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.
Friday April 20, 2012
When last I left you, I was in a hotel in Carmel. I had nothing to do really. The trike was dead.
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…
Wednesday April 18, 2012
28 miles (45 km) – Total so far: 314 miles (505 km)
I awoke at Kirk Creek early. My schedule has shifted to coincide with the sun since I started this ride. I wake when it rises, and I go to sleep when it sets. It feels very natural to me, and I sleep really well.
Tuesday April 17, 2012
42 miles (68 km) – Total so far: 286 miles (460 km)
So the day has finally come. Once again I need to leave behind my beautiful wife. No more fabulous hotels and wonderful meals. No more laughing and sharing our lives together.
Once again it’s time for me to ride off on my own. I admit that this morning I was having many second thoughts. “I could just stay with her, right?”. “No need to do this crazy solo ride”.
Monday April 16, 2012
