We’re more than half way to our ultimate destination of Costa Mesa, CA. We’ve headed inland which means going from the chill of the coast to the heat of the inland areas. I have never been in this area of the country before but I was very surprised by how cool it was along the Oregon and Northern California coast. These coastal areas are vacation country but I don’t know if I would want to go to too much trouble to spend my vacation in fog, rain and chill despite it’s beauty. That’s just my impression from my short journey along the coast.
Day 11 – Ft. Bragg, CA to Cloverdale, CA – (76 miles) – Today was suppose to be one of the most, if not the most, challenging days of the trip. We were told we would be climbing over 6,000 ft. Not only that but almost all of the climb would come at the end of the day. Well, according to our calculations the climb was only about 4,400 ft. It was a tough day but not nearly as tough as the previous day. It’s interesting how you prepare yourself mentally for the challenge ahead. After arriving at the hotel it almost seemed like an easy day because it was far less challenging than the expectation. We traveled through redwood forests that were beautiful but not as awesome as the previous two days. How quickly we get jaded! The weather was good and although it was chilly in the morning, we actually got warm in the afternoon because we were heading inland.
Day 12 – Cloverdale, CA to Petaluma, CA – (70 miles) – An easy day, only 70 miles! Today we rode through wine country. Small and large vineyards were all along out route. If you see or hear of wines from the Dry Creek Valley, the Sonoma Valley or the Russian River Valley, we probably rode past the vineyards. The Korbel champagne vineyards were along our route. We are now inland and therefore heat and dehydration become a concern. It was nice to not have to wear multiple layers of clothes. However, we hear that we may be heading into some serious heat in the next week. Pick your poison!
Tomorrow we ride into San Francisco over the Golden Gate Bridge. Then we get a rest day in San Fran. I need another rest day. Not that I’m breaking down, I just need to build back up after all of these miles and all of this climbing. About 1/3 of the group will be leaving us at S.F. It is a good group of people. Everybody has a way of mixing with anybody else without conflict. It’s fun!
Hopefully, everyone gets in and out of S.F. with no problem. As tough as it is sometimes, bicycling is the greatest way to travel!
This is what budget cuts will do to law enforcement.