Ride Recap: Sawyer Camp Trail & Mediterranean Kebab

In July the Social Ride took on a beloved ride, the Sawyer Camp Trail. The Sawyer Camp Trail has been a club ride since the beginning but its popularity waxes and wanes. For one, even though it’s close to San Francisco it’s not an especially easy ride to get to. No matter which direction you approach the north trailhead you’re in for a climb and a stiff one at that. Of course once you’re on the trail you realize why it’s so beloved: it follows the rift zone created by the San Andreas fault and is a pleasant meander through the Crystal Springs Reservoir area, a semi-natural and undeveloped reserve that stores San Francisco’s water. On weekends the Trail sees mobs of walkers and a smattering of cyclists, making it a dangerous place to race with its many blind curves, not that one should since it is a multi-use path and the speed limit is set at 15 mph. Apparently bike-pedestrian accidents did occur because at one point a 10 mph limit was imposed and police were ticketing speeding riders. When that happened back in the ‘80s, I pretty much stopped using the trail because I was using it to get to the Peninsula from San Francisco and I wasn’t interested in moseying. The speed limit was since been raised (and the rangers with radar guns seem to be gone as well) making it a perfect place for a Social Ride—except for the getting to the trailhead part!

It was just four of us this time—Roger, me, Omar, and Stephen—but the weather was beautifully cooperative: sunny, mild breeze, and a touch of cool at the start of a mid-80s day. The grind up Murchison proved to be a daunting test for Stephen, reducing him to walking when it became painfully wall-like. But he made it up. The trail was moderately busy but everyone was polite and attentive (a rarity these days with so many folks listening to tunes). We stopped several times to take in the views and take pics. After we exited the trail we ended up on Canada Road, another cyclists’ paradise even though it wasn’t a Bicycle Sunday. Our next stop was the Pulgas Water Temple, the entrance of the Hetch Hetchy water into the Crystal Springs Water, for a pit stop and a quick tour. All this time Stephen was snapping pics and sending them to his husband, who couldn’t make it to the ride because he was out of state visiting relatives. This is a picture-perfect place for a picnic lunch on a ride, but we had other plans and were heading to Mediterranean Kebab! We climbed up Edgewood and dropped down to the flatlands and made our way north to downtown Burlingame for a repast. We lucked out and got al fresco tables. Ah, their baba ghanoush is wickedly good! Conversation ended when our plates arrived–was that because it was so good or because we were so famished? Both! Fortunately after such a filling lunch we had just a few miles back to Millbrae BART.

Next month: the Iron Horse Trail to Khyber Pass Kebob in Dublin.