It costs $5 to park at the trailhead, plus costs gas to get up there, plus is worse for the environment, plus I had just driven it 4500 miles in 14 days. So I decided to bike there. It wouldn't be too far. From the road map it only looked like a couple blocks...it would maybe take 15 min. Well, the 4+ hours of riding the night prior had taken its toll on my hiney, which I realized as soon as I sat on the KingBee. After half a block of riding, I met my first uphill portion of the ride. Too bad for me that the uphill portion of the ride continued and continued and continued (I just figured out) for 7.5 miles!! I had flashbacks to my New Mexico Rocky Mtn bike tour.
No, Liz, just because a road map is flat, it doesn't mean the trailhead is flat. I had assumed the climb wouldn't begin until I got on the trail. Silly Liz, you know what assuming does, right? Well, I cursed my decision to bike the entire 1.5 hour climb up, whether I was actively biking in my granny gear, pushing my bike up as I walked beside it, or getting passed by car after car cruising up the hill called "Toilsome Trail" (nice name, ugh). I can't believe no one asked if I wanted a ride. I need to ditch this hardcore image thing.
Above is the picture just out of the parking lot at 9pm. I had basically started my ride at sea level. See the little building below. I'll have to do research to figure out how high I climbed. Below is a picture from the, oh, so windy summit at 9:45pm.
It's hard to say which is right. I was definitely naive, perhaps ambitious, and well, maybe a little stupid. It seems I am very capable of making a simple 2 hour outing drag on for 4...remarkably similar to the night before. The adventure goes on...
The departing pic, below, is of swirls created in the mudflats at low tide as viewed from part-way up Flat Top.
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