My wife was taking a class in Sausalito, and so I seized the opportunity to go along with her, and go for a long bike ride while she was in class.
This was a great loop with some solid mileage and elevation gain. Getting from Mill Valley to the Alpine Dam is a little wonky, but I was fortunate to stumble my way into an AIDS Lifecycle practice ride, with hundreds of riders leading the way up North. I was able to follow the group until Fairfax and then split off up Bolinas Road.
The reservoir and dam are super great scenery, and then the road climbs steeply up to the ridge crest. The aptly named Ridgecrest Boulevard has some great rollers. An out-and-back off to the east goes to the Mount Tamalpais summit. Well, sort of. The road ends about 300 feet below the actual summit, which ascends a short, steep trail. Normally not a big issue, but it was a little spicy to be doing some light scrambling in biking cleats.
The descent back down was mostly uneventful, but the stretch of Panoramic Highway/Shoreline Highway is always a bit sketchy with cars, and several cyclists have been killed here in recent years. Be careful out there!