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