ENLIGHTENMENT IS AN elusive concept, and to begin to understand it, you first have to pay your worldly dues. As Shunryu Suzuki, Japanese Zen master and founder of San Francisco Zen Center, once said, "Each of you is perfect the way you are ... and you can use a little improvement." So when I was planning a trip to west Marin County's Green Gulch Farm Zen Center (a SFZC outpost) to visit my farming friend Shannon, I decided to put those words into action and make myself work for the privilege of sitting under a tree in one of the Bay Area's most tranquil places: I rode my bike.

Being a Green German, I've always appreciated the Bay Area's extensive system of bike trails and low-traffic secondary roads, which encourage environmentally conscious and physically active urban residents to conduct their daily business on two wheels. Better yet, biking out here for the most part doesn't require a backpack loaded down with heavy rain gear and a frost-survival kit. This really is bicycle heaven. When I left the Mission District on a sunny Friday morning to embark on my journey to enlightenment, the only things weighing on me were a couple bottles of water, a fleece sweater, and a bag of snacks. (Naturally, I picked the Zen mix in hopes of getting on the Buddha's smiling side right away.)

There are numerous ways to weave your way out of the city and toward the Golden Gate Bridge, but I've found that from where I live, taking Sanchez Street across Market to Page Street and heading west toward Golden Gate Park offers the lowest ratio of car-door surprise attacks and black diesel clouds tarring your lungs. (Alternately, Fell Street takes you toward the Panhandle lane, shared by peds as well as bicyclists and other wheeled individuals.) At the western end of Page I cross Stanyan Street, enter the park, and jog over to JFK Drive, shooting past the Conservatory of Flowers and eventually turning right on 30th Avenue to get to China Beach. From there, Camino del Mar becomes Lincoln Boulevard, which takes me through the Presidio to the bridge. Call me a cheeseball tourist, but I never get tired of the latter architectural masterpiece, especially on a sunny day, with the ocean breeze blowing through my hair and clear views of the Pacific and the city skyline beside me.

Entering Marin County, I'm faced with the question many a traveler on the road to enlightenment has pondered: which path to take? A part of me wants to keep cruising out to Bunker Road, to hit the Miwok trailhead that will take me through the headlands to Tennessee Valley, then on to Coyote Ridge Trail across rugged shoreline with an elevation of 1,000-plus feet. The other part recognizes that I'm getting a bit dehydrated and my calves are tightening. Humble steps lead to wisdom, so I coast down Alexander Avenue into Sausalito for a veggie sandwich and a gallon of ice water at the Bridgeway Cafe on the waterfront.

Well fed and rested, I ride north into Marin City, where I turn onto Shoreline Highway. Winding through Tamalpais Valley, the road grows steep and narrow, making me earn every pedal revolution with another stream of sweat and curses. Standing up now, all I can do is examine the next hairpin up ahead and wonder if it might be the last. "This is what you have come here to do," I tell myself. "In order to get to Green Gulch, you have to climb a mountain."

Just as I've resigned myself to an eternal ascent, the sign for Panoramic Highway appears, marking the turnoff to Muir Woods and the highest point on my journey. There's also another Miwok trailhead, but this time it's pointing downhill – and takes me to the northern end of Coyote Ridge, where I'm greeted by stunning views of San Francisco Bay to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. On a perch around the bend I throw down my bike, rip off my sweaty T-shirt, and fall into the grass to celebrate the moment.

It's sunset by the time I roll down Green Gulch trail straight into the cabbage field where Shannon is cleaning up her hoes and spades. After a delicious pasta dinner at the cafeteria, we walk down to the Pelican Inn for a cold home brew. Not monastically correct, yet spiritually necessary. The only thing left to do is fall into bed at the Green Gulch guest house. As I'm snoring away my enlightened time, I can see old Zen Master Suzuki smiling from heaven, knowing that enlightenment isn't to be found at Green Gulch but on the way there ...

If you go

Green Gulch Farm Zen Center (415) 383-3134 (guest house reservations), www.sfzc.org.

Pelican Inn (415) 383-6000, www.pelicaninn.com.