Sonoma Mountain Sebastopol Loop

It was a picture perfect summer day as Odessa, Marc, Len, Kirsten and I departed Santa Rosa for a new route adventure. Our cheerful peloton cycled to Bennett Valley towards our first climb up Sonoma Mountain. At the second plateau, our route directed us to Pressley Road for an unexpected sharp ascent followed by an exhilarating 3 mile plunge screaming downhill until reaching Petaluma Hill Road. We made our way into downtown Cotati, briefly stopping for restrooms, Gu, and water (see photo). Our group explored some new cycling territory including Petersen, Blank, and Canfield Roads, encountering moderate rolling climbs with scenic “traffic-free” descents. However, galloping deer and stubborn turkeys crossed our path several times. We furthered our journey west towards Sebastopol via Bloomfield and Pleasant Hill Roads. Kirsten kept asking, “are we getting close to the food, yet?” The route took us through some beautiful, back road, west county neighborhoods, with gingerbread homes on freshly paved streets. We navigated our way onto a maze of streets including Lynch, McFarlane, Hayden, and Litchtield Avenues, temporarily losing Kirsten and Marc. After a brief stint on Highway 116, we turned onto the Joe Rodota Trail as we coasted into Coffee Catz for some badly needed goodies. To our surprise, Kirsten and Marc had already arrived at the coffee shop, taking their own off-route detour; those cheaters! We enjoyed some sweets, sun, and repartee, and then our rejuvenated peloton headed back home via Eddie, High School, Occidental, Sanford, and Hall Roads. We laughed after observing an elevated “air-mail” box positioned high above a local farmhouse. We continued onto Fulton Road connecting with the Santa Rosa Creek Trail. As we approached historic Railroad Square, we noticed balloon covered streets marking the Heritage Day Celebration, which was in full swing. Before officially concluding our trek, we stopped at East/West Restaurant for lunch and then onto Yogurt Farms for their famous $1 ice cream cones. It was another beautiful day to be cycling with friends in Sonoma County. Our journey took us 44 miles and 1,200 feet of climbing (and 1,200 calories, too). Wahoo!

Check out the elevation profile for Sonoma Mountain