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Bill Bikes My bicycling expeditions and jaunts |
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Tennessee Valley, January 2018
Over the ridge, down the valley, to the beach: A Photographic Log
31 January 2018, 14 miles
The forecast called for another day of brutal winter weather in Northern California, with the temperature hitting about 65° F in the sunny Marin Headlands. Given plenty of sun but no rain over the past few days, I expected the trails would probably be dry. All in all, it seemed like a good opportunity to get the Ogre out of the garage.This would also be a good test for me and my bum arm for at least three reasons. First, I would need to drive down to the Golden Gate Bridge and Fort Cronkhite, because the new SMART train doesn't go that far. I've only been driving a little around town, so cruising south on congested Highway 101 would be a one-armed experiment. Next, I've hiked some of the trails in the Marin Headlands, but I've never trekked over the ridge into the Tennessee Valley. Thus, I wasn't entirely sure what to expect in terms of steepness, width, loose surface, etc. The Surly would probably be fine, but my arm, legs, and lungs might be another story. Finally, from my starting point there would be only one way in and one way out. If I wasn't up to it, there would be no way to bail out and limp back to my starting point via some easier route.
It turned out to be a gorgeous, sunny day. I didn't crash and burn while driving up and down Highway 101. The trail up and over the ridge—nearly empty; I think I saw four bikes and a dozen hikers—was manageable although I had to push the Ogre in a couple of places. The trail down to the beach was much busier, but I was a little ahead of the crowd, and the beach was nearly deserted until I started back. The Ogre was a champ. My legs and lungs were passable. My arm didn't exactly help me, nor did it hinder me much.
I think I'm ready to do it all over again if the winter remains this brutal.
Bunker Road ends at Fort Cronkhite and Rodeo Beach. The former is used for park services and other purposes these days. Surfers often use the beach. The Marine Mammal Center is just up the hill.
The seaward-facing slopes are pocked with disused gun emplacements, bunkers, ammunition storage, observation posts, and other concrete structures for coastal defense. Now it's all part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. I prefer it that way.
Looking down on Rodeo Beach and—beyond that—the entrance to the Golden Gate.
To the right: Rodeo Beach. Above the Ogre: One of the towers of the Golden Gate Bridge.
At Battery Townsley, Old Grumble-Face takes a break on the 16-inch naval gun originally installed on the battleship USS Missouri.
Hey, who is that familiar looking old guy on a black Surly Ogre pulling up at the other end of the naval gun?
How can I be in two places at once when I'm really nowhere at all?
View down from the trail above Fort Cronkhite and Rodeo Beach.
Looks like a tanker or container ship heading for the Golden Gate.
"The Marine Mammal Center is a private, non-profit U.S. organization that was established in 1975 for the purpose of rescuing, rehabilitating, and releasing, marine mammals who are injured, ill, or abandoned."
Trailhead.
Climbing the trail. Looking back down toward the Gerbode Valley.
Climbing the trail. Looking up.
It seems like the Ogre and I are isolated in the middle of nowhere on an empty trail.
Actually, San Francisco is just a few miles away beyond the Marin Headlands and across the Golden Gate.
Near the summit of the ridge, first view of the Tennessee Valley with the Pacific Ocean in the distance.
Turning down toward the Tennessee Valley, the trail crosses several wooden footbridges.
Toward the right, heavily populated parts of Marin appear in the distance.
Slightly above the trees on a nearby hill, the summit of Mount Tamalpais pokes up on the skyline.
View down the Tennessee Valley to the beach and the ocean beyond.
After riding down from the ridge to the Tennessee Valley trailhead, then to the end of that trail, I arrived at Tennessee Beach.
If you start at the Tennessee Valley trailhead, it's only about a mile and half to the beach. The Ogre and I took a longer route from Fort Cronkhite up and down the ridge to get to the trailhead.
The Ogre at Tennessee Beach.
There's an old concrete observation post above the beach.
From the beach, looking inland, up the Tennessee Valley.
The Ogre bids farewell to the beach before we start up the valley, over the ridge, and back down to Fort Cronkhite.
Most of the trails shown here don't allow bikes.
Summary
Date: 31 January 2018
Time: 10:30 - 2:00
Weather: 55-60° F, mostly sunny
Route: Marin Headlands: Fort Cronkhite to Tennessee Valley to Tennessee Beach and back
Distance: 14 miles with approximately 1700 feet of climbing
Bike: Surly Ogre, with front and rear racks
Riders: Solo
Comments? Questions? Suggestions? I'd like to hear from you.
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