Day 19: Northern San Rafael to San Rafael Bay

Day 19:  Northern San Rafael to San Rafael Bay

May 13th, 2017

10.99 miles in 5 hours 4 minutes

This morning in the park near the Marin County Civic Center there was a fund-raising 5K where I got a free cup of coffee from a booth that was promoting their product. 

Marin County Civic Center designed by Frank Lloyd Wright

Later in the day I snuck a little picnic table space in a day use area of China Camp State Park reserved for a for-profit off-road trail 5K!  While there I think I heard a wise man comment on the venture capitalist nature of the Bay Area, and how that results in a certain sort of froth (of freebies is my assumption).  I had thrown out the froth of my free coffee by then (after I had refilled it at a 711).

Cars parked for trail run

That for-profit trail race interests me in a few ways:  running or walking on trails I've finally found is so much nicer on my feet.  After two stress fractured heels I pay attention to that kind of thing now.  And the fact you simply pay for the services required to safely enjoy the event keeps you away from non-profit commercialism of the hobby that happens at a lot of other events.  Do people who golf have to be raising money for something every time they tee up?

The trail 5K I've been looking for?

The hike through the balance of China Camp State Park was very peaceful.  To me it felt like a remote state park in the Midwest, not an urban park in the middle of the Bay Area. But this deer I ran across had kind of an urban attitude and stood his ground the entire time I walked by.  I haven't been scared by a deer like that since I was quite young.

A deer with attitude

Day 19:  Northern San Rafael to San Rafael Bay

Accounting: 

    Starting Balance                                       70.03

• Uber earnings to and from Marin County Civic Center   (72.66)
• 7-11 coffee and breakfast sandwich.                     4.42
• Uber ride back to Marin County Civic Center.           16.06

    Ending Balance                                         17.85

Kombucha of the Day -- Margarita Mix

Voice Notes:

The design of the 2016 and 2017 Toyota Prius somehow makes me feel like the world's going to be OK, because things are going to be cool and efficient.

The Marin County Civic Center designed by Frank Lloyd Wright sits at the same dramatic point of the landscape as his eventual Lake Monona building in Madison, built over the place where my Mom worked for the State Dept. of Health.

Today I am walking N. San Pedro Rd. which seems like the original highway that connected this northern part of San Rafael with the main valley. Also the road to Petaluma and Novato.

A prohibition against talking to yourself makes it hard to practice.

I could've and should've done this hike 28 years ago. 

As always I need to pay more attention to my large muscles  and my core so that the small muscles in my feet and heels and ankle last longer.

In a way this is like the bicycle trip to California through California that I took. It was a way of taking a timeout from work to wait for the future.

Of course I'm keeping prepared.

But the thing is I really like the version of myself on this trail. So that's a pretty high bar for any venture to allow for them to pass my audition.

And I don't mean allow me to go hiking all the time I mean allow me to be true to myself.

Of course this means I have to work for myself. But there's always a need for others.

Went past a park employee in China Camp State Park using a lawn or hedge trimmer to take out fennel before they grow too high.

I think I took a break and sat down at a picnic table at the next one over from the lead singer in Cake.  I overheard mild discussion about Bay Area culture and the froth of speculation which seems his style. 

And there I was the only person in the park typing away on their laptop.  Programming actually.