West County Climbing To Armstrong Woods

Erin, Odessa, and I met at sunrise (6:42am) for our Saturday jaunt. We cycled out to Piner High School and began by climbing up Trenton-Healdsburg/Eastside/Westside (which helped warm us up from the freezing wind). After a quick rest stop on Wohler Bridge, Erin headed back home to meet some friends in San Francisco. Odessa and I continued our ride with a gruesome climb up Sweetwater Springs Road. This 10.2 mile road is a "level 4" ascent getting progressively difficult (and beautiful) until you reach the top. We were so exhausted, but soon rewarded with several miles of downhill scenic views (and tricky turns). At the bottom, we navigated to Armstrong Woods riding through the majestic redwood forest with trees more than 1,000 years old and towering over 350 feet. We stopped in downtown Guerneville at the popular Coffee Bazaar for Latte's, Pecan Pie, and Almond Croissants. The ride continued and proceeded to taunt us with climb after climb after climb. (Mays Canyon Road, Green Valley Road, Harrison Grade, and Green Hill Road). At one point, I thought my heart was going to pop out of my chest; it was just that difficult. As we made our way through Sebastopol, the roads flattened out (finally) and we traveled back home via the Santa Rosa Creek Trail. This was one kick-ass ride and I'm SO PROUD of Odessa for taking on the challenge. Today, we cycled 75 miles and climbed some of Sonoma County's toughest hills! What a day! Leslie, we are EXPECTING that you'll be joining us soon!