Alexander Valley

After being rained out last week, Leslie, Odessa, and I were determined to cycle today (despite the gloomy, wet morning). We waited for the rain to subside and headed up Old Redwood Highway amid the heavy mist. Faught Road was wet but we proceeded on to Chalk Hill. The first few miles were OK, but as we climbed it was apparent that Chalk Hill would be too slick for climbing/descending. We turned back, headed towards the Sonoma County Airport for a break at a local coffee shop. We waited for the sun to dry things out (while enjoying refreshments) and took Faught Road right back to Chalk Hill. This time, we completed the climb and headed down Alexander Valley Road towards the Jimtown Store (which was closed for remodeling). We stopped at the next store on Alexander Valley Road, refilled our water bottles, got a quick snack, and headed back toward Chalk Hill. The final climb up the back side of Chalk Hill was brutal. We were so grateful that the roads dried out and our final descent was safe. We headed towards Santa Rosa via Faught Road and finally on to Redwood Highway. Today's winter ride covered 51 miles and 1,000+ feet of climbing. Wahoo!