Day 8: Hamilton AFB to Petaluma SMART Station

Day 8:  Hamilton AFB to Petaluma SMART Station

(Novato to Petaluma)

Circle The Bay Part 3

May 8th 2018

24.9 miles in 3 hrs 32 mins

(Total:  146.4 miles in 28 hrs 27 mins)

Hamilton AFB Repurposed Hangar

Another day taking a train, then ferry, then train to the trail.  Getting off the SMART (Sonoma Marin Area Rail Transit) train in southern Novato near the repurposed Hamilton Air Force Base, I biked along the restored wetlands and then swung inland to find the next  SMART station just north of downtown Novato (the downtown Novato station opens next year).

Hamilton AFB Wetland Restoration

Bay Trail Signage

Novato City Hall

I biked all the way down the central commercial street of Novato.  This distance from the bay, Novato was probably more of an agricultural town than a maritime one.  And like San Carlos it has centralized its small town feel on this long street.  It's like a San Carlos with no Belmont and no Redwood City on its boundaries (not quite true, as the train ride through made clear later in the week -- there is almost continuous urban development between San Rafael and Novato, at least along the train and 101).

At the far end of town, on the first significant hill, I took a break in Pioneer Park, which is really Pioneer Cemetery with playground and ball field attached.  The pioneers still buried up here weren't taking any chances on the bay waters rising in the future.

Pioneer Park Cemetery in Novato

Novato Marin SMART Station

Once I made it to the next SMART station in northern Novato, I decided to just go for it and shoot for catching the 1'ish southbound SMART train in Petaluma a simple 2 hour bike trip to the north.  But because of construction on 101 (adding a desperately needed extra lane to part of the daily congestion south of Petaluma) this bike route took me far off into the San Antonio valley, an extremely rural region on the border between Marin and Sonoma counties.

Rural Stretch Between Novato and Petaluma

Birkenstock's Abandoned Headquarters

Bike trail through Olompali State Park that interrupts 101 frontage road

Two Cows with Two Noisy Bells

Detour onto Rural Roads

Horse Ranch outside Petaluma

Petaluma River

Unknown Kombucha, Previously featured

After making it to Petaluma and back in one day on a bike, I'm taking the rest of the week off, until Saturday that is, where Laura and I are going to bike from Petaluma to Vallejo with an overnight stay in Sonoma.   Here is the emoji for the first day of that trip:

🚴‍♀️ 🚴‍♂️ 🚆 🚴‍♀️ 🚴‍♂️⛴ 🚴‍♀️ 🚴‍♂️ 🚆🚴‍♀️ 🚴‍♂️