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. ),l:_(_' �'co u'�n : urban access_ san francisco � �{-t':' 'l � �. �'>W�W'1"'- l' 1 _ TEXT: TIM PARR MOUNTAIN BIKE MT TAMALPAIS Mt Tamalpais is the disputed birthplace of the modern-day mountain bike. It is the very moun tain where Gary Fisher, Joe Breeze and the rest of the Marin County fat-tire forefathers began. This mountain-bike Mecca is by far the most accessi ble I've ever run into. Within a half hour of down town San Francisco, you can be on a trail in the middle of nowhere. Have your cake and eat it too. Try to avoid arguments with hikers and trail run ners on the subject of trail access-they're really good at arguing here. Head into Mill Valley off Hwy 101 and check out Mill Valley Cycleworks (41 5-388-677 4). VISIT GREAT TERRITORY WHITE SHARK Located just 30 miles from the mouth of San Francisco Bay, Farallon Islands National Park is the Port Authority of the great white shark king dom. Conveniently nestled in an area marine biologists refer to as the "Red Triangle," there are no tourist traps, snow cone vendors on the cor ner or bad seafood chain restaurants. The Farallons are an archipelago composed of glori fied rocks. This is Nor Cal. Not Baywatch. But Hollywood types did study sharks in this area for the movie Jaws. They made a replica far bigger than anything they found, then two years later got one upped by Mother Nature when a great white almost twice the size of Hollywood's cre ation was spotted in Farallon munching seals the size of cows. Local conservation groups sponsor wildlife observation trips because the islands host the largest seabird breeding colony on the Pacific coast, south of Alaska. So disguise your self as a bird-watcher and stuff your pockets with hamburger prior to your departure. It's the big game that you're really after. For more informa tion call 415-391-2000. YOSEMITE VALLEY I've always had mixed emotions about "The o Valley." The crowds can be enough to keep me away for the most part. Yet it is by far the craziest display of what can happen when some rocks, some water and a big chunk of ice get together and have a few 100,000 years to really work out a relationship. It's something everybody needs to see, but make sure you go in the off season. Early Spring and late Fall are the best times of the year. Be sure to climb the backside of Half Dome. There's a makeshift ladder of cables bolted on the slope of the backside. Your only concern is light ning and Germans on vacation. I'm still deciding which I'd rather deal with. You figure it out. SNOWBOARD IN SUMMER Strap some of them new-fangled snowshoes on 76 PlfOTOs: SHARK INSET. SIMON RUSSELL. YOSEMITE +SNOW BOARD INSET. ISAAC NIIICHI'LS(JN_���������_--'-'Ⴀ your feet and start walking. In fact, walk for about nine or ten hours up the west face of Mt Shasta with a snowboard strapped to your back. Spend the night at 14,000 feet, wake up, watch your food explode, then spend a measly 45 minutes exploit ing the fruits of the previous days work. It's the one time you'll get to use that ice ax strap that pack manufacturers feel it necessary to include in all their designs. Make sure you know what's up with snow conditions and have some basic mountaineering skills. Being a kook can hurt sometimes. Call The Fifth Season for more infor mation at 530-926-3606.