Made this ride call because the last time we went for pancakes, I talked about showing people this route. Unfortunately, from that group, Clayton was the only one who made it today. I really wanted to ride my MTB for the trails but it was cold enough in the morning that I knew I'd want the bar bag on the gravel bike to store all the layers that I knew I'd have to take off later. Plus, junk miles. It really would've been great for everything after pancakes. The trails were a lot more beat up and looser than the last time I did them. Last time we got pancakes, there was no line. This time, it was quite busy. After pancakes, Bobby and Anatoly had to head back to the city so it was just Clayton, Kendra, Adam, and I. The higher we went, the hotter it got. Luckily it wasn't as hot as last month. This was the first time in over a year that I've gone back to do these trails north of Mt. Tam. It did not disappoint. Gorgeous views with perfect weather everywhere we went. We did a little detour at Lake Lagunitas. Someone told us there's a nice trail that goes around the south side of the lake - we were going to do the north side which was a bit of trail then road. We almost missed our turn though and started heading back up Rock Springs Lagunitas Rd. It was so steep. I can't believe people climb that all the way up. On the way up Eldridge Grade, I was actually getting hungry. We stopped at the top to eat but my eyes were burning with sweat and I couldn't open them for a while. It was a popular spot as two other groups were up there two. I chatted with some of them about my Thesis. Indian Fire Rd. and Blithedale Ridge Fire Rd. were especially bumpy and blown out. That's where I wish I had the MTB the most. I was so happy once we got back down to the Dirty Donut trail (Crown Rd. S./Marin Line Rd.). It was smooth, flat, shaded, and cool. So nice! After we got down, Kendra and Adam continued back to the city while Clayton and I went to Pizza Hacker. This is how you do it! On the way back there was a fierce cross-headwind. At the start of the bridge I was really getting buffeted around. Luckily, after the south tower, it calmed down a little bit and I only had to lean into the wind instead of constantly correcting. And the towers were clear when I rode through so there were no incidents. :)