Climbing to the Coast with Cows

It was a pleasantly cool morning as Leslie and I departed at sunrise for a ride out towards the Marin coast. We headed for a long climb up Occidental Road via College, Fulton, Hall, and Sanford. This new route included a steep climb up Cherry Ridge, a beautiful road lined with small farms which deposits you back onto Occidental for an additional three mile ascent. The gray overcast sky kept the route perfectly cool for cycling. Finally, the thoroughfare dropped and we flew down Bohemian Highway, stopping at the Union Hotel for a quick “Gu & Pee” break. Our journey continued with another spectacular downhill, albeit chilly, through Freestone and onto Valley Ford Road. We zoomed past the Wild Flour bakery in anticipation of our final bakery destination. The route continued by sending us through the charming town of Valley Ford. Cows and their newborn calves abound in all directions. We arrived at Middle Road for another new taunting climb lasting nearly four miles ending at Dillon Beach Road. This costal highway led us into the tiny town of Tomales and their world-famous bakery (see photo). Leslie and I rested enjoying delicious pastries and visiting with some of the locals. Afterwards, the obnoxious climbing continued up Shoreline Highway, Fallon-Two Rock, and Gericke Roads. The rolling hills of Marin County were exquisite as we passed blooming flower nurseries, diary farms, flocks of sheep, and charming ranches. We continued climbing up Canfield Road which directed us back towards Sonoma County and into Sebastopol. We took Lynch Road, a bumpy back street, which led us down Gravenstein Highway and onto the Joe Redota Trail. Our final ten miles on the flat trail home felt wonderful as we flushed our legs out after a great day of steady climbing. We rode 61 miles and ended our journey with a scrumptious lunch at Carmen’s Burger Bar. Wahoo!

West County Touring

It was a beautiful morning as Leslie, Len, Scott, and I departed from Santa Rosa for some West County cycling. With hardly any road traffic, we began the long trek up Guerneville Road. Our closely knit peloton raced towards Highway 116 as Len’s leaky water bottle occasionally spewed a fine mist on Leslie’s bike. After a brief “pee” stop at the junction of Green Valley, we began our solid 500+ foot climb up Harrison Grade. The temperature varied about 30 degrees from the various microclimates, leaving us feeling cold one minute and warm the next. Our descent down Graton Road was a welcome relief as we stopped in Occidental at the Union Hotel, sharing an oversized Chocolate Oatmeal cookie (yum) and a great philosophical conversation. Scott and Les were ripe with hysterical banter. We continued on a long, beautiful descent down Bohemian Highway making our way through Monte Rio’s Vacation Wonderland. Guerneville was hopping as we cycled into the town square. After a brief water refill break, our journey continued via River Road. However, post-flood construction forced us to stop at several one-way lanes (pictured). Our trip resumed as we cycled over Westside, Wohler Bridge, Eastside, and Mark West Station. The sun peered out and warmed our group as we rode into Windsor via Shiloh and Old Redwood Highway. We headed back home and finished up our jaunt before noon. It was another magnificent day cycling in paradise; we covered 55 miles and climbed over 1,000 feet. Wahoo!

Elevation maps for Harrison Grade and Bohemian Highway

Playing hooky on Geysers & Pine Flat

This morning I played hooky from work to join my buddy Scott on a weekday climbing adventure. We loaded up his van determined to initiate his new Specialized Tarmac Carbon Fiber bike (WOW!) to the hills of Sonoma County. We made our headquarters parking at the mouth of Red Winery Road. Our first challenge was a turbulent hike up Geysers Road. Strong gusts of winds knocked us around like paper dolls as we steadily scaled the road up to Geysers Peak Ranch. The temperature was perfect for climbing and the views on both sides were magnificent. Several sections of road collapsed since my last journey up Geysers and the occasional patch of gravel made us ride cautiously to the top of the second peak. Instead of heading towards Cloverdale, we decided to dash back downhill and pursue another climb since it was still early. The wind was so strong during our descent that we laughed the whole way down. It was like a bad joke, but it was so funny. After a quick trek to the Jimtown Store (for some spiced nuts and bathroom break), we headed back up Red Winery Road towards Pine Flat. We encountered a myriad of brightly colored cyclists enjoying an SRCC club ride. The balmy air heated our bodies as we scrambled up to the “enchanted forest”. Finally, it was getting warmer. Clearly, the season of fall is approaching as dried leaves and twigs littered the road. Of course the views were magnificent and the descent was amazing as we raced together downhill. We made our way back to the van headquarters, packed up our bikes, and had some well deserved turkey sandwiches in Santa Rosa. While our ride only covered 36 miles, we climbed nearly 6,000 feet. Wahoo!

Check out the elevation map for Geysers Road
http://www.srcc.com/profiles_html/geysers_road.HTM

Check out the elevation map for Pine Flat Road
http://www.srcc.com/profiles_html/pine_flat_rd.HTM

Sonoma County Climbing

Debbie, Annette, Kirsten, Odessa, Len, Scott, and I began the Labor Day weekend with a climbing tour of the Wine Country. It was an overcast morning as we departed Santa Rosa, traveling up Old Redwood Highway via Mendocino. Our peloton size kept increasing as we were joined by Len at Larkfield and Annette at Esposti Park. The seven of us proceeded to Chalk Hill via Faught and Pleasant Roads. The journey up Chalk Hill was beautiful, as the mist kept us cool and alert. As we passed the various vineyards, you couldn’t help but notice the big ripe purple grapes dangling heavy from the vines. Our brightly colored gang zoomed together inline down Alexander Valley Road until Red Winery. We made our way to the foot of Pine Flat and began our cold climb up (stopping at the first Geyser Pipeline Recharging station, see photo). We continued our ascent and the chilly haze followed until the 5th mile marker. As the warm sun broke through, blue sky and spectacular views surrounded us. The steady grind uphill continued until we reached the “enchanted forest” (the flats). The previously burn-out woodland was showing new signs of life with baby Pine trees sprouting on both sides of the road. After a well deserved break, we began the journey back down. The sun was out in full force and the final descent was scenic and warm. Len led the pack speeding downhill, nearly hitting two very surprised deer. The cool mist reappeared at the foot of our descent and we then made our way towards Jimtown. After a brief stop at the store for spiced nuts and water refills, our hungry peloton rapidly rode through the Alexander Valley to downtown Healdsburg for a stop at the Oakville Grocery. We enjoyed a relaxing lunch eating oversized focaccia sandwiches and assorted cookies. Our route home took us up the slow climbs of Limerick, Los Amigos, Arata, and Hembree Roads. We cycled through Windsor and back into Santa Rosa via Old Redwood Highway. Annette, Len, and Debbie peeled off from the gang at various spots making their individual ways home. And, with less than a mile to go, Kirsten had a flat tire! Today’s trip was fun, beautiful, and lively. We rode over 64 miles (a metric century) and nearly 3,000 feet of climbing. Wahoo!

See elevation charts for Chalk Hill Road and Pine Flat Road.