photographer; but, try as I did, I couldn’t track down the individual’s name.

I think The New Yorker has a thing for bicycles. The cover from the August 2, 2010 issue is below, followed by some other beauties from the archives.

Aug. 2, 2010

Jan. 18, 2010

April 22, 1985

Aug. 1, 1983

June 22, 1981

July 23, 1979

Aug. 6, 1955

May 4, 1946

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August Sander, Forester’s Child, Westerwald, 1931. Gelatin silver print, 10-3/16 x 7-1/2 inches. Copyright © SK-Stiftung Kultur – August Sander Archiv VG-Bild Kunst, Bonn.  Deborah Bell Photographs

August Sander is one of the most esteemed portrait photographers the medium has produced. I did not know of this image, however, until discovering it in the current issue of The New Yorker magazine.

The geo-link below the photo is only accurate at the level of the town (it would be interesting to track down the exact location).

Since I’ve already digressed so greatly from the Angel Island ride report and photos I keep wanting to post, I may as well list some other (mostly contemporary) photographers that interest me (in no particular order):

• Pirkle Jones
• Joel Sternfeld
• Clyde Butcher
• Saul Leiter
• Christopher Burkett
• Michael Kenna
• Edward Burtynsky
• Stephen Shore
• Edward Weston
• Mathew Chase-Daniel
• William Eggleston
• Chris Jordon
• Clark Little
• Jim Balog

And then there’s my current favorite photographer, Laura Mcphee.

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Until the Cal-Park tunnel re-opens to pedestrians and bikers (and trains someday too) all rides heading south from Fairfax (e.g. to San Francisco, Mill Valley, Sausalito, etc.) will likely pass through the Town of Ross.

The enfant terrible, Sean Penn, has a home here and the street above, Shady lane, was featured in Francis Coppola’s film, The Godfather.

The image was made in the first few miles of my roughly 40-mile Angel Island excursion.

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I bicycled to Angel Island (via ferry) over the long holiday week-end. It was a typical July day on the San Francisco Bay — patches of brilliant sunshine mixed with belts of fog and massive wind gusts, due to cold ocean air being sucked into warmer inland areas.

The image above was made on the SW side of the island below the summit of Mount Caroline Livermore (El. 788′). Note downtown SF, Alcatraz, and the Golden Gate Bridge in the background. (You can click on the image for an expanded view).

(Wikipedia fact: Angel Island was part of the mainland until about 10,000 years ago, when sea levels rose as the last ice age came to an end.)

More images, a map, a short ride report, and an espresso review to come.

One more picture from the fair last weekend.

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With the Tour de France underway, I’m rising early to catch the end of each day’s stage. The race seems wide open this year, although defending Champion from Spain, Alberto Contador, looks well-positioned with the important mountain stages coming up.

Anyhow, I recently came across this book (actually, the publisher sent it to me to review). It’s quite charming. I really like the glossary which includes some phrases that were new to me (e.g. lanterne rouge or red lantern refers to the rider who finishes in last place for the whole race).

I also really like the complete list of Tour winners going back to 1903 with the teams and countries they raced for juxtaposed to a pop-up map of central Paris with the Champs-Elysees, Place de la Concorde, and Rue de Rivoli all on display.

The text also includes insights like these:

More than any other sport the Tour de France has its own culture. In the midst of fierce competition, the Tour follows some unofficial rules of etiquette that are not found in other sports. For instance:

• If a rider loses time because of a fall or collision, it is unacceptable for other cyclists to use that misfortune to gain an advantage for themselves.
• Attacking during a meal break is taboo.
• If the race passes through a riser’s home village, as a sign of respect he is permitted to ride ahead to greet family and friends.
  
• In celebration of Bastille Day…it is considered polite to allow a French rider to win the stage — as long as it does not affect the overall outcome of the race.

Paris and list of past Tour champions

The Peloton

Short history of bicycling

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Here’s a video clip of Obi-Wan using some Jedi mind tricks in STAR WARS episode IV.

May the Force be with you.

WalkBikeMarin Display at Marin County Fair

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The company I’m working with this summer, Alta Planning + Design, is deeply involved as a consultant in a $25 million federal pilot project to test the effectiveness of using federal funds to increase the modal share of bicycling and walking. The mechanism to accomplish these goals is infrastructure improvements and public education.

So I spent a day at the Marin County Fair sharing information about the program with fair goers.

Here’s a link to a comprehensive list of bicycle projects underway in Marin and, just for fun, here’s a few comparative statistics (from Alliance for Walking and Biking):

• The Netherlands invests about $39/resident on bicycling and walking compared to $1.50/resident for the U.S.
• Their share of bicycling trips is 27%; ours is 1%.

Being a camera nerd, I’ve begun to notice a proliferation of videos featuring a distinctive photo processing technique using implied tilt-shift camera movements and time lapse photography. The results are videos like these which appear to show itty-bitty scale models of cities. Here’s a tilt-shift tutorial for the uber tech-savvy and the website of Ken Loutit, who helped popularize the genre with his bathtub series.

The above video was featured in an interesting academic article on bicycling advocacy by the blogger and randonneur extraordinaire Esteban.

Formerly known as Shaky Grounds, this cafe has a new name so I decided to stop in for a visit. The place is now run by espresso drinkers (and World Cup futbol fans) so I immediately took a liking to the atmosphere.

Mojay’s Cafe is on the 4th St. bike route so it’s a convenient place to stop if you’re riding east-west through San Rafael. The menu seems to have a little bit of everything, including Italian Panini. The tenant next door also happens to be a bike shop: Summit Bicycles.

Okay, okay, so how’s the espresso experience you ask? Well, I give it very high marks:

1. The presentation is excellent: my espresso was served in an elegant and appropriately sized cup and saucer. On my first visit, the espresso even came with a mini-biscotti and a small spoon (all without having to ask). This was a nice touch and shows a better understanding of espresso culture than one normally finds around here.
2. The 100% organic espresso tasted just right and had very good crema.
3. Fresh drinking water is available from a self serve station and Wi-Fi is free.

Now, we’ll see if Mojay’s can deliver all this consistently. If so, I may have found my new favorite espresso stop.

Ebisu in waiting, Mojay's Cafe

To celebrate the Summer Solstice (the longest day of the year and the exact moment — 11:28am PST yesterday — when the earth’s axial tilt is most inclined to the Sun) a gallery of images of Spring flora made on various bicycle rides over the last couple months:

From upper left-to-right and from top-to-bottom:

1. Daisies of some kind;
2. Sticky Monkey Flower (Mimulus aurantiacus);
3. native California Black Oak (Quercus kellogii);
4. native Miner’s Lettuce (Claytonia perfoliata);
5. a native Pacific Coast Iris;
6. native California Poppy (Eschscholzia californica);
7. another Pacific Coast Iris,
8. a Rose; and finally,
9. Scotch Broom (Cytisus scoparius) a troublesome invasive species supposedly wreaking havoc upon on native wildlife ecosystems.

Silca Floor Pump, circa 1983

I’ve only experienced classic Italian-made Silca pumps. Maybe some other manufacturer makes a better, easier to use, more effective, or lighter model, but these are solidly made and do the job just fine.

My Silca Pista floor model is more than 25 years old (and spare parts are still available!).  I replaced the hose, clamps and washers about 5 years ago and have a few different pump heads (one brass, one plastic).

On the Silca frame model, I like Campagnolo’s steel pump head as an upgrade to Silca’s original plastic pump head, but these are hard to find and often run $50 or more on ebay.

Mounted to the Seat-tube

Mounted to the Top-tube

Silca Frame Pumps

I always carry a pump.

Well, not always. I don’t carry a pump on my city bike when I’m riding 0-3 miles around town. But on any other kind of ride I carry a pump, two spare tubes, and a few tools. (I began carrying two tubes after receiving two flat tires on one ride.)

It can be argued that mechanical self-sufficiency is less critical in the era of cell phones. Still, if you ride a lot something will eventually come loose or break and you’re sure to get flat tires every now and then.

And in my experience, even having a tiny bit of self-reliance adds to the joy of riding.

Tool Kit

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For the first time in my life, I was pulled over by the police while riding a bicycle (during my morning commute).

I’ll explain in a moment, but first a short digression:

1. I usually go out of my way to ride conservatively because I see so many bicyclists riding recklessly, which only invites motorists’ anger. (Of course, it’s equally true that many, if not most, motorists drive irrationally, impatiently, and aggressively in terms of how they interact with bicyclists).
2. I like to think I see the folly of both sides and so whether I’m piloting a car or a bike, I try to keep the other in mind and set a good example.

Nonetheless, on this day, I rolled through a stop sign fairly quickly after seeing no on-coming cars. Local law enforcement was hiding on a nearby side street. I didn’t see the squad car, but I heard the siren from behind a few blocks later and knew I was busted.

I gave my best Idaho Stop defense and after producing my driver’s license was mercifully only given a short lecture and let go with a warning.

If you’ve never heard of the Idaho Stop law here’s an elegant little video.

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I recently discovered a fantastic blog, Tokyo Green Space, which examines ways that biodiversity and urban form coexist in Tokyo. It inspired me to take a closer look at the dialogue between nature and urban design in my own backyard.

On a lunch time bike ride to the Civic Center, I made these pictures of the ground floor garden inside Wright’s famous architectural commission.

An earlier post included images of the outside of the building.

Ebisu parked inside the Civic Center

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After cruising north to the Civic Center during a week-day lunch break and finding no bike parking out front, I brought the Ebisu inside and, of course, made a quick picture. Here are a few more:

Courtyard and base of spire

Courtyard off cafeteria

Another random image made on my back porch. Like this picture also from my porch (or this Christmas Day image), it really has nothing to do with bicycles — just an interesting photograph I thought I’d share.

The above image was made with my new (used) camera: a Fuji S5. The lens is a Nikon 18-55mm picked up for $25 on craigslist. The autofocus motor on the lens is broken (which is why it was so cheap), but I like it because it forces me to slow down and focus the lens by hand.

Another bicycle commuting video I enjoyed. It’s a 12km daily commute through an urban and, what looks like, a semi-rural Japanese landscape.

What’s the nature of your commute? Have a look at this poll.

I believe this fellow is actually quite mad. Check out his website 14degrees.org. He holds the Guinness long distance skateboarding record, traveling over 12,000km across Europe, N. America, and China (Here’s some video highlights).

I’ve recently started a short bicycle commute (the last few videos reflect this interest) and this makes me wonder how others get to their jobs.

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Long overdue, this is Part II of my ride report.

(Here is Part I and here again is the map of the route).

The broad outlines of this ride came to me as I looked at the location of my friends’ house on a map. This would be a circumnavigation, via two major urban bridges, of the Carquinez strait — a watery narrows that California’s two mighty rivers, the Sacramento and San Joaquin, must pass through before emptying into the San Pablo and San Francisco Bays.

Port Costa — surrounded by rolling green hills — was the perfect launching point for such a ride.

Miles 0-10:  From Port Costa to Martinez bicyclists can use the old highway, which is closed to car traffic. I passed the occasional hiker and was treated to rolling hills, scenic views of the water and the old rail road tracks, and a final, satisfying descent into the town of Martinez. I breezed in feeling energized and thus decided to go looking for the John Muir historic monument rather than sticking to the course I had initially set. (Read about that side trip here).

Miles 11-20: The second third of the trip took me from downtown Martinez across the Benicia Bridge to Southampton Bay and the Benicia state recreation area. This was easy, pleasant riding never too far from the shoreline. I rode past past marinas filled with expensive yachts and late Sunday afternoon picnic goers. I stopped frequently to make photographs and found my way using a variety of bike paths and shared roads.  I was never entirely sure if I was on my planned route, but I wasn’t too concerned as “Bike Route” signs were plentiful and all roads seemed to propel me toward the state park.

Miles 21-30: During the last third of the trip, after leaving Benicia state park, the route finding and bicycle riding became more difficult. The bike lane ended and I had to navigate a number of challenges:

first was a curving, shoulder-less off-ramp leading up to Columbus Parkway and a narrow two-way bridge near the intersection with I-780.

route finding became more difficult since I screwed up my Google bicycling directions by accidentally printing a mirror image of the route (starting at point B going to A, rather than A to B). As a result, I had to read the directions backwards (from the bottom of the page up) and calculate whether left and right turns were also reversed. It was a mess.

a critical street sign was missing and as I pedaled up what seemed the biggest incline of the trip I was unsure if was even on the correct road (later I confirmed I was on Benicia Rd.).

in order to find the approach to the bike/ped path of the Carquinez Bridge I had to cross three major interstates (I-780 2 times and I-80 once) and pedal through a few gritty urban neighborhoods (riding in normal street clothes, rather then a skintight lycra outfit, never felt more right).

since I began my journey after 4:30pm the onset of darkness was a real issue (I don’t have a lighting system on this bike).

So, I pedaled hard the last 6-7 miles, crossed the Carquinez Bridge as the sun dropped below the horizon, and managed to arrive back in Port Costa just after 8pm.

My friends had taken a twilight stroll and were not yet home. I was a little tired and rather hungry (since I didn’t eat anything on route), but took solace in the satisfaction of having just circumnavigated the Carquinez Strait.

La Bodega

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self-portrait

spiral descent

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A quiet, relaxed, exhaust-free commute, and no signs of stress or road rage on the streets of Utrecht (The Netherlands).

• Take home message: The importance of quality bike paths cannot be underestimated.

NOTE: I find the Dutch language inscrutable. For instance here’s the proper pronunciation of Utrecht (listen).

Part 1 of my ride report was published awhile back. Stay tuned for Part II and the last of the photos from this scenic loop ride.
* Remember you can always click the Show on map under the photo to view the location on a map.

View of the Carquenez Strait looking south from Benicia

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The photo caption says it all.

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I don’t know much about these except that they are often called ice plants, which is a bit of a misnomer since they’re quite hardy and thrive in full sunshine.

Most likely these are a pesky invasive species. Nonetheless, they’re often growing en masse along California highways. The flowers’ vivid color is impressive when in full bloom.

Getting on the Martinez-Benicia Bridge

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Most of this route has well-marked signage. (But over the last third of the ride I did have a little trouble finding my way. See Part II of my ride report for details.)