BayCycle Day 7: The Shady Lane Decision

"Life is not a bicycle ride down Shady Lane."
-- Overheard in Marin County

I had a decision to make on Day 7: Where to ride in beautiful Marin County. My first idea was to drive up Sir Francis Drake Boulevard to the Ross Commons, and from there ride my trike down Shady Lane, a lovely tree-lined street popular with local cyclists. Years ago while waiting for a bus on Sir Francis Drake Boulevard I'd heard a mother admonish her teenage daughter, "Life is not a bicycle ride down Shady Lane." Any local would have understood what she meant: that life is not always easy and pleasant. I had walked down Shady Lane and driven down it, but never ridden a bicycle there. And since I was in the area with my trike, it seemed as though I could finally take that ride.

The other option was to drive down to the north end of Sausalito and ride the bike path to Mill Valley along Richardson Bay. It's a beautiful part of the Bay Trail and a favorite walk when visiting MBW's sister, whose condo overlooks the path. It would be easier to ride with My Beautiful Wife (MBW) since it was on her planned route. I could park at the end, ride up the path, meet her, and we'd ride back to the car together. From there we'd mount both bikes on the car and drive them up the long steep hill to the condo. But I was having trouble letting go of the idea of Shady Lane, so all morning I dithered, unable to commit to one ride or the other.

We were treated to lunch in downtown San Rafael by MBW's aunt and uncle. After eating we walked down the street and checked out this double arch of bicycle wheels, joking that it was placed there in honor of BayCycle 2009. This weekend is San Rafael's annual Italian Street Painting Festival, a fundraiser for Youth in Arts. So we strolled through the festival and checked out the works in progress.I've posted more photos of the festival in my BayCycle 2009 album on Flickr.

Then it was decision time. Shady Lane was not on MBW's route and we really wanted to ride together, so we decided to save Shady Lane for another time and ride the Richardson Bay bike path. MBW climbed on her bike and headed south. I followed an hour later in the car, trike on the back. By some quirk of fate we both took wrong turns in Corte Madera and, in the process of getting back on track, crossed paths unexpectedly at an intersection. I honked and waved, and continued on to Sausalito.

It takes me a while to get the trike unloaded from the car and loaded up with water bottles, backpack, etc. So once I got out on the path I didn't get far before meeting up with MBW. She turned around and we pedaled all the way up the path and back. It was a glorious sunny afternoon, a little cool and breezy but pleasant. The path has great views of Mt. Tam and the surrounding hills.

Having spent most of the last thirty years without a bicycle, one of my favorite things about the trike is being able to ride with MBW. She's had so many great adventures on her recumbent, including riding from San Francisco to Los Angeles twice with AIDS/LifeCycle. On this trip I get to have some of those cycling adventures with her. And when I'm riding with My Beautiful Wife, life is a bicycle ride down Shady Lane.


P.S. Here's MBW's post on Day 7.