Cavedale And Spring Mountain

Leslie, Odessa, and I departed at sunrise on wet roads from last night's rain. Our bikes splattered each other with dirt/mud as we made our way up Bennett Valley Road to Sonoma Mountain. As we started our climb, we observed a bunch of road kill (including a dead fawn; awwwww, poor Bambi). Then, we encountered a closed road sign, which we ignored, and made our way to Cavedale. This monster road climbs over 2,000 feet in the first five miles, truly exhausting! We huffed and puffed our way to the very top, turning on Trinity, and then descending into the beautiful Napa Valley. The downhill trip was amazing and landed our fatigued bodies at the Ugly Corner Cafe' in Napa. Once refreshed with blueberry and banana nut muffins, we continued along the never-ending flats of the Silverado Trail until we arrived in downtown St. Helena. After a well needed lunch of Panini and Pizza (Yum!) at the Model Bakery, we refilled our water bottles and began the journey back home. Our final climb up Spring Mountain Road was ruthless! This non-stop, five mile incline kicked our collective butts; and we stopped and rested often. Finally, Spring Mountain turned into St. Helena Road and took us down a wild, wet, and cold descent into Sonoma County. We carefully navigated our way into Santa Rosa via the treacherous and traffic-laden Calistoga Road. . I am so proud of these amazing gals who rode nearly 70 miles and climbed over 4,600 feet. Today's cycling trek was an absolute blast! Wahoo!

Check out the Cavedale elevation chart (click below)
http://www.srcc.com/profiles_html/cavedale_rd.HTM