Marin County CA

Claire Petersky said:

But the logistics
of getting out there, and then somehow getting back to the airport the next
day is a little overwhelming.

Rent a Hyundai or something? Next day, drive like a madwoman back to
the airport - trust me, no one will notice. *

I lived in Marin briefly when I was a kid, and still remember some of
the bike rides we took through the hills (on single- to 3-speed 20"
bikes - this was pre MTB days.) I probably took years off some Mule
Deer's lives, though, through coming upon them suddenly.

- Brian

* Rushing from Monterey to SFX after a conference once, I was surprised
to notice we were only doing 100 kph in door-handle to door-handle rush
hour traffic through San Jose. Then I remembered the speedometer was
calibrated in *miles* per hour, not kph.

Claire Petersky said:

This coming weekend, I'm going to a week-long interfaith meditation retreat
in Marin County, beyond Woodacre, California. I have one day between when
the retreat's over and flying out of Oakland Airport.

At first I thought I'd head into San Francisco with my extra day and do
urban/urbane things. But I came to the realization that after a week of
meditation, going into the city might be a bit of a shock. So instead, I'm
thinking of somehow getting to either Mill Valley or San Rafael and renting
a mountain bike, and going mountain biking. I did a retreat about 5 years
ago at Santa Sabina, a Dominican center in San Rafael. I rented a bike from
Mike's Bikes in San Rafael and had one of those picture postcard fabulous
days out in the sunshine riding. It seems like this sort of activity would
be a marvellous transition back into Real Life.

I am not too familiar with the places to rent bikes in Marin. But, here
are some good maps for you:

http://www.marinbike.org/Map/SideA.pdf
http://www.marinbike.org/Map/SideB.pdf

for both on-road and off-road bicycling.

Mt. Tamalpais is the third tallest peak in the bay area and they say
this is the birth place for mtn. biking ! There are lots of mtn. biking
trails as well as nice roads. Personally, Ridgecrest Blvd is one road
that i wouldn't miss whenever i am riding up there... awesome views of
the Pacific...

you may want to ask ba.bicycles for ideas...

+ravi

Quoted message said:

Another thought is to get out (how?) to Point Reyes, where apparently I can
rent a bike, maybe stay at the Point Reyes Youth Hostel. But the logistics
of getting out there, and then somehow getting back to the airport the next
day is a little overwhelming.

Other ideas?

Many thanks.

Claire Petersky said:

Another thought is to get out (how?) to Point Reyes, where apparently I can
rent a bike, maybe stay at the Point Reyes Youth Hostel. But the logistics
of getting out there, and then somehow getting back to the airport the next
day is a little overwhelming.

There is no public transportation out to the hostel. I've stayed there
many, many times, always arriving by bicycle in group rides I've led
from San Francisco. West Marin Stagecoach goes to Point Reyes Station on
weekdays, if you're going to be doing all this on a weekday. On a
weekend, you need a car.

Great to see that bicycle rental still costs more than car rental! I
didn't realize that a bicycle shop had opened in Point Reyes, there used
to be a great shop there, Point Reyes Bikes, which closed many years ago.

If they rent bicycles with racks, then you could bring panniers and ride
out to the hostel with your stuff and some food (no food sold at
hostel). It's probably about a 90 minute ride to the hostel, because of
the hills. I like the short/steep route up Balboa/Drakes Summit (very,
very steep), versus the longer Limantour road route. Note that Google
Maps/Yahoo Maps/Mapquest all show Drakes Summit connecting to Limantour,
but it actually doesn't connect, there is just an opening in the fence
for pedestrians and bicycles.

The logistics of all this would be very difficult. Hate to say it, but
renting a car for that day, would be the best option.

Maybe some rec.bicycles.misc kind soul in Marin county could help you out.

Claire, you seem like a good person and I don't want to criticize you
unduly, but you do seem to me to be somewhat disconnected from reality.
Let's see, how do I explain my feelings? You seem to be living in a
little cocoon based upon your own private reality, which consists of
you, your family, and your bicycles. I guess "narcissistic" might be
the term to describe it. For example, attanding a "faith-based
retreat" seems extremely fatuous and irrelevant to me. Why would
anybody want to spend their own good money and time to listen to a
bunch of religionists BS at great length? OTOH, the other side of my
brain realizes that it is none of my business how you spend your own
time and money. It's just that you seem oblivious to the fact that
your musings might sound pretty weird to the other posters on here, I
dunno. Other people in this group are continually discussing other
interesting subject matters, but all you ever seem to post about is
yourself, your family and your little bike excursions. Please pardon
me if I am being too critical, but do you think maybe you could try to
engage with the group a bit more? Thank you for reading and, like I
say, you do seem like a good person to me; I just wanted to give you
some feedback.

Quoted message said:

Claire, you seem like a good person and I don't want to criticize you
unduly, but you do seem to me to be somewhat disconnected from
reality. Let's see, how do I explain my feelings? You seem to be
living in a little cocoon based upon your own private reality, which
consists of you, your family, and your bicycles.

Oh, wow, you're serious. Thought this was satire.

Quoted message said:

I guess
"narcissistic" might be the term to describe it. For example,
attanding a "faith-based retreat" seems extremely fatuous and
irrelevant to me.

Fine. Stay home.

Quoted message said:

Why would anybody want to spend their own good
money and time to listen to a bunch of religionists BS at great
length?

NOYB.

Quoted message said:

OTOH, the other side of my brain realizes that it is none of
my business how you spend your own time and money. It's just that
you seem oblivious to the fact that your musings might sound pretty
weird to the other posters on here, I dunno.

I doubt that even the devout atheists on here gave it a second thought.
(Until you stuck a big bright spotlight on it, that is. LOL )

Quoted message said:

Other people in this
group are continually discussing other interesting subject matters,
but all you ever seem to post about is yourself, your family and your
little bike excursions.

Only the Mighty Jobst seems to object to ride reports on RBM. Heresy!

Quoted message said:

Please pardon me if I am being too critical,
but do you think maybe you could try to engage with the group a bit
more? Thank you for reading and, like I say, you do seem like a good
person to me; I just wanted to give you some feedback.

Why not send it privately then?

Bill "and I see that Claire posted in the '[censored]' thread so now I'll go read
that" S.

:-D

Quoted message said:

I guess "narcissistic" might be
the term to describe it. For example, attanding a "faith-based
retreat" seems extremely fatuous and irrelevant to me.

No better place than Marin county to attend such a retreat. Hopefully
they also have a hot tub. To each their own. At least she's trying to
add in a cycling component to it.

I love the ride out to Point Reyes Hostel, and I think that some of the
hills may be the perfect place to continue the meditation (personally, I
keep repeating my mantra on the hills "I will not walk, I will not
walk..." I think I set my personal downhill speed record on the last
hill into Point Reyes hostel, with my bicycle loaded down with food and
coffee.

"http://www.norcalhostels.org/reyes/index.html"

The manager, Bob Baez, has been there forever, and it's one of the best
run hostels I've ever been to.

Sorni said:

Quoted message said:

Claire, you seem like a good person and I don't want to criticize you
unduly, but you do seem to me to be somewhat disconnected from
reality. Let's see, how do I explain my feelings? You seem to be
living in a little cocoon based upon your own private reality, which
consists of you, your family, and your bicycles.

Oh, wow, you're serious. Thought this was satire.

That would be why he's in my killfile. I had to go look, since I'm
guessing he took a posting hiatus or something since I plonked him.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

OTOH, the other side of my brain realizes that it is none of
my business how you spend your own time and money. It's just that
you seem oblivious to the fact that your musings might sound pretty
weird to the other posters on here, I dunno.

I doubt that even the devout atheists on here gave it a second thought.
(Until you stuck a big bright spotlight on it, that is. LOL )

Yeah, I'll have to agree with you there. I'm pretty aggressively
non-religious and it didn't bother me at all. I didn't really have
anything to add to the thread since I don't believe I've ever been up
that way.

I did just want to add a thread related question: Why the heck are
rental bikes so expensive compared to cars? I imagine it's strictly a
volume thing, can anyone comment?

--
Dane Buson - [email hidden]
"I grew up in Detroit, and I hated the police with a passion. They
were always stopping and bothering me."
-Andrew Kirkland, Portland, Ore., acting police chief, refusing an
FBI request that police interview young Middle Eastern men on visas

Dane Buson said:

I did just want to add a thread related question: Why the heck are
rental bikes so expensive compared to cars?

Because people will pay it.

Dane Buson wrote:
"That would be why he's in my killfile. I had to go look, since I'm
guessing he took a posting hiatus or something since I plonked him."

Oh, my goodness, Dane, you plonked me? No, please don't say that! You
have hurt my feelings SO SEVERELY! Please take pity on me and say it's
not true!

Jeez, what a [censored]. Does your left hand ever get jealous of your
right?

"Claire Petersky" wrote: (clip) I'm thinking of somehow getting to either
Mill Valley or San Rafael and renting a mountain bike (clip)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
So you already know what a beautiful riding area this is. The only troyuble
is, we have had almost a month of rain, and the trails are sure to be muddy.
I could suggest Old Railroad Grade, which goes up to the top of Mt Tam, and
passes Westpoint Inn on the way. The view from there is spectacular in all
directions. That trail is fairly gravely, so it might not be too muddy.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Another thought is to get out (how?) to Point Reyes, (clip) then somehow
getting back to the airport the next day is a little overwhelming.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Yeah, it's pretty far, and in the wrong direction.

I'm going to send you private e-mail with the possible offer of a loaner
bike and/or a ride to the airport, if that would help.

"Leo Lichtman" wrote: (clip) I'm going to send you private e-mail with the
possible offer of a loaner bike and/or a ride to the airport, if that would
help.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
My e-mail bounced. If you would like to receive it, please send me e-mail,
so I can respond.

SMS said:

Dane Buson said:

I did just want to add a thread related question: Why the heck are
rental bikes so expensive compared to cars?

Because people will pay it.

That's the bottom line. But running a bike rental business is more costly
than one might realize, usually without enough business to cover it. I
know a couple of people who tried it, but gave up after awhile.

Matt O.

"Sorni" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

[email hidden] wrote:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

For example,
attanding a "faith-based retreat" seems extremely fatuous and
irrelevant to me.

Fine. Stay home.

Quoted message said:

Why would anybody want to spend their own good
money and time to listen to a bunch of religionists BS at great
length?

NOYB.

No, Bill, he has his point. I mean really, to have people who are sincere
and committed to various religious practices, attend an interfaith (not
"faith-based"😉 retreat together. C'mon. This is completely out of fashion.
Perhaps instead of sitting in contemplative silence for much of the time, we
should scream at each other. "Death to the infidel" has a good ring to it,
don't you think? And instead of reading each other's religious texts and
engaging in "constructive dialog", I think burning each other's texts would
be closer to what's in tune with today's world.

--
Warm Regards,

Claire Petersky
http://www.bicyclemeditations.org/
See the books I've set free at: http://bookcrossing.com/referral/Cpetersky

Matt O'Toole said:

That's the bottom line. But running a bike rental business is more costly
than one might realize, usually without enough business to cover it. I
know a couple of people who tried it, but gave up after awhile.

I'd think that the biggest issue is that most of your business is on
weekends, when the weather is good. It's not like car rentals, where you
have customers year-round, no matter what the weather.

As a stand-alone business it'd be very tough, except in places like San
Francisco, where an endless supply of tourists supply customers
year-round, for rides across the GG bridge. But as a side business to an
existing shop, if one employee can manage the rental side on weekends,
and in the summer, it'd seem to be a good extra source of income. Ten
days of rental and you've covered the cost of the bike.

Again, Claire, I'm not trying to be unduly critical, and I intend to
ignore what my detractors say. I thought you needed some feedback on
how you come across on here, to me at least. You really need to face
the fact that religion has exactly nothing of relevance to offer to
anyone, and that religion has caused much more harm to the world than
good. (Ironically, perhaps, your own post makes this point.) While it
is indeed challenging to realize that the universe is meaningless, it
is even worse to believe in something really stupid like religion.
Religion offers no meaningful code of moral conduct, and even if it
did, by definition the various religions would be in conflict about
what such a moral code would be and that would create more hatred and
discontent than having no religious moral codes would create.
Religions are for those people who are too timid to admit that the
universe is meaningless and that everyone needs to discover his/her own
moral code the hard way.

<[email hidden]> wrote: Again, Claire, I'm not trying to be unduly
critical, and I intend to ignore what my detractors say. (clip)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Evidently you are able to be unduly critical without trying. How can you
expect Claire, or anyone else, for that matter, to pay attention to you
while you DECLARE that you don't pay attention to YOUR detractors?

Quoted message said:

Again, Claire, I'm not trying to be unduly critical, and I intend to
ignore what my detractors say. I thought you needed some feedback on
how you come across on here, to me at least. You really need to face
the fact that religion has exactly nothing of relevance to offer to
anyone, and that religion has caused much more harm to the world than
good. (Ironically, perhaps, your own post makes this point.) While it
is indeed challenging to realize that the universe is meaningless, it
is even worse to believe in something really stupid like religion.
Religion offers no meaningful code of moral conduct, and even if it
did, by definition the various religions would be in conflict about
what such a moral code would be and that would create more hatred and
discontent than having no religious moral codes would create.
Religions are for those people who are too timid to admit that the
universe is meaningless and that everyone needs to discover his/her own
moral code the hard way.

Attacking somebody who posed ab*so*lute*ly no threat to you, eh?

I presume this is your way of announcing your candidacy for '08?

In article <[email hidden]>,

Claire Petersky said:

No, Bill, he has his point. I mean really, to have people who are sincere
and committed to various religious practices, attend an interfaith (not
"faith-based"😉 retreat together. C'mon. This is completely out of fashion.

Yeah, personally (and apparently unlike bcrowell,) I don't
regard "faith" and "religion as strictly synonymous.
Sure, faith can have a religious component, but I think it
can also have spiritual, sociological, philosophical,
political, and yes, even scientific components. Often, "faith"
is all we have -- even in science. Except scientists prefer to
use the word: "axioms" instead.

Quoted message said:

Perhaps instead of sitting in contemplative silence for much of the time, we
should scream at each other. "Death to the infidel" has a good ring to it,
don't you think?

I kinda like "Death by Chocolate."

Quoted message said:

And instead of reading each other's religious texts and
engaging in "constructive dialog", I think burning each other's texts would
be closer to what's in tune with today's world.

It would be especially nice if Native American faiths are
represented at this interfaith meditation retreat.
Anyways it's always good when people get together and
establish world-view common ground while celebrating
diversity and establishing friendship.

cheers,
Tom

--
-- Nothing is safe from me.
Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca

"Tom Keats" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

Claire Petersky said:

No, Bill, he has his point. I mean really, to have people who are sincere
and committed to various religious practices, attend an interfaith (not
"faith-based"😉 retreat together. C'mon. This is completely out of
fashion.

Yeah, personally (and apparently unlike bcrowell,) I don't
regard "faith" and "religion as strictly synonymous.
Sure, faith can have a religious component, but I think it
can also have spiritual, sociological, philosophical,
political, and yes, even scientific components. Often, "faith"
is all we have -- even in science. Except scientists prefer to
use the word: "axioms" instead.

Faith and religion are practically synonymous. Any other kind of faith is
for liberal loonies like you. If you do not have any religion, then learn to
live with despair like I do, you coward!

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Perhaps instead of sitting in contemplative silence for much of the time,
we
should scream at each other. "Death to the infidel" has a good ring to
it,
don't you think?

Please Claire, do not try to think on such matters. It is way beyond you.
Instead, restrict yourself to telling us where you are going on your various
mindless trips.

Quoted message said:

I kinda like "Death by Chocolate."

Good comment Tom! I also like all your kinda's and your yeah's. It shows you
are a man of the working class - as all good Vancouver dock workers should
be.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

And instead of reading each other's religious texts and
engaging in "constructive dialog", I think burning each other's texts
would
be closer to what's in tune with today's world.

Good thinking Claire! Why not read the Koran while you are at it though. Who
knows, you may glean some enlightenment that is not in the Christian Bible.

Quoted message said:

It would be especially nice if Native American faiths are
represented at this interfaith meditation retreat.
Anyways it's always good when people get together and
establish world-view common ground while celebrating
diversity and establishing friendship.

"Anyways it's always BAD when people get together and
establish world-view common ground while celebrating
diversity and establishing friendship." - Ed Dolan

Try to get a brain someday why don't you Tom? Or better yet, go to Baghdad
and see what those Muslim terrorists will do to you. Off with your head!
There, now you don't need any brain at all.

Regards,

Ed Dolan the Great - Minnesota
aka
Saint Edward the Great - Order of the Perpetual Sorrows - Minnesota