Mill Valley, Marin County - Help needed!

It's been a bit of a grueling year, so me and the missus are busting out of Scotland at Christmas to spend a few weeks in California. For the last week of the trip we've rented an apartment in Mill Valley.

So....

It would great if anyone local could recommend some MTB shops where we can hire decent spec bikes and also point us in the direction of the local trails - gentler stuff that we can both do and then some harder routes for me. I rode Mt Tam back in 1999 so that's a must, but I kinda just made it up. Would be great to actually know where I'm going this time!

Cheers,

Nik

why not drop fairfaxpat a line?

oh, and please pay a visit to santa barbara, tis a beautiful place to visit...maybe a trip to the hot springs up the road at las cruces for some skinny dipping

Santa Barbara is where we are starting Any other top tips?

Secretly hoping that Pat and a certain Mr. Kelly might post a response on the Marin stuff...

Nik

Make sure you visit the chinese restuarant in town if still there....maggie may's or something, can't quite remember...... yum

greenstiles":2m3epfhd said:

Make sure you visit the chinese restuarant in town if still there....maggie may's or something, can't quite remember...... yum

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That in sf? If that's the place we went there in the early eighties and have a pic with the chef with a hAndfull of my aunties tit

Santa Barbara. Do the trolley tour from the seafront, it's a great taster. The zoo is awesome. Breakfast at sambos or esaus or both! Dinner at the enterprise fish co. avoid dinner on the pier which is mediocre. Whale watching boats are good but may be put of season, it gets cold on the water too. Take a nice long walk up and down state street and check out the second hand shops for nice mementos.
Take a drive over the mountains to Santa ynez for wine tasting, maybe get a cheap hotel cos that wine tastes real fine.
Herst castle further up the coast is well worth a look and will leave you feeling very poor

I'll look for more to do when I can think of it. I grew up in S.B. , took my girlfriend there for her first trip to the states and made her my wife there. The west coast is ******* beautiful, you'll love it.

Are you going to Carmel/monterey? If so I know good food paces there too!

I'll be more than happy to show you around the trails in Marin when you come, I lived in Mill Valley as a boy. I ride pretty much every day, and probably can get CK to come on a ride, too! Both bike shops in Fairfax rent bikes, from low to high end, depending on what you want.

Gavinda, Greenstiles, Pat,

Thank you gentlemen! You've made me a very happy man. Definitely going to check out the wine country around Santa Barbara. Our honeymoon last year was essentially a pilgrimage to Bonny Doon and the wineries around Santa Cruz. Long (boozy) story...

Chinese restaurants are always good to know, especially compared to what passes as Chinese food in Scotland. You have no idea how lucky you are in California.

Pat, that's a really generous offer. And I fully intend to take you up on it . I'll send you a PM, but seriously, thanks. If you're a whisky drinking man then I'll make sure a quality bottle of single malt comes with us.

Cheers,

Nik

That's a funny coincidence-I lived in the main house on an old turkey ranch in Bonny Doon for 9 months back in '81. Had to get back to my roots in Marin, but I still really love that area.