Today’s ride took us along the eastern shore of Tomales Bay before cutting back to the more heavily populated San Rafael region.

After extracting ourselves and our gear from the Continental Inn, we continued south on Highway 1. We quickly passed the playground from last night, and the kids called out wistfully for it. We weren’t about to stop in the first quarter mile, so on we rolled.

We curled around a bunch of half dome hills. The road managed to stay remarkably level, although the wind was channeled through in all directions.

We came to Tomales Bay, and the road got hillier as it followed the perimeter of the bay. Unlike Devil’s Lake in Oregon, the road stayed pretty straight, giving traffic more opportunities to safely pass. We were also passed by a pair of touring cyclists, one stopping in San Francisco, the other continuing to San Diego.

As we got to the southern end of the bay, Ruth announced that we had been there before. We have been, although on the other side, three years ago. I doubt that’s what she was actually referring to.

It was time to make our first real diversion from Highway 1 since starting on it in Leggett. We cut east towards Samuel P Taylor State Park, much like on that previous ride. As we got to the park, via a bike path, Anne announced that it was her favorite bike path. It does take you through the forest, and is quite lovely. We stopped to eat lunch at a picnic table near a campground.

After lunch, we followed the planned route to continue on the path. The Adventure Cycling map suggests taking the road out. They are probably right. The path quickly switched to packed dirt with some gravel. Every tenth of a mile there would be a dip where water could run down to the creek below. There were usually three options: gravel to the right, bumpy concrete in the middle, or a small wooden bridge on the left. Anne, in front, would decide which looked the best, and called out directions to me.

Finally we got out and took Sir Francis Drake Blvd up and out of the valley. We passed through some small communities as we very gently climbed. A tailwind helped, too. Only the last half mile felt like real climbing, getting to a pass through the golden brown grassy hills. Then a more serious down until we hit the edge of Fairfax.

This is by far the biggest development we’ve been in for a long time. It’s different riding through it. It didn’t help that the roads are super twisty as they try to follow the contours. Cars, pedestrians, and other bikes all vie for their turn along businesses, residential areas, and stop signs. Far too many stop signs.

Finally we got to a rail-to-trail section, complete with weirdly angled intersections that make sense for a train, but not bikes. Usually I have mixed thoughts about these kind of trails. Cars are often easier to work with than walkers. This time I was pretty happy to switch over.

We saw a couple of deer today. While we were descending and turning, Ruth called out that she saw a deer, but us grown-ups were wasting our attention on the road. She later said she thought it was a pretend deer until she saw it move. We also saw a buck near the top of the climb, just chilling twenty feet off the road. It stayed long enough to get the camera out, but then ran off while Anne tried to take a picture.

Our room at the Marin Suites Hotel is ridiculously large. There’s a living room, a kitchen/dining room, a bedroom with a king, plus a bedroom with two queens.

We’re also totally back in civilization, with a strip mall on one side and theater on the other (just one screen though). There’s a full fledged mall a couple of blocks away, too. It’s nice to have services available, and stores open past 7:00. Still, it’ll be good to get back into quieter areas.

We have a rest day tomorrow to enjoy the room and services available. Then it’ll be time to cross Golden Gate and start riding away from home.