Last Friday Feb 9th in the morning I put on all my usual winter layers (what a normal person will wear to ski in the cold snow) plus all my rain gear. I was looking like as astronaut. See below a picture Sally took before the ride:
I wanted to ride from my house all the way to Slacker to admire one of the most gorgeous views of the Golden Gate and the San Francisco Bay. I went down to the Tennessea Valley stables via Coastal, then climbed Marincello, did some secret trails that connected me with Alta, then went to Slacker via other secret trails. Once in Slacker, I did some secret trails to Coastal, where I descended to the bottom of Bob Cat to climb back Marincello. At the top of Marincello, I went down back to the stables via another secret trail, and ended the ride with the hard steep Coastal climb from the stables.
I was out there for 3 hours, climbed about 3,500 ft, was soaking wet and muddy with my spirit renewed, my peace of mind re-established and my self re-centered. It was the best birthday gift I could give to myself.
Here is how I was looking after the ride:
