OK, finally, here are my pic from last Saturday's ride with FJROAM:
After picking me up at my hotel at 7:00 AM the first stop was at the Shoreline Coffee Shop just north of the Golden Gate Bridge for some much needed coffee and breakfast:
Next was a jaunt up Hwy 1 to the Muir Beach Overlook:
While at the overlook Brian became pensive and pondered the meaning of life, our place in the universe and the untold secrets the human race has left to discover...either that or like me he was thinking about what to have for lunch:
While at the overlook I got another picture of Northern California's spectacular coastline:
(click the picture for a larger version)
Next up was another short ride north on Hwy 1 until we got to Stinson Beach. Stopping at the overlook Brian warned me not to slip - here you can see his preferred approach to avoid falling to his death:
And I couldn't pass up the opportunity to get another glorious shot of the coastline below:
(click picture for a larger version)
After crossing Mt. Tamalpais and picking up 101 northbound we headed east across the bay on 580 and wound our way up the hills of Berkley. We stopped at the wall for more picture fun:
I managed to snap off a half-dozen photos which I stitched into a pano - I just wish there were a little less haze:
(click picture for a larger version)
We continued through Morgan Territory and got into some rolling hills where I asked to pull over for another picture op - unfortunately none of those pictures turned out all that good but I did manage to get another one of my tour guide/Mines Road instructor. Here you can see him doing stretches to get ready for Mines Road.
When we got to Mines Road I was feeling pretty good about how the beemer handled. Good thing too because that was the most technical road (and funnest too) I've ever ridden. By the time we got to The Junction I was ready for a break - I had started to get sloppy missing apexes. After some water I was ready to continue on Hwy 130 to Lick Observatory. Silly me, I figured for some reason that the 130 wouldn't be as technical as Mines - hah, it seemed every bit as technical. Once again I had a blast but by the time we got to Lick I was happy for the break. While at the observatory I did manage to get a couple of pics. Here we see a game of dueling cameras:
And here's the final pictures I took:
(click for a larger version)
After a quick trip down the mountain into San Jose Brian and I went our separate ways - he was already late to a prior commitment and I had to return the bike to the rental shop.
Thanks again to everyone that came out to Alice's on Friday - it was great meeting ya'll. And a big thanks for FJROAM for showing me great roads on Saturday - that's the best riding I've ever done.
