Saturday, September 26

The word for today was "climb". After a final breakfast with the Adventure Cycling group in Olema, we headed for San Francisco via Mount Tamalpais, which offers a stunning 180 degree view of the city, bay, AND ocean, assuming that you tackle the climb up the mountain first! Though we agreed that yesterday's impromptu climb over the coastal ridge to Limontaur Beach was steeper and tougher, Mt. Tam, as the locals call it, was plenty challenging. It kept going and going. It was a 4 mile climb to Ridgecrest Road, and then it was another 3 miles of rollers with 3 short steep climbs to the parking lot that was the kick-off point for another 3.5 mile climb to the peak of Mt. Tam. You get the idea. By the time we reached the peak, we had been climbing for 10.5 miles. Mark began to bonk. The heat was becoming oppressive too. After enjoying the views at the top, a coke helped temporarily revive Mark. Unfortunately, on the descent, Jeff had a flat in his rear tire but it was quickly changed. We continued heading down through the beautiful town of Mill Valley, at one point getting totally lost before a local biker led us to the right spot, and we re-joined the bike path that runs south through Sausalito and back over the Golden Gate bridge into San Francisco. We stopped for a quick sandwich in Sausalito which once again revived Mark. It was across from the famous house-boats of Sausalito -- a colorful "neighborhood" of unique houses on the water. We arrived back in San Francisco to the hostel in Fort Mason around 2:30 p.m. We rode on to our hotel and then took a cab back to pick up our luggage since we couldn't ride and shlep our bags all in one trip. Then...we were off the bikes after a week of beautiful riding, great scenery, and a terrific group of fellow Adventure Cyclists.

Friday, September 25

Today's ride was from Guerneville to Olema, approximately 50.2 miles. We left camp in a fog as we rode 7 miles to the coast and Highway 1. Today's ride was primarily coastal as we headed south through Bodega Bay in Tomales Bay. The rugged coast along Highway 1 is spectacular with magnificent views around each corner. However, Highway 1 has no guard rails so it was a bit scary to ride with a scenic yet precipitous chasm next to the road. So foggy we almost rode by our scheduled rest stop (but not quite). Pine and at time Eucalyptus filled the air making it an aromatic ride too. We headed inland north of Tomales Bay which was unclear at the time, but then we turned west again on Dillon Beach Road and proceeded to ride back to the coast on pretty and mostly hilly road with one tough climb through forest before arriving in the town of Tomales for lunch. Tomales Bay has oysters, seals, and white sharks and is teeming with sea life.

After lunch we rode south along the edge of Tomales Bay to Point Reyes Station, another quaint little town. We stopped at the local organic market and found two t-shirts that we really liked. One says: "cycle, cycle, recycle," the other says: "Keep Life Simple - eat, sleep, bike."

We finished today's ride by 1 p.m. and had already checked into the Point Reyes Seashore Lodge. So on the recommendation of Ian, the Adventure Cycling route marker (his only job on this trip), we biked into Point Reyes National Seashore and road the 9 miles to Limontaur Beach. Of course, a significant range of hills stood between us and the beach. The first few miles to the summit were moderate difficulty and about 5-7 percent grade with a few short, harder spots but as we began the descent on the other side, we saw the warning sign: "17% grade". Yikes! Did we want to bike up this on the way back or did we just want to turn around at the top? We decided to continue and proceeded down to the beach for some spectacular views of the ocean and shoreline of sand and cliffs. On the return, we were dancing on the pedals rocking from side to side up the 17% grade. It was tough but we did it! The 5 mile climb back up was worth it as we got to coast downhill the remaining 4 miles at 35-40 mph. I'm glad we took this extra bit in as the park is definitely worth visiting.

Dinner was BBQ salmon, fresh corn on the cob and chocolate mousse -- very nice once again.

The coastline was a nice change from the wine valleys. Cooler air after several days in the high 90's is a relief.

Thursday, September 24

Thursday September 24 - Days typically start out cool and foggy making for dramatic views on our rides. Today we left Calistoga and the Napa Valley and headed into the Alexander Valley, a beautiful valley filled with lots of vineyards. Because we were heading closer to the coast the temperature weren't in the 90's during the afternoon. The roads were in good condition and traffic was light, and overall today was a beautiful, picturesque ride on country roads! As the morning went by the wine country gave way to beautiful coastal wooded areas with more climbing and twisting roads. For the wine connoisseurs on the trip this was the last chance to stop for wine tastings along the ride's route.

We stopped in Healdsburg, a nice, affluent small town for some coffee and pastries and conversation with some of our fellow bikers before moving on down the road to Guerneville. Guerneville is an unassuming little town of 1000 in the woods, known as a travel destination because it's on the Russian River. What it really feels like is a holdover from the days of "Turn on, Tune in, Drop out" hippiedom. Apparently a substantial cash crop of a particular agricultural product remains a big part of the local economy today!
What we did discover when we arrived in Guerneville and stopped for yet another coffee and pastry is Armstrong Woods, an old-growth redwood forest approximately 2 miles outside of town. We rode there after our coffee break with Amy, another biker from our group and a grad of Evanston Township High School (1 year apart from Mark)! In fact, her folks still live in Evanston. Small world. The redwood forest is peaceful and beautiful with giant diameter, tall majestic trees.

We stayed at the Highland Dell B&B which is very nice, right on the Russian River, but can't say the Russian River is anything special. It has attracted vacationers for many years for boating and fishing; maybe we're just not seeing its attractions like some locals do. We had a quick bite at "Don's Dogs" across the river from the B&B, where we met Murphy the cafe mascot, and had to compete with her for our lunch and the cook's attention. More than the river, this is the kind of local flavor we like about small towns.

Wednesday, September 23

Rest is important. Many people on the tour spent this day doing something other than biking. Some decided they needed a respite from 90 degree days and camping and checked into a local hotel/spa. Calistoga is a quaint little town with hot springs and mineral baths, good restaurants and assorted shops along it's main drag, and dozens of wineries surrounding town. Some opted for a short bike ride to local wineries for some wine tasting. Some tried a mud bath -- a favorite local pastime.

Jeff and I stayed at a nice place called Eurospa. We enjoyed a nice, healthy breakfast of granola, yogurt, fruit, and local pastries. Then after a brief rest, we went for a run and checked out the town on foot. Afterward Jeff returned to the hotel to clean up and I was off to the new outdoor community pool to go for a swim -- I loved it. Next we walked to the Calistoga Roastery and had a great cup of coffee and sat with Rich and Cindy from our group, a very nice couple from Sacramento, and had a very nice chat with them.

This afternoon we had a taste for something different so we had Mexican cuisine at Cafe Pacifico -- Jeff had the Carnitas (excellent!) and I had Chile Rellenos Pacifico (very nice variation on a classic). Then we did laundry, an unavoidable part of any bike trip. Jeff went for a massage and I strolled the main street visiting book stores and the local bike shop. Talked to lots of nice people.

Dinner tonight was grilled chicken with mushrooms in a wine white sauce, with cherry tomatoes, caeser salad, and Texas pecan squares. Another great meal!

Tomorrow we move onto Guerneville and the Russian River by riding through the beautiful Alexander Valley.

The 70's

This tour has the highest average age of any bike tour we've been on. Many folks are well into their 60's, and a few in their 70's. But all love bike touring and are happily climbing the same hills as the rest of the group. Maybe we're onto something...a sport that we will be able to continue for a few more decades.

Don, who is 77, is a happy, content, friendly man who loves to bike but only discovered biking in his late 40s after experiencing chest pains and a not-so-good physical exam. But the rest is history. Now at 77 he does a couple of tours a year, loves riding with his over 70 buddies and the only complaint he has is minor short-term memory loss, but despite that his cognitive skills are excellent.

Al who is 73 lives in San Jose. He is retired but was an engineer for most of his career until he got in touch with the right side of his brain and worked on his soft skills and became a mediator. He performed this role for the state until budget issues in California put an end to it. Now he volunteers his time providing counseling to others on parenting and divorce. He finds it very enriching and a source of great happiness. He is vibrant and healthy.

Norm, 66 years old, did a self-contained solo Transcontinental ride last year from Washington to Maine. A retired administrator, he is enjoying life and has a wonderful "one day at a time" attitude.

Each of these remarkable men gives us lessons in living that are priceless.

Tuesday, September 22

Today we rode from Santa Rosa (in the Sonoma valley) into Calistoga (in the Napa valley) but instead of taking the direct short route over the mountain, we took a longer (70 mile) route with some hills. The first third of the ride was hair-raising as we were on high-traffic roads with little to no shoulder, and also hit a stretch of road construction, reduced to one lane with no shoulder. We needed to stop and wait till we had our chance to go and it was no fun. Once we got off this road, we started going through Napa Valley on our way to Calistoga. These roads are what we've come to appreciate on most tours -- lightly traveled, scenic, secondary roads. Dry Creek Road was the best stretch we've traveled since the tour begin, with beautiful scenery, rolling hills, and little traffic. After lunch, we returned to heavily traveled roads, but with good wide shoulders, and a nice tailwind! This has been a hot week, and by early afternoon it was well into the 90s. The heat actually felt good -- my body felt loose and comfortable on the bike. Support for the ride today was very good with two water stops in addition to lunch which kept us all going. My endurolytes were also a big help. Our dinner tonight was sensational. We had NY strip steak with caprese salad and another lentil with goat cheese salad that was sensational. Dessert was scones with raspberry/blueberry/blackberry sauce and whipped cream. I had a taste for a steak so I (Mark) was delighted with tonight's menu. The group continues to be a joy with lots of good, engaging people.

Monday, September 21

Today we biked from Petaluma to Santa Rosa, about 32 miles. The first 18 miles was in a fairly heavy fog and quite chilly -- I had a jacket and leg warmers on. But once we reached the Sonoma valley, the fog cleared and warmed up quickly. The ride to Santa Rosa had some nice moments. In Santa Rosa, we stayed at the Flamingo Resort - a 50s era resort (sister to the one in Las Vegas) but renovated for 21st century travelers. We rode to the Charles M. Schultz museum to see the shrine to the Peanuts creator and former resident of Santa Rosa. Actually very interesting. We then visited the Luther Burbank garden -- a noted local horticulturist. Despite being a biking mecca we didn't feel that the Santa Rosa drivers were especially bike-friendly. We had dinner tonight with the rest of the group at Spring Lake Park. The catered dinners have been excellent, with tonight's menu consisting of baked tilapia, rice, carrots, and rum cake. One of the highlights of the trip so far has been the group, a convivial group of mostly older experienced riders. Tomorrow we ride from Sonoma to Napa county and overnight in Calistoga. Approximate mileage: 70 miles. Forecast: 90's and sunny!