Tackling a Trail with a Trike

June 2, 2013 to June 3, 2013

I woke up on the Sunday morning feeling like a truck had run over me. I was out working in the heat all day on the Saturday and I was still creaking and groaning. Nah, I don't think I feel like getting myself together to do this China Camp State Park bike camping thing today. Still too hot out.

I spent most of the morning with a pot of coffee and reading bike journals, which did a lot to restore me. And inspire me. I checked the weather. The fog was returning through the Golden Gate and temps were falling. I also had the brainstorm that I had ALL AFTERNOON to ride only 13 miles to China Camp. And that sundown came late this time of year. So, I went down to the nearby REI and rented a tent. Picked up a few things at the grocery store. Stuffed the sleeping bag and air mattress into their respective sacks. Loaded the trike into the car. Packed the panniers with clothes and the food. By 2 p.m. I was on the road to San Rafael, a drive of a bit over an hour north.

My plan was to leave my car under the watchful eyes of my aunt and uncle who live in San Rafael. They kibbitzed as I loaded the trike, thoroughly entertained. Part of the entertainment was me trying to remember how I attached everything last time I did this. I had to go to the photos in my Angel Island journal to see how I did it.

It was 4:30 when I finally trundled off down the road. The first eight miles of the ride were through residential and suburban streets. Nothing very special but it did go along San Francisco Bay and some nice marinas. There were also a few short steep climbs - huge when you've been doing mostly flat land for months and months - but there was ample room on the shoulder and not a lot of traffic.

A nice late afternoon start to the tour. Even though it's a bit breezy it's a crosswind and temps are great after a hot day. In the background is McNear's Brickyard.

A little closer view of McNear's Brickyard. You can sorta see mountains of bricks there.

Once I passed McNear's Beach County Park and came to the state park boundary, I turned off on to Shoreline Trail. This trail was the reason I chose this particular overnight. I recently put a knobby tire on the back (drive) wheel of my trike and I wanted to try riding on a trail fully loaded. Upshot is, I'm really happy I did that. Traction is much improved over conventional tires and I feel like I can go anywhere.

Off San Pedro Road and on to Shoreline Trail.

Shoreline Trail runs above San Pedro Road from one end of the park to the other. It goes through open grassland, oak woodlands, riparian and marshy habitats. It runs generally along the hillside contour with only mild ups and downs. The southern part of the trail wasn't whacked yet, with grasses and weeds right up to the trail. My trike and gear was just as wide as the trail. I had to go slowly and weave back and forth as best I could to stay away from poison oak and hope that any ticks had been brushed off by previous riders or hikers.

But. But. Oh my. Where it had been muddy over the winter there were lots of ruts and drops and gullies which made parts of the trail like a thrill ride, bouncing and laughing all the way, especially on the downhills. The trike - which is suspended, a good idea - ate it all up. I couldn't stop grinning. It's so much more fun on a trail, in the woods and grasslands, not worrying about motor vehicles but worrying about leaning into the turns enough so that you don't tip over down the hillsides. My core got a good workout.

The trail is typical mountain bike single-track.

The trail runs into an oak-shaded drainage.

Soap plant, or amole, flower. Blooms late one day and is gone the next. They were all over the grasslands as I rode along. I was surprised there were so many wildflowers still around, which was lovely.

View north along the bay. China Camp SP extends most of the shoreline seen.

More lovely oak woodland in the late afternoon light.

Looking out over Miwok Meadow. You can see the change from bay, to marsh, to the uplands. And on that hill in the distance is where I first kissed my wife.

After about 5 miles on the trail I approached the campground. There at the end of the trail was someone waving at me. Oh yeah - my sister! I'd previously arranged with her to come by with some Mexican food. Luckily she came without waiting for me to text her of my arrival because, being deep in a canyon, there was no cell reception at the campground. I got checked in - hike/biker sites are only $5, another attraction for this ride - and I feasted on my tostada. Thanks, sis, for providing food and company for dinner.

Dinner! Sis brought me a tostada, as ordered. She went for a burger. Even brought utensils. What a gal.

I pedaled down to San Pedro Road outside the campground to get cell signal so I could check in with the wife, who was traveling herself. As I rode through the campground, the trike was a big conversation starter. Several people got on it to try it out and couldn't believe how comfortable it was. One man was particularly taken with it. He wasn't going to get on it at first, but the more we talked, he finally said, "Oh, I better try it out. I won't forgive myself." He ended up taking one of my dealer's business cards.

This was my view as I sat along San Pedro Road where I could get a cell signal and check in with the wife.

Some smoke shows the general location of the campground.

I never sleep well the first night on the ground, and tonight was no exception. Made me wonder why I insist on camping when I do these bike overnights. But sleep I did eventually. I woke early, thanks to the birds all around me. The humans in the campground, what few there were on a school night, were still in their tents. You wouldn't know we were just around the corner from a metropolis. I spent some time wandering around, simply enjoying the morning, the quiet, the light, the air, the birds. I thought I saw a few California quail off under the trees, but it turned out they were turkey poults. The adults had been calling back and forth across the campground all morning. Now I saw why. Must have been about a dozen poults with three or four hens.

A lovely empty campground on a Monday morning. Not quiet, though -- birdsong and turkeys in particular were quite noisy starting before sunrise.

Packed up and got on the road. The last part of the loop was only five miles with just a couple of short climbs. I whizzed past some rush hour traffic near the freeway and stopped at a diner for breakfast to wait out the worst of it.

Marsh in the morning. This is basically the same view I had in the twilight in earlier photo.

Quiet ranch pond with egrets and mallards.

When I was under way again, pedaling slowly up the last climb, I noticed a kayak paddle off to the side of the road. Hmmmm. We'd lost the paddle for our kayak at work. Money is always short. I only have a couple of miles until I'm back at the car. Should I? Yeah, why not? So I attached the paddle to the trike, kept one hand on the other end of it, and off I went. Must have been a sight.

Gifts of the road. Never know what you'll find when you're going at bike speed, right? We lost our kayak paddle at work and on the return leg I found a replacement.

Too soon I was back at my car. I had a leisurely visit with the aunt and uncle, then headed home. I was back just before 2. A true S24O adventure.

Counterclockwise from near Dominican University.

Heart

Comment

Link

Today's ride: 15 miles (24 km)
Total: 15 miles (24 km)

Rate this entry's writing	Heart	3
Comment on this entry	Comment	0