Bicycle Travels

Day 10 Stinson Beach - Sunnyvale 66 mi

2008-09-27T16:00:00.000-07:00

I love it when a plan comes together--well, almost.

We had a great, safe ride all the way from Eureka to Stinson Beach. At dinner we were talking about what a great trip this was and also talked about the "Last Run Theory". This comes from skiing experience where, often, after a wonderful day of skiing, that one, last run leads to disaster or accident. Based on the "Last Run Theory" we decided to catch the Marin County bus over the hill from Stinson to Marin City. Then we would ride our bikes to Sausalito, catch the ferry to San Francisco and the train to Sunnyvale.

The last morning of the trip arrived and we got packed up and off to the bus stop. Don had planned out the timing for everything so we would miss the commute in the morning and the afternoon. But, when the bus arrived at the stop, the bike rack was full, so we ended up riding our bikes instead.

As we started up the hill out of Stinson Beach the fog was curling up the canyons from the ocean and our legs were feeling great. The traffic was light and the road was in good condition, much better than Don's memory of 20 years ago. We shared the road with one tour bus, one FedEx truck and about 20 cars. Pretty light traffic for the 1 hour ride.

When we rolled off the hill into Sausalito the sun was out, the sky was blue, it was a beautiful, warm fall day. Some may ask why not ride the Golden Gate bridge instead of the ferry. We ride the bridge frequently when we go to the art museum and then over to Avatar's in Sausalito for lunch. Last time we did the ride the bike lane was closed, and we shared the pedestrian side with thousands of gawking tourists, weaving back and forth across the walkway, gaping at towers, sailboats, and Alcatraz. It wasn't a fun ride. Also, Don wanted to get some great photos of the city from the ferry boat in the clear weather. If you have never taken the ferry from Sausalito to San Francisco, it is a must do, especially if the weather is clear. Go to Sausalito, visit some galleries, have lunch, and take the ferry back to San Francisco. It is a nice way to spend the day.

From the Ferry Building we rode our bikes along the Embacadero, an easy 1 1/2 miles, and arrived at the train station around 1:30, as Don had planned. His schedule worked out very well for us. We caught the train, which has set aside a car dedicated to bicycles, with the seats removed and a bar and bungees to secure the bicycles in the car. We were able to sit above and watch our bikes during the ride. It was a pleasant, smooth ride. Arriving in Sunnyvale we hopped on our bikes and easily rode home to Ticonderoga Drive.

Stinson Beach 10am, Sunnyvale 3pm. An easy 66 miles. 15.2miles of climbing 1609ft to Sausalito to San Francico Ferry Building 8.74mi, Train ride to Sunnyvale 42.71mi, 5:30 total time, 1905ft total ascent

PERFECT TRIP!

Day 09 Tomales-Stinson Beach 37.8mi

2008-09-25T20:36:00.000-07:00

3:27 Moving Time, 11mph Moving Average, 2399ft Total Ascent

Day 08 Fort Ross-Tomales 39.4mi

2008-09-24T20:29:00.000-07:00

In the morning we actually got a fairly decent start, probably because there was nobody for Don to talk to. We had breakfast burritos, which were pretty good, and then packed up and headed out. It was sunny, but there was a fog bank hanging right off the shore.

The route was a bit hillier today. We had a few big climbs. As we rode the fog crept in and we would go down into the fog and then climb up the hill and out of the fog into the sunshine and blue sky again.

We stopped for lunch in Bodega Bay and had clam chowder and fish and chips and talked to a couple from Pennsylvania.

We stopped in Tomales for the night and checked into the Continental Hotel. Nice rooms.

3hrs49mins Moving time, 10.4mph Moving avg, 3381ft total Ascent

Day 07 Point Arena-Fort Ross 40.2mi

2008-09-24T20:19:00.000-07:00

We woke up to a bright, sunny day and got on the road at our typical early start--11:30am. We got busy talking to people in the breakfast room. Don was Mr. Chatty this morning.

We met a fellow who is walking the coast route to Canada. He has a pickup and a motor scooter and he drives up to his destination for the day, then takes the scooter back to his starting point and then does that segment of the walk, goes back to pick up his truck. He lives in Los Altos. He figures it will take him about two years to complete his walk. He is not doing it continuously.

While I was talking to him Don met some nice people who own the Golden Gate Hotel in San Francisco, John & Renate Kenaston Innkeepers. This is a very nice European style hotel. Check it out at http://www.goldengatehotel.com/

Then he met a couple from Hurricane, Utah. The wife grew up in Sunnyvale. They were quite interested in home exchanging, and had lots of questions and Don was full of stories and anecdotes.

We had a nice ride along good road. We see lots of Prius cars in these parts. We had a picnic lunch at one of the nice parks along the way, looking over the coast.

We decided to pull into the Fort Ross Lodge, even though there were several negative comments online. The rooms are actually pretty nice size. We had a view from out patio. The decor needs to be updated, but the price was right--$68.

We went across the street to buy some supplies for dinner. First I looked at the wine. Pretty expensive, even the cheapo wines. Then we started to look at soup, canned tuna, etc. Yikes! The prices were 3 times what I would pay. I picked up a box of Triscuts and dropped it, jumped back and yelped. Don thought there was a mouse in back of the box due to my reaction to the price--$4.99! I shuddered as Don gave up on me and started picking up things for dinner himself. I couldn't even go near the cash register as the clerk rang up the sale. I don't want to know.

We went back across the street and heated up our clam chowder and spaghetti and promised to eat lettuce tomorrow.

We watched the sun sink into the sea as we ate our cookie dough Ben and Jerry's ice cream. Then a little tv and nitey-nite.

40.2miles, 3:38 Moving time, 11.1mph Moving avg, 2863ft Total Ascent

Day 06 Mendocino-Point Arena 38.2mi

2008-09-23T08:03:00.000-07:00

The Blackberry Inn near Mendocino was quite comfortable. They didn't serve breakfast, but they did provide coffee, fresh fruit, and mini lemon loaves in our room for breakfast. We tried to get an earlier start this morning.

The day was blue and sunny--a perfect California Coast day. We rode into Mendocino looking for a bike shop to use their tire pump, but no luck, so we made our way out of town and up and down the rolling hills along the coast. What fabulous scenery and perfect weather.

We st opped in the little town of Elk to take some pix and started talking to Gerarda who is one of the partners in the Greenwood Pier Inn. She was very cordial and welcoming and had us park our bikes while she showed us the grounds. The

gardens are beautiful, but the stunning views from the back yard are breathtaking. Although we didn't see the rooms we can recommend this place for a stay: Greenwood Pier Inn, Elk, CA. 707-877-3423, www.greenwoodpierinn.comm. We ended up having lunch there at the cafe. We were served on the back patio overlooking the little bay where the pier used to be and the dinosaur rocks. Another feature of the inn that was quite attractive is the hot tub, which is behind a privacy fence and looks out on the stunning view. Next time we will enjoy that and stay here.

After lunch we rolled along some more and we met up with the bicycling band, Blind Pilot . This is the band that was playing in Mendocino last night. They are good. We talked to Ryan and he explained that they were cycling the coast and had booked gigs along the route. The bass player carries his instrument in a big coffin-like box which he tows behind his bicycle. Check out there music!!

We arrived in Pointthe Arena around 4pm and stayed over at the Wharf Master's Inn, right near the water. We had a very nice ocean view from our deck, so we sat out there and enjoyed our glass of wine before going down a short hill to get pizza for dinner. We watched the sun set from the deck of the restaurant as we enjoyed our ice cream dessert.

Back to our room for a little tv and bed.

Day 05 Mendocino Coast 30.9mi

2008-09-21T21:22:00.000-07:00

After our yummy breakfast we packed up once again. Just before we were set to roll out Don noticed that his rear tire was threadbare, worn down to the cord, so he dug down into our bags and found a spare tire. As he worked a couple in their 80s came along and started chatting. They had done this coast ride several years ago and wished they could do it again, but this time they are going by car. After Don finished with the tire we were off, a nice early start--11am. Well, maybe tomorrow we will get an early start.

This day, Sunday, is a glorious, blue, sunny California coast day!! THIS is what I wanted and expected for our September bike ride. The coast road is rolling hills, right along the ocean. The views are gorgeous.

We had an easy ride, stopping in Ft. Bragg for groceries. While I was shopping Don stayed out with the bikes and when I came out of the store he was talking to Brad who is cycling bc2bc--British Columbia to Baja California. He is pulling a bob trailer packed with a lot of gear, plus two surfboards. His buddy had a camp chair in his gear. Now! What do you think of that Debra! No little wine bottle for Brad. He goes for the big haul.

There was another fellow in the conversation too, with front and back paniers and he had a camp chair too. So now I don't feel my little monopoly game is all that decadent.

We pulled into the Blackberry Inn, Mendocino, around 3pm with about 31 easy miles under our belt. After a shower we had a glass of wine and then walked into town for dinner at the Mendocino Cafe. Don had the Cajun Snapper and I had the Thai burrito. It was all tasty and we ate every last bit, since we had skipped lunch. We got a Fig Raspberry Pocket with caramel sauce to go. Later, when we ate it, we decided we had made a wonderful decision on the dessert. It was great.

Now we are watching tv, catching up on the political race, and then bed.

30.9mi, 2:53 moving time, 10.7mph average, 2051ft total Ascent.

Day 04 Dehaven Valley Inn 51.24mi

2008-09-21T20:53:00.000-07:00

In the morning we packed up and had our breakfast of boiled eggs, oj, toast and coffee. Then we said goodbye to Arnold and Debra and set out toward Leggett and the turnoff to Hwy 1.

We cycled our way south along the Eel River, using side roads as much as possible to keep off Hwy 101. Then we hit the turnoff for Hwy 1 and started the climb over the Coast Range. The road was in excellent condition and a very pleasant change from the patched, bumpy, and busy 101. We climbed up and up on the winding road through redwood forests. Just about 1 mile from the top, here came a big red pickup truck, driven by David and carrying Arn and Debra. They very nicely stopped and took our saddle bags. Debra got a big charge out of the things I had packed--IMPORTANT THINGS--like my bottle of wine, apples, plastic plates, coffee and my monopoly game. She just couldn't get over it as I shifted stuff out of my trunk bag into my saddle bags for the trip to the B&B.

We hit the road again, 20 pounds lighter, and moving much faster without our load. As we neared the top of the hill it got very misty and damp and we stopped to put on our jackets before we started the downhill. We were pretty cautious going down the mountain on the wet roads. We eventually came out at the coast and rode the remaining few miles to the Dehaven Valley Inn B&B. It was a beautiful ride.

David's wife, Tammy, gave us a warm welcome, a cup of tea and showed us our cottage. We showered and changed out of our cycle clothes and then went up the hill for a nice soak in the hot tub with views. Next it was out to the patio for a glass of wine. The sun came out and warmed us up even more.That evening we joined a large group of hungry and interesting people for dinner. Luckily Tammy serves dinner on Saturday night. We had some delicious salad, ribs, potatoes and vegetables. The conversation at the table was lively and interesting. I was feeling pretty proud of myself, climbing hills and riding 50 miles a day at the age of 63. I sat next to Joan, a nice woman who informed me that she and her friends are all in their 70s and they are riding 60 miles a day! Joan was very interesting to talk to and very young for her age.

On Don's end of the table was a guy who works for Merrill Lynch, now BofA. Don had a spirited conversation, which I could only pay attention to part of. (oh oh, dangling participle) When the topic turned to politics it became pretty evident that we were at a very Obama table. I was worried that Don would play devil's advocate, just to stir things up, but he behaved.

In the morning Tammy served us a hearty breakfast of quiche, potatoes, cheese biscuit, oj and coffee. The room and meals were excellent and our host and hostess were cordial and helpful. We certainly recommend the Dehaven V alley Inn, 707-961-1660.2970ft Total Ascent 1652ft Max Elev 10.6mph Moving average

Day 03 RAIN DELAY IN GARBERVILLE 9.5mi

2008-09-19T14:45:00.000-07:00

We slept quite well at the Riverwood Inn and woke the next morning to drizzle and gray skies. We suited up in our rain gear, packed up our belongings and headed out to Garberville for breakfast. As we rolled along it began to really rain and we could hear rolling thunder in the forest.

When we got to Garberville we stopped at the Best Western, just to check availibilty, and to get some more shower caps, which are good for protecting cameras, gps equipment, and heads from the rain. We went down the street to the Eel River Cafe for breakfast and talked about what we wanted to do.

We decided to check in to the hotel and cut the ride short. The room was spacious, very clean and comfortable. We were happy with our decision to stop.

In the afternoon the hotel hosted a wine and cheese social and we went and sat in the sunroom, overlooking the grounds, pool and hot tub. We enjoyed some nice merlot and cheese and began to chat with some of the other guests. We met Arnold and Debra who live in Seattle and were also cycling the coast. They are younger than we are and skinnier too, and they do longer distances than we do, usually. Unfortunately Arn suffered a broken spoke and couldn't get the bike shop in Garberville to give him any help or service. The guy who did repairs didn't come in until Monday (this is Friday) and the clerk on duty didn't know his name and wouldn't let Arnold use the tool he needed to pull off the cassette. Arn somehow had to get from Garberville to Mendocino for bike repairs.

As we chatted we learned that Arn and Debra travel extensively and have been kayaking in South America, cruising in Antarctica, and touring in Croatia. They are avid mountain bikers.

It turns out they planned to stay at the Dehaven Valley Inn the next night and had made arrangements to have David, the host, to pick them up in Garberville and take them over the coast range to the B&B. Well, we had made reservations there too, so we asked Arn to carry our gear along with his bike. But Arn balked, rightly, pointing out that we would be up a creek if David wasn't dependable and didn't show up.

So, for the day we only cycled 9.5 miles, but we still felt that we had a productive day. We had a light dinner of Ceasar salad with smoked salmon and tomatoes and then got a good night's sleep.

2008-09-18T19:58:00.000-07:00

Day 02 SWALLOW YOUR PRIDE, TAKE A RIDE 56.3mi

2008-09-18T18:45:00.001-07:00

SWALLOW YOUR PRIDE, TAKE A RIDE

THE AVENUE OF THE GIANTS

Boy! We had a great rest at the Lost Inn, soon to be the Petrolia Guest House. The bed is very comfortable and Petrolia is very quiet. We slept until 7:30. After breakfast of fruit and granola bars we packed up and had a nice conversation with Phil, our host. By the time we got on the road it was 10:30.

We climbed out of Petrolia and churned our way to Honeydew where we stopped for lunch. There we met Richard from Miami and we had a nice talk about cycling and traveling. After lunch we packed up and headed out, but we had to get off our bikes to cross the bridge which was wooden and a bit treacherous. Even walking I got my wheel caught in the crack between two boards. At the end of the bridge was a big, long hill. Don hailed a big pickup pulling a 5th wheel trailer and the very nice couple from Anaheim gave us a ride up 7 miles of steep switchbacks. When they dropped us off it was downhill over potholed and patched roads. We had to stop a few times to rest our brake hands. When we got to the Avenue of the Giants we both felt we were almost at the end of the ride, but, surprise, it went on and on for another 18 miles. I was determined to make it to the Rivervood Inn where we could get cold beer and Mexican food , and even when Don tried to tempt me to stop early at the Miranda Gardens, I was determined to plug on for my enchilada. So, we did finally make it to the Riverwood and had our Mexican dinners and now we feel full and happy, although our knees are a bit creaky.

The scenery along the Mattole River and through the Mattole Valley is just beautiful. We lucked out and had beautiful blue sunny skies all day, in spite of predictions of rain. When we got to Humboldt State Park the trees turned to conifers and then along the Avenue of the Giants there are huge redwoods. As we cycled along through the giant trees we felt like we were in a cathedral with the sun filtering in through the trees like stained glass windows.

Today we traveled 54 miles and rode 47 of them. We are feeling pretty proud that we are doing so well on our trip. Tomorrow our goal is Leggett and then we head back over the hills to Ft. Bragg and the coast.

56.31 miles 4418ft Total Ascent, 11.4 moving average 4:55 moving time 8:25 Total time

Day 01 Eureka to Petrolia 49.8mi

2008-09-18T18:45:00.000-07:00

The Lost Coast

We started off the first day of our riding with a ig breakfast at Denny’s. It was so big we were able to split it
and we both had plenty. Then we packed up and headed out of Eureka.

The first leg of the journey, leaving Eureka, was pretty flat and after we got out of the town and on Hookton Road we were in the pretty trees and rolling hills. We easily made it to Ferndale where we stopped for a pot of tea and some cinnamon banana bread at Rosy ’s Café.

Once we left Ferndale, though, the work started. Right away we had to climb up, up, up. This is one of those hills that I call “Hopeful Hill” because I hope that the top is just around the corner. Of course, when I get around the corner there is yet, another hill ahead. We climbed up (1879ft) quite awhile before the road flattened out a bit and we had some rolling hills along the ridge. Then we started down the hill to Capetown where we stopped and ate our picnic lunch of smoked salmon, French bread, pears and apples.

The climb out of Capetown was even worse than our earlier climb (992ft)and we walked and pushed the steeper hills. We have a guideline that if you see cement droppings on the road it is too steep to ride and this section of road was covered with so much cement that they ran out and started dropping blue paint instead.

We finally made it to the top of the very steep hill out of Capetown and enjoyed more rolling hills along the mountain ridge for several miles. Then we went down, down, down again,

One last hill climb, more mountain ridge, and then I saw the church ahead and knew we were coming into a town--it must be Petrolia. I rode up to the drive to the Lost Inn, met Phil, the owner, and he showed me our nice little lodging for the night--a kitchen, sun room, large bedroom and bathroom. Hooray! If you ever are in Petrolia for the night, call Phil. He told me he is changing the name of his inn, but his number is 707-629-3394. You will like it here.

We showered, made our turkey-noodle dinner, enjoyed fresh fruits and tomatoes from the garden, and now it is time for a bit of Petrolia history from a book put together by the local social studies class. Then bed and rest to get ready for our next day.

Today we did 50 miles! Max Elev 1879ft, Total Ascent 4351ft.

Sunny? Eureka, welllllll....heavy mist, okay, almost rain

2008-09-17T09:18:00.000-07:00

We finally have started out on our long-awaited California coast bike tour. Yesterday Don got the rental car and we packed up and headed out from Sunnyvale to Eureka. This is a beautiful drive through vineyards and redwood trees and I always enjoy it.

The car, which was supposed to be a compact, came home as a beautiful SUV with seat-warmers and lots of room for the bikes. The packing was so much easier than I was expecting with the compact we were getting.

Thee weather in the morning was a bit gray, but I am used to this and know that the sun will pop out by 10am. By 10 am we were in Santa Rosa and we started to get a few sprinks on the windshield. Not a good omen. But, it didn't last long.

We drove along through the wine country and up into the redwood groves. It was an easy drive and the car was very comfortable. We checked out a few lodging possibilities along the route, because we have several days with limited choices for our nightly bed and meal.

The sun peeked through the cloud cover a few times, but Eureka was very cloudy and gray when we got there. We checked into our hotel for the night and had a tasty Cajun dinner at Bless My Soul. Don had the Jambalaya, which was super-spicy and I had the ribs. Yummy.

Good night's sleep, turned in the car the next morning, breakfast at my fav--Denny's--and now we are off on the first day's ride.

Eureka!

2008-09-16T22:01:00.000-07:00

326 miles and 7 hours 31 mins to Eureka, CA.

Raining in Santa Rosa

2008-09-16T12:22:00.001-07:00

It's raining in Santa Rosa, just a few drops on the windshield, the Ford Taurus X is getting 18.9 miles to the gallon.

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The Rental car...

2008-09-16T08:26:00.001-07:00

Well, the rental car went great. Hertz didn't have the Ford Focus hatchback, so they upgraded me to a Taurus X AWD. It will be better for the bikes.

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Departure Anxiety!

2008-09-16T07:30:00.001-07:00

Departure anxiety is starting we haven't even left the house yet and we've got to go get the car.

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