Monthly Archives: November 2011

Trail: COFFEE RUN — San Anselmo and Fairfax

Posted on by
2

San Anselmo and Fairfax are quaint little towns that loom at the base of the Coastal Range. Both are great spots to start a ride or grab lunch. Restaurants and coffee shops are all along the main drag of each town. Some of our favorite places to eat during a ride are in this area. These towns also hold different festivals throughout the year, so feel free to stop in and find your own favorite spot.

-Trail Starts at mile 6.0 of The Larkspur Connection
-Distance from San Francisco Ferry Building (see Golden Gateway Trail): 32.22 miles; Distance from Marin Crossroads: 18.79 miles; Distance from Sausalito: 22.81 miles
Elevation Gain on trail: 125 feet
Difficulty: It’s not about the road, it’s about the destination. With a mix of on-road riding and multi-use paths, this rolling eight miles runs from the end of the Marin Crossroads to the Larkspur Ferry Terminal and is a short, but fun adventure.
Download your route sheet here: Directions – Coffee Run
Starting at the intersection of Magnolia Avenue, Route 15, and Bon Air Boulevard, just outside of Larkspur, continue along Magnolia Avenue toward Ross.
Follow Magnolia Avenue until you reach the stop sign at Kent Avenue. Make a left at the stop sign, then jog to the right onto Kent Avenue, continuing to follow Route 15.
 
Follow Kent Avenue through Ross and past the Ross Commons.
Kent Avenue and Route 15 dead end at Lagunitas Road.  Make a left onto Lagunitas Road, then make quick right onto Shady Lane.
You pick up Route 20 the rest of the way to San Anselmo.
Follow Shady Lane to Bolinas Avenue.
Make a right onto Bolinas Avenue, then make the first left at the stoplight onto San Anselmo Avenue (just like the black Lexus in the second picture below).
This road takes you through the heart of San Anselmo. Just past the next stop light is one of our favorite lunch spots, Comforts.
The Chinese Chicken Salad is a house favorite at Comforts, a popular place for locals and where you will see cyclists around who are post-ride or taking a break for lunch.
If you are not ready for lunch, but would like to have coffee and bond with other cyclists, continue down the street and Marin Coffee Roasters & Cafe, another hub for bike chatter.
With bike racks set up front you’ll see everything from restored 1960’s Schwinn comfort bikes, to mountain bikes to souped-up road bikes parked in front of this coffee house. Riders drink joe and swap stories about rides and where they plan to go next.  If you’ve never had it, we recommend trying the frozen green bubble tea  – a green tea frappuccino with tapioca balls (see below).
For more choices continue along San Anselmo Avenue through the rest of the town towards Fairfax, then make a left, following San Anselmo Avenue and Route 20, just past the 7-11.
Continue to follow along Route 20 and San Anselmo Avenue. San Anselmo Avenue makes a right just after Madrone Avenue.  Just after Redwood Road, there is a “Y” in the road, follow the “Y” to the right and continue along San Anselmo Avenue.  San Anselmo Boulevard turns into Lansdale Avenue.  The road ends at Pastoni Avenue, make a right and then a quick left onto Center Boulevard.
Along Center Boulevard then next place to stop for a coffee is the Java Hut.  This is not only a place to stop for coffee early in the morning, but also a great place to park if you want to start you ride from Fairfax.
Following along Center Boulevard, make a left at Bolinas Road.  On the corner is Fairfax Coffee Roastery.
The Coffee Roaster is at the corner of the route you take to get to Alpine Dam, Mt. Tam and Bolinas. These are the last set of restaurants to get some nourishment at before making some major climbs. (BE WARNED!)
While it may be difficult to make friends with fellow cyclists on hard climbs or fast descents, hanging out in places where cyclists congregate to eat and drink is one of the most enjoyable social aspects of cycling. Swapping stories over coffee or lunch is a great way to hear about rides you may want to take (or those you would not want to take). Socialization in cycling is something to keep the community growing in both numbers and camaraderie. Next time you are out on a ride, make sure to enjoy coffee with a fellow cyclist.

UPDATE: Golden Gate Bridge East Side Reopened as of November 19, 2011

Posted on by
1

On Saturday, November 19, 2011, the East Side (Pedestrian Side) of the Golden Gate Bridge is once again open! Read the announcement here.

As of November 19, 2011 pedestrians are once again able to walk across the Golden Gate Bridge. This means pedestrians, runners and tourists can now transit completely across from San Francisco to Vista Point in Marin County on the East Side of the Bridge. See the limitations for what transpiration methods are allowed on the East Side here.

So for all of you who want to cross the Golden Gate Bridge by a means other than bike (Why? Who knows.) or for cyclotourists who find the West Side “scary” (Because all of us Bike Douches are scary), the East Side is now your playground!

Enjoy!

 

Trail: THE LARKSPUR CONNECTION

Posted on by
7

Connecting to the Larkspur Ferry Terminal is one of the easiest ways to return to San Francisco from a ride in Marin County. The route takes you from the end of the Marin Crossroads, through one of our favorite short descents we call “The Chase Scene,” through the town of Larkspur and back along another multi-use path to the Larkspur Ferry Terminal.

Distance from San Francisco Ferry Building (see Golden Gateway Trail): 22.65 miles; Distance from Marin Crossroads: 8.22 miles; Distance from Sausalito: 12.24 miles
Elevation Gain on trail: 305 feet
Difficulty: It’s not about the road, it’s about the destination. With a mix of on-road riding and multi-use paths, this rolling eight miles runs from the end of the Marin Crossroads to the Larkspur Ferry Terminal and is a short, but fun adventure.
Download your route sheet here: Directions – Larkspur Connection
The path to the Larkspur Ferry Terminal begins at the end of the Marin Crossroads.
At the light, cross East Blithedale Ave. and continue down the path along Route 5 until you reach the the first paved intersection, and make a right and continue to follow Route 5 down the path.
Continue along Lomita Drive past the hill where the local horses graze.
Lomita Drive turns left up a hill to the path that follows along US-101.
Keep to the left and follow Route 5 to Meadowsweet Drive.
Continue along Meadowsweet Drive as you cruise downhill.
At the “Y” in the road at the bottom of the hill, veer left and continue along Meadowsweet Drive.
At the next intersection, make a right toward the stop light, continuing along Route 5.
Continue through the light along Madera Boulevard.
Follow Madera Boulevard until you reach the stoplight at Womum Drive.
Just before Womum Drive, merge onto the sidewalk to cross Madera Boulevard at the crosswalk.
Follow Route 16 along the Larkspur Bike Path until it ends at Montecito Drive.
 An alternate to the Route 16 bike path is to take the path to the right after the bridge, Route 18, and follow Lucky Drive to the bridge over the channel as seen in The Sharks Fin.
Turn left at Montecito Drive, then make a right at the stop sign onto Tamalpias Drive.
Make another quick right at the light on to Magnolia Avenue and Route 15.
Follow Magnolia Avenue, Route 15 towards Ross, through downtown Larkspur.
Go through the light at the bottom of he hill and stay towards the center of the lane at the next light staying in the bike lane.
After the light, hop up on to the path on your right.
Follow the path until you reach Bon Air Road.  Once you reach Bon Air Road, this is the point where you would continue along Magnolia Avenue to reach San Anselmo, Fairfax and beyond.
Take a right on Bon Air Road, follow it over the bridge and make a right onto South Eliseo Drive.
Follow South Eliseo Drive, Route 20, just over a mile, up the hill and down to the bike path along the channel.
Follow the bike path until you reach the bridge…
Keep following Route 20 toward the Larkspur Ferry as it winds under the overpass and over the wooden bridge.
Then follow the path next to Sir Frances Drake Boulevard all the way to the Larkspur Ferry Terminal.
Make a right just before the parking lot entrance.
Once you reach the Larkspur Ferry Terminal your journey is complete.  Check the ferry schedule for times, but most of the ferries go directly to the San Francisco Ferry Building, except for the 5:30 p.m. ferry on weekends which stops in Sausailto first.  If you are going to take this ferry, make sure to check out The Hat Trick to protect your bike from the heavy comfort bikes of the tourists.
Whether your goal is to have another way of getting back to San Francisco from deeper into Marin, or you just don’t feel like riding back to the city after cycling Paradise Loop, the Larkspur Ferry Terminal adds another option for your return home.