Sunday April 29, 2012
Today is a turning point of sorts. Today, we pack up the car and we head south from Mendocino. For this first time on this trip, we are turning back the way we came. Away from the new and unknown and toward home. Away from the spirit of adventure and romance, and back toward reality.
Continue reading Day 23 & 24: Mendocino to Carmel to Palo Alto and Then Back to Carmel
Saturday April 28, 2012, 22 miles (35 km)
Total so far: 467 miles (752 km)
Today’s plan is to ride the old logging haul road that run parallel to the Big River for about 8 miles from the beach in Mendocino. It’s only a mile or so from our hotel, so we head out right after breakfast.On the way to the beach we make a quick stop at a turnout on Highway 1 that affords a great view of the beach and the surrounding coastline.
Friday April 27, 2012, 5 miles (8 km)
Total so far: 445 miles (716 km)
Today was a fascinating drive. We follow CA Route 128 north and west for almost 70 miles from Cloverdale, a few miles north of Healdsburg, through the Alexander Valley to the Navarro River headlands on the Mendocino Coast. The road twists, turns and winds its way past tiny villages, farms and vineyards. I am extremely glad I am not cycling this route. The posted speed limit is 55 MPH. It’s only 2 lanes, there is no shoulder to speak of, and it is filled with blind corners and rolling hills. We do see a few brave cyclists, but I don’t think I would ride this road.
Thursday April 26, 2012, 22 miles (35 km)
Total so far: 440 miles (708 km)
After the usual huge bed and breakfast meal, Nancy and I get ready to ride in Sonoma. Today’s plan is to make our way on surface streets to The West County & Joe Rodota Trails. This is a local rail-trail built along land that was once the Petaluma and Santa Rosa Railway, a line that linked Petaluma and Santa Rosa with Sebastopol and Forestville. The trails total fourteen miles long. The trails are paved for walking, bicycle riding, and roller skating. An unpaved equestrian trail runs parallel to the paved trail. Designated as a Community Millennium Trail by Former First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, the trail offers beautiful views of farms, vineyards, and other agricultural lands.
Wednesday April 25, 2012
This trip is clearly not the pound shedding experience I had envisioned while I was planning. Our breakfast at Shady Oaks is again a delight of waffles and berries.
Saying farewell to the Napa Valley, we load up the car and head for Sonoma. The landscape in Sonoma has a slightly different feel. Hills are a little less steep, the towns feel a little more residential. It’s still wine country, yet the vineyards here seem larger, more commercial.
Tuesday April 24, 2012, 28 miles (45 km)
Total so far: 418 miles (673 km)
The Shady Oaks Bed and Breakfast sure knows how to make breakfast. We gorged ourselves on waffles, fruit and sausage, before heading out to explore the local area by trike. We settled into the seats and cruised on quiet streets to the Silverado Trail. “The Trail” is a relatively major thoroughfare, but it has a really wide bike lane. We didn’t find the traffic disturbing, although it was steady.
Monday April 23, 2012
Well, another rest day for us as we take the 90 minute drive from Sacramento into the Napa Valley. Our destination – the little town of St. Helena and the charming Shady Oaks Bed and Breakfast.
We can’t check in until 4:00, so arriving in town at 11:00 we decide there is only one thing to do. Wine Time!
Sunday April 22, 2012
31 miles (50 km) – Total so far: 390 miles (628 km)
Today is TARTAR – the Tour of the American River for Trikes and Recumbents. This ride is organized by our friend Wayne Leggett. Wayne owns and operates the 3-2-Go trike shop in Ventura. We first met Wayne a couple of years ago when we rode with him, his wife and a group of recumbent riders from the Ventura area on a weekend getaway to Ojai. We really enjoyed that first ride with Wayne and his crew, so when we learned he organized this ride in Sacramento, we just had to join in!
Continue reading Day 16: Sacramento / The American River Trail
Saturday April 21, 2012
18 miles (29 km) – Total so far: 359 miles (578 km)
After yesterday’s hectic running about, Nancy and I decided to take it easy this morning. With a new wheel gleaming on the back of my trike, we headed out to Sausalito to do a short ride around the Richardson Bay. We found a place to park in Sausalito, and then joined the hoards of cyclists riding the bike trail around the Bay to Tiburon.
Thursday April 19, 2012
27 miles (43 km) – Total so far: 341 miles (549 km)
The day began early in Big Sur. The large crowd in the Hiker/Biker site are all up, and chatting, cooking breakfast and preparing for their day’s ride. I pack up early as well, but elect to take advantage of the camp lodge restaurant for breakfast. I sit in warm comfort, drinking hot tea and wolfing down blueberry pancakes and bacon. Out the window, I watch as, one by one, my fellow bike campers roll out the park exit and turn to the north or the south to continue their journeys. My breakfast finally complete, I pull out a few minutes before 9:00 AM, ready to begin the 13th day of my adventure.
Ahhhhh. The 13th day – I should have recognized this for the omen it was of the day to come…
