By Ann Killion, San Francisco Chronicle

When Joe Breeze did what thousands of Mill Valley kids had done before him — stood on Miller Avenue across the street from the 2am Club and stuck out his thumb to hitch a ride — he didn’t know he was changing history.

But he was. Because on that October day in 1973, Breeze had a bike with him. A stripped-down old Schwinn cruiser, with big balloon tires.

It took a couple of rides to get all the way up to the top of Mount Tamalpais, but Breeze got there. He was supposed to meet his cycling pals Otis Guy and Marc Vendetti, but they were nowhere to be found. So, in the East Peak parking lot, he jumped on his bike and rode down the old railroad grade fire road.

“Oh, my God,” he thought to himself, “this is so much fun.”

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