Day 218: R.I.P. Kipper; AKA, Kippy Dippy Doo Rah Rah

I was saddened by the news that my very favorite pooch, outside of my own, had finally succumbed to old age and cancer; the same thing that took my girl Lune a few years back. Kipper lived a great life with her family. She loved “her boy” “El” so much that when she’d hear him coming up the Tamalpais Drive trail (AKA, the Cowboy Rock Trail), she’d dive for the door with the enthusiasm that only a Labrador has for their people.

Kipper was a submissive girl that never liked to rock the boat. At the same time she remained true to what she loved in life; a hike to the beach, a trip in the car, and her boy “El.” I don’t know that her guardians know to the extent that Kipper was devoted to them. She would kind of cheat on them when they were gone, but the very moment that she heard their whistle as they'd walk up the trail, she'd be gone within moments. My ex-wife and I used to believe that Kipper would run around the back of our house so that her family wouldn’t know that she was hanging out with us, and with our dogs. She was much smarter than she let on.

My fondest memories of Kipper are of the nights that she’d nudge at our hundred-year-old door until it would open. She would then sneak downstairs to our bedroom where we were sleeping with our dogs. She would lick my hand before diving onto the bed where there were already two people, and two 60+ lbs dogs. She’d settle in for the night and then leave as soon as she’d hear her family in the morning.

Kipper will be missed by her family, but also by so many others. It’s hard for all of us “Dog lovers” to lose our good friends, but their life spans make it impossible for us to avoid the inevitable. As my boy grays more and more by the day, today is a reminder of what I’m going to face all too soon.

Today’s ride is dedicated to Kipper. I rode on trails, that I know without a doubt, that she had walked with her people. I thought about her during the entire ride. It’s good to show respect for our four-legged companions. We’ve given them a lot in terms of food and shelter, but they have given us so much more in return.

I rode up Railroad Grade today. I rode to the West Point Inn, and I even saw “F” and “K” while they were on one of their long hikes. After getting rained on from Hoo Koo E Koo to the inn, I headed towards the sun that was shining in the Headlands. It looked glorious, but I still had to get there. I rode over to the new stretch of the Coastal Trail, where the rains that were prevalent on Mount Tamalpais had stopped. The views were beautiful.

I rode across the ridge while stopping often to take photos of the big skies. It was a great day to ride. I finally reached Muir Beach where I reflected on the very last time that I was there with Kipper, Tugboat, Fifi, and “N.” That day was also glorious in terms of the weather and the views. It was almost a year ago to the day. On that day we were being careful about Kipper since she’d recently had a bad “episode” during which her people thought that the end was near. Fortunately for everyone, she made it another year, so people like me were able to spend more time with the Kippy Dippy Doo Rah Rah. :-)

Kipper’s passing brought back many other memories that I can only share with my ex-wife, but we will not be speaking any time soon, if ever again. It’s a reminder to me that there are memories that I’ll own solely moving forward. I have other memories that I, or only a few others, can share moving forward. As an example, memories of my brother Rick can now only be shared with my sister-in-law. Life is odd in this way. When we’re young, we think that a memory is a memory, but as we get older, a memory is something that we want to share directly with those with whom we had directly experienced them. Sometimes you end up being the only person with that memory.

In closing tonight, I want to give Kipper her due, and tell her that she was the sweetest Labrador to ever watch over the top of Homestead Valley. She was vigilant, and also a peacemaker. Kippy Dippy Doo Rah Rah, travel safely, and I hope that Mick, Lune, and Miles greet you with a warm and familiar welcome.

Distance: 22.84 miles
Calories burned: 1,873
Time: 2:31:01 hours
Elevation gain: 2,903 ft
Garmin Connect ride details: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/23052455

Day 217: Storm Number Six and the Coldest One Yet

The sixth and final storm in the series passed through this morning. I waited patiently for the rains to stop before suiting up for today’s ride. It was after 2:00 pm when I headed out on my trusty bad-weather Superheavy. My plan was to ride up to the East Peak of Mount Tamalpais. That’s been my plan for days now.

The temperatures were in the mid 40’s by the time that I left for my ride. I had all of the right gear on in order to stay warm on my ride, and I even brought along rain gear just in case the heavens opened up on me.

There was no one on the mountain today, except for some fire crews doing a controlled burn of trees and shrubs that they’d removed late last year. I never like to see fire on the mountain, not even in the middle of the winter, nor with the ground saturated with water. Ever since I lived on the mountain I have feared fires. The canyon in which I used to live would have been a bit of a chimney if there were ever a fire. Today’s fire was obviously very safe and it couldn't have been a better day for a burn.

I reached a point on the mountain where I could see Mount Diablo, and it was covered in snow for the second time this year. It’s a really beautiful mountain, and especially so when it’s upper elevations are covered in snow . I wish that I had a better camera for long distance shots like this one. A point and shoot just doesn’t cut it.

I reached the West Point Inn after riding in and out of clouds and some welcomed periods of having the sun hit me for the first time in days. The sun felt great! There’s nothing like the sun to make one feel alive. I needed that feeling, but what I ran into a couple of miles ahead was blistering cold conditions, including snow.

After reaching the West Point Inn I decided to ride on towards Mount Tam’s East Peak. I was about halfway between the inn and the top of Tam when I ran into snow on the ground. I knew that the temperatures had dropped at least ten degrees since I’d left Mill Valley, but seeing snow on the ground was a bit of a shock! I rode on and there was snow everywhere. I knew then that I had to be careful and to not stop for long anywhere in order to stay warm.

At East Peak I stopped long enough to look at the temperature gauge that indicated that it was 34 degrees. I then took a photo of the clouds that surrounded the mountain, and the Gravity Car museum. I left promptly so that I didn’t get too cold before the long descent back to Mill Valley.

I put all of my layers on before descending, and I even pulled my wool beanie down as far as I could in order to cover my ears and robust forehead. It was a long and very cold descent back to Mill Valley. It of course hailed and rained on me as I made my way home. I was just happy to get back to town where the temps were still in the mid 40’s. Imagine that I was happy to be in warmer temperatures... ;-)

Distance: 21.49 miles
Calories burned: 1,673
Time: 2:06:52 hours
Elevation gain: 2,607 ft
Garmin Connect ride details: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/22950725

Day 216: Storm Number Five and the Wettest One Yet

The fifth storm in the series hit this morning. The rains started during the 2:00 am hour and they’ve not stopped since. The rains haven’t been that heavy, but they have been steady all day long. I kept looking at the radar in hope that the storm would move east, but it just sat there and continued to produce rain. To make matters worse the temperature was consistently hovering at 45 degrees. That’s a cold temperature to ride in, especially when soaking wet.

I was fortunate today to have my friend “F” along for the ride. There aren’t too many people that will go for a ride with you when it’s raining and the temps are as cold as this, but “F” likes this sort of challenge.

We stayed low on the mountain today so that we could avoid the high winds and even colder temperatures that were lingering above 1,000 ft. So we did one our “usual” rides and it was a blast. I could barely hear anything through my wool beanie, and rain jacket hood that was covering my head and was being held in place by my helmet. Everything was muffled, so talking with “F” was difficult at best, but we still managed.

By the time that we made it out of Tennessee Valley we were getting cold. I had more gear on than “F” and I was getting cold on my toes, knees, and fingertips. I think that we were out for exactly the right amount of time. Any more time outside would have become painful, as opposed to fun.

Thanks for the fun ride "F."

I decided to not risk killing off my digital camera today, so I opted for taking the two photos that you see here. One is my usual shot of my wet and muddy clothes at the back door, where I basically do a striptease after hosing the mud off of my bike, and the other is to show you what’s become a part of this week’s daily routine. That’s to dry my shoes, gloves, and helmet on my office space heater. I use my super safe hydraulic space heater. It’s great for drying this gear. The other gear goes into the laundry. That’s probably more than anyone wants to know. ;-) My PG&E bill was outrageous this month. Between all of the laundry that I need to do, the general heating of my cottage, and then running the space heater, has doubled my bill for this month. Uugh!

Distance: 11.37 miles
Calories burned: 1,456
Time: 1:21:11 hours
Elevation gain: 1,763 ft
Garmin Connect ride details: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/22889838

Day 215: Storm Number Four; Solitary Riding

Today was round four of the daily storms, and the weathermen predicted that it would be the worst one yet, so I had braced myself for the worst in terms of riding conditions. I gave my Garmin GPS serial number to another friend, making it three that have the information should I need to be located. I’m not trying to be overly dramatic about what I’m doing with Riding to Recovery, but the fact is that any number of things could happen to me on the mountain. I carry my cell phone with me, but that’s only good if I can use it, whereas with the Garmin GPS unit it will broadcast my precise location for up to 18 hours. Well, let’s hope that it’s never needed, but I’d rather be safer than sorry.

I waited for the main storm front to pass this morning and that worked out really well with the work meetings that I had scheduled. The storm didn’t seem as intense as predicted in terms of rainfall, but the winds sure were whipping. Gusts on Mount Tamalpais were already hitting 60+ mph and that’s where I was headed today. Riding on my road bike today, and on wet pavement during such high winds, wasn’t my cup of tea, so I opted for the mountain as my preferred choice again.

I waited for what looked like a break in the storm and then geared up for a mountain bike ride up Mount Tamalpais. I was really committed to making it all of the way to the top today in spite of the conditions. I prepared carefully, and had my best cycling clothing on, and extra clothing in my jersey pockets.

As I ascended the mountain it became colder and colder, as the case has been for days now. The waterfalls were flowing even harder today, and new ones had appeared in places that haven’t had water flowing through them in years. My tires felt like a bulldozer as they pushed through the soggy water saturated fire roads. My knees are being put through the test these days. My bike when wet and muddy weighs in at over 31 lbs., and that’s at least 4 lbs. more than normal. Add in five layers of soaking wet clothing, and you'll get the idea. These rides are incredibly tiring for me

As with previous days, when I reached Double Bow Knot things started to get rough in terms of the winds and rains. I was determined today to make it up to the summit, because I thought that the views and photographic opportunities would be really amazing. So I forged onward and upward towards the West Point Inn with my goal of being reaching East Peak.

I reached the inn about fifteen minutes later, and about ten minutes slower than I've done during the past several months, and this was due to the HEAVY WINDS that I encountered along the way. At several times today I was forced to get out of my saddle in order to pedal hard enough to continue moving forward, and even then I was almost thrown to the ground by the wind gusts. I can’t even begin to explain how hard it was to ride above 1,000 ft. today.

Once at the inn I noticed the waves out in the Pacific Ocean, which is some five miles away. They were big enough for me to see them clearly, so they must have been over 20 feet tall. I also noticed that I was perhaps 100 ft below the cloud deck that surrounded the mountain. It was decision time for me. Should I risk heading deeper into the storm by continuing to the summit, or head back to where the winds weren’t as strong and temperatures are were higher. I opted for the latter and headed back down. I had to forgive myself for not being tough enough to make it to the top, but I do believe that giving in to my gut feeling was the right choice.

I was on the mountain for 1.5 hours today, and I didn’t see a single person. These gray and stormy solitary rides are hard for me to do. I always knew that winter was going to be very hard for me, so I’m not complaining in that way, and instead I’m just passing on what it’s like for me during these difficult days in the saddle. It's a struggle to get out the door, and it’s even harder to complete the rides, hen the weather is like this. A week in a tropical spot, while doing nothing, sounds really good right now. How about June 19th, 2010?

Distance: 18.75 miles
Calories burned: 1,476
Time: 1:52:40 hours
Elevation gain: 2,275 ft
Garmin Connect ride details: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/22824219

Day 214: Storm Number Three

The storm that passed through this morning has continued to send waves of heavy rains and thunderstorms to us throughout the afternoon. Luckily there was a nice break in the action during the early afternoon, so I geared up and headed out on my mountain bike.

As I pedaled up Railroad Grade I notice that waterfalls that had long been dry were now flowing again and with vigor. The sound of roaring water flowing down the canyon was awesome. I passed waterfall after waterfall, and stopped at each in order to remember the scene that I haven’t seen in years. We’ve been in a drought pattern for several years now, and I also haven’t been riding or hiking on the mountain during the rains, so I haven’t seen the waterfalls flowing in earnest for years. It was fun for me to see them flowing again. I used to live right next to a creek with waterfalls…

I felt lucky to be reasonably dry as I rode up the mountain today. I was thinking that I'd ride up to East Peak today so that I could take photos from the summit of Mount Tamalpais. I seem to consistently want to do that, but by the time that I had reached Double Bow Knot the winds were whipping again, and I mean whipping. The gusts were at least to 40 mph, and I simply wasn't willing to risk going any further up the mountain in those conditions. So I changed my plans and rode over to the Headlands via the Panoramic Highway. The highway is typically deserted when the rains come, and today the highway was all mine for the three or four miles over to the entrance to the Coyote Ridge fire road.

I hopped onto the Coyote Ridge fire road and began riding up the long and winding trail. The sun was peeking out here and there, and there were huge cumulous clouds everywhere, and I was simply happy to be dry and slightly protected from the winds. I've grown to enjoy this route through the Headlands because of the views that are outstanding in all directions.

I rode over to the Coastal Trail where I began my descent into Tennessee Valley. As I rounded one of the upper corners of the trail there was a large and very healthy Coyote standing there. Keep in mind, I was going somewhere in the neighborhood of 25+ mph at the time. He took one look at me and bolted down the trail, but I was going faster than he, and I came up on his backside pretty quickly. He had nowhere to go at first, so he kept going down the trail along side of me. What an amazing treat for me to be so close to this coyote. He took one last look over at me and then at his first opportunity he bolted up the hill and away from me. I stopped so that I could watch him. He was out of breath and sitting down, so I had a chance to take a dozen or so photos of him. They're really beautiful creatures. It made my day.

I rode back home with the old feeling that I'd had some 19 or 20 years ago when I first started mountain biking in the Headlands. I was close to nature and its natural beauty. I also rode home thinking that I was lucky for a second day in a row, but here's the problem, tomorrow’s storm is supposed to make the last three look like a drizzle in comparison. So wish me luck tomorrow. I'll be following the radar closely. The photo to the right is the cell that rolled through while I was writing this post, and it dumped rain and hail. I'd guess that a half inch of rain fell within 15 minutes.

Distance: 17.21 miles
Calories burned: 1,425
Time: 1:46:20 hours
Elevation gain: 1,831 ft
Garmin Connect ride details: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/22736595

Day 213: Storm Number Two

I’ve monitored the storms closely as they’ve moved in and out of the area. Today I woke to pounding rain and the feeling of dread that I’d be out in the heavy rains and whipping cold winds. I anxiously watched the morning news so that I could get a better idea of what I was facing on today’s ride.

There appeared to be a break appearing in the storm during which there could be showers and thunderstorms, so I opted to chance riding with lightening rather than getting soaking wet and cold again. As it turned out, I made the right decision because I was given a huge break!

I was lucky today to be joined by “El.” He’s the young man that I’ve been helping with his aspiring mountain bike racing career. He’s so amazingly enthusiastic about the sport. It warms my heart to see, and to ride with, such an inspired young person. He was riding on a bike that I loaned him, and he seems to really enjoy the OS Bicycles 29er. It’s a single speed, so he’s getting to know what it’s like to ride a simple and incredibly well designed bike. Anyway, it was great to have a buddy along for today’s ride

We decided to head up to the West Point Inn. He must have reached it a full minute ahead of me, but that’s just a guess. Kids these days, I tell you, no respect for their elders. ;-) That’s actually not true in “El’s” case; in his case he’s a vry respectful young man with a very bright future.

We road down to the Pantoll Station, where we hopped onto the Panoramic Highway, that seemed absolutely deserted. I think that we were only passed by one car during the whole stretch over to the Mountain Home Inn. We had planned to ride over to Coyote Ridge and beyond to the Coastal fire road in the Headlands, but timing wasn’t working in our favor, so we decided to head back via Gravity Car and Railroad Grade.

By the time that we reached the bottom of Blithedale Canyon we were covered in mud and ready for the ride to be done, well at least I was. We parted ways at my house, but first we talked about his next bike. You see, “El” wants to go retro-racing and that means building a hardtail mountain bike. So many options, and so little time, but I’ll help him get it done. ;-)

Distance: 16.53 miles
Calories burned: 1,270
Time: 1:34:04 hours
Elevation gain: 1,967 ft
Garmin Connect ride details: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/22692531

Day 212: Riding Through Storm Number One

The first in a series of storms hit today. I knew that I had a nice window of dry weather in the morning, but a business commitment made it impossible for me ride before noon. I even had to cancel my assistant coach gig for NorCal, and I was really looking forward to that. I guess that I’m doing my best given the circumstances, but that quite often means that my plans change.

By the time that I headed out today the rains were just starting. I made it to Blithedale Canyon when the rains started in earnest. The winds were picking up too. Some of the gusts must have been about 40 mph.

It was getting more and more miserable with each pedal stroke. My original goal was to ride up to East Peak, but as I was getting really knocked around by the winds, and I was already soaked all the way throughmy gear, so I decided that I’d only go as far up as the West Point Inn.

By the time that I reached the inn I was feeling a bit banged up. I felt as though I’d hit the front of the storm head first, like a salmon swimming upstream in a raging river. Without even stopping at the inn I headed down Old Stage towards Pantoll Station. Along the way I realized that it’s a holiday weekend, and that I’ve sworn off riding on the Panoramic Highway on holiday weekends. Duh! So I rode over to the station and then turned right back around and rode back up to the West Point Inn. I cleaned my protective glasses as best I could before heading down Railroad Grade.

I had so much mud covering my glasses that I could barely see. I was riding very slowly, and was getting really cold. About halfway down I ran into my friend “F” who was on his OS Bike and heading up the mountain. I could barely see him through my glasses, and if he hadn’t called my name I would have just ridden right by him. We spoke briefly before I had to head on. I was going hypothermic really quickly today.

I began trembling on the way down, and that’s never happened to me that I can recollect. My teeth were chattering in my mouth and I felt a real need to get to my house and fast. I could barely acknowledge one of my neighbor friends on the way in the driveway. I dumped my wet and muddy cycling gear at the back door and headed straight to a hot shower where it took me a good 15 minutes to get warm.

I’m not sure why I ended up so oppressively cold today. I’ve ridden in much colder and wetter weather. I think that maybe my body fat has dropped to a new level so the cold is having a greater effect on me. It’s going to be a long week for me as storm after storm hit Marin County. I’ve said this before, and I’m going to say it again, wish me luck!

Distance: 16.89 miles
Calories burned: 2,398
Time: 1:47:04 hours
Elevation gain: 3,556 ft
Garmin Connect ride details: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/22611218