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A quick 12 miles later we stopped to gas up and get some lunch at a great little place on Freitas Pkwy called Tyrol Café where we were treated to one gentleman’s version of the “Somewhere” ballad from West Side Story as he sang loud and proud (and a little off key) from his seat two doors down from where we sat. We also found out that Wendy is now an ordained minister with the Internet Church of Christ in Modesto and is able to marry people (no one took her up on it on this particular trip… in fact the guys looked a little nervous when she asked if anyone wanted to tie the knot!). We also got into a discussion about how long a woman’s eggs are good for… see all the fascinating conversations you guys are missing?? Done with freeway until the return trip home, we ventured forth to the back roads of Marin (there are so many roads in that area, it was difficult to choose only a few of them!) – break out your maps and check these out sometime: Lucas Valley Rd., Nicasio Valley, Petaluma-Pt Reyes Rd., Hicks Valley Rd, Wilson Hill Rd, Chileno Valley Rd, Tomales Rd, Hwy 1 into Valley Ford, Valley Ford Freestone Rd., Bodega Hwy, Bohemian Hwy into Monte Rio (be sure to stop at the Pink Elephant!!), and finally 116 into Guerneville. We pulled into the Creekside Inn at about 5 p.m. – still daylight even! Everyone staked out their spot in their respective cabins and settled in. Real did a quick run to the store to pick up some beverages for us to share before dinner. Evidently he had been sick for several days before this trip and was very much looking forward to a nice, cold beer! Then we walked over the bridge and into Guerneville to get some dinner. We sat outside at a great little pizza place and shared some food and a lot of laughs. We made a quick stop at the local Safeway so we could get some breakfast goodies for the next morning. Outside the store, they had a bunch of ads for local businesses, including one for a real estate agent that we swore had to be related to Todd somehow (see the pic on the website!). When we got back to the inn, we found the rest of the weekend’s merry little band had arrived – Todd, Patrick, Stevie, Pamela, Nat and Chris. We all got caught up on our day’s journey and finally everyone headed off to slumber for the night, looking forward to the next day’s ride. The day dawned wet and rainy. Damn! We all met in the Crane Cottage, which became the group gathering spot, had some coffee and breakfast and discussed whether people wanted to ride or not. Personally, I wanted to get out and do some rain riding just to get some experience at it and try out my new Frogg Toggs rain gear. So, Patrick, Real, Todd, CC, Bill, and Audrey – hearty souls that they are – decided what the heck, we came to ride so let’s do it! Looking at the route, we decided a pared down version would suffice for the day and decided to forego some of the smaller backroads and just stick to the more major ones. So off we went to gear up. Having three layers to put on - electric gear under leathers under rain gear – well, let’s just say I probably looked like a big, blue Staypuf marshmallow woman! And that extra layer adds at least 10 minutes to your gearing up time – and I had to ask Todd to pull the sleeve cuffs over my gloves since I couldn’t do it myself. Felt like that kid in the “Christmas Story” movie who’s all bundled up for the snow and can’t put his arms down! Geared up and ready to go, we pulled out at about 9:30 a.m. and headed for Hwy 1. Well, when we got out to Hwy 1, we were in for a bit more than we bargained for… not only rain, but heavy fog/mist and a little wind to boot. About 10 miles out, we pulled over to do a check on everyone’s bravado. CC, Bill, and Audrey decided that this was more than they wanted to experience for the day and decided to head back to the inn. The rest of the group decided “f” it – we were out in it, so let’s do it! Slow and steady was the name of the game as we traversed the twisties and encountering at one point a group of cows just standing on the side of the road enmeshed in the ghostly fog. Since the visor in the helmet would fog up if it was closed and if open one’s face was inundated with rain, we ended up keeping the visor at half-mast and playing a strange game of peekaboo to be able to see the road but avoid the water in your face! After about another 10 minutes of the onslaught, the fog lifted and, while it was still overcast, the rain pretty much stopped as well, meaning those who went back probably spent more time in the rain than those who ventured forth – not to rub it in at all or anything. J We stopped at Sea Ranch and had lunch at the Lodge there. Great food with a view of the churning ocean to boot – we watched a fog bank moving across the water and then leave just as quickly! From there we took Annapolis Rd., a wonderful twisty road, pretty well paved, little to no traffic. The smells of the redwoods, eucalyptus groves, and bay trees was so intense after the rain. And we always seemed to be chasing an elusive patch of blue sky that managed to stay just in front of us most of the way. We crossed the bridge at the end of the road and took a left on Stewarts Point Skaggs Spring Rd. I had read that this road was the “Holy Grail” of motorcyclists but the first section (ridden east to west) we encountered really didn’t match what I expected. Nice enough road but some bumps and repaved sections that weren’t real conducive to a really smooth ride. Then we got to the further west section of that road and, OH MY, now I get it! Perfectly paved, two wide lanes, smooth sweepers, tight twists, and what the hell?? 30 MPH?!?!? You have got to be kidding!! This road is SO not 30 mph material. We did our best to keep the speed to a somewhat respectable number (although Todd probably wasn’t so respectable as he blew by us, the need for speed getting the better of him), also keeping in mind that while it wasn’t raining anymore the road was still quite wet in places. We pulled off at the Lake Sonoma vista point, looking down on the lake with the clouds framing the hills. Patrick pointed out an elevated bridge crossing the lake and said, “How do we get THERE??” We decided to find out and headed back down the hill, turning left at the bottom of the hill. Riding across the bridge, for a brief moment the sun broke through, the clouds hitting the water on the lake below us like a dazzling Vegas light display of diamonds. We drove down to the boat launch to look at the lake and Todd said gleefully, “Hey you can launch your bike into the lake for $1.50!” To which I replied, “Yeah, but it’s gonna cost a whole lot more to get it out!” Todd had the annoying habit of engaging me in conversation all day and yet he couldn’t hear anything I’d say to him because he had earplugs in his ears… “Hey Tyler, how much longer?” I’d answer him and he’d say, “What? What? I can’t hear a word you’re saying.” Next time I’ll use sign language… one finger in particular! We reversed course back over the bridge and continued our journey along Skaggs Spring which turns into West Side Rd., passing seas of vineyards in the throes of changing seasons as the leaves turned gold and red and orange – it was breaktaking. And the sun finally broke through, shining down on the countryside and warming our bones. We hopped onto 101 briefly and then back into Guerneville via River Rd. When we arrived at the inn, we found many people still in their jammies, curled up on the couch in fuzzy blankets, watching movies or reading books or napping – there was a little something for everyone this particular weekend! That evening we all gathered for a group dinner of pasta, salad, garlic bread, and sausages (which provided quite a visual as Patrick fed one to CC), lovingly prepared by Nat and Chris, cooks extraordinaire, and celebrated Pamela’s birthday, complete with cake and balloons (which resulted in all kinds of interesting balloon tricks and games that ensued!) and people dancing on tables. Hey, do we know how to have a good time or what?!? CC found a huge bug of some sort in her room and, when Bill gallantly went to kill the offending creature, Stevie called out, “There is a murder happening – this is not the Buddhist way!” Evidently her method of ridding her home of bugs is to put a trail of graham crackers and marshmallows on the floor to lead them out. Hmmmmm, seems to me that would bring IN more creatures than lead out! Eventually, we all decided to vacate Nat & Chris’ “bedroom” (they were sleeping on the futon on the living room) so they could get some sleep as well as the rest of us. Sunday morning we arose to fog but no rain. Audrey said to me, “Hey, I thought you said you ordered sunshine for today!” And I replied, “I did but not until 10 a.m.” And guess what… right on cue, as we pulled out for home, at 10 a.m. the sun broke through! Lol Again, bidding adieu to Nat and Chris who headed home a faster route, we headed out to Hwy 1, this time being greeted by blue skies and warm sunshine. We ventured along Willow Creek Rd. only to find out that it turns to a dirt road after about three miles. Back out to Hwy. 1 we went, following the twists and turns, and being dazzled by the frequent views of the coast, the water a brilliant blue to match the sky. We gassed up (note to self – don’t hook your expensive Panoptix sunglasses over the handle bars when getting gas because gas can splurt upward and soak them, rendering them useless… argh!) and stopped for lunch at Pt. Reyes Station at a great place called XXXXX. The pork quesadilla was one of the best things ever and all the food was truly homemade – burgers that weren’t frozen pre-made patties even! We bandied about the idea of riding out to the lighthouse but given it was almost 2:00, the round trip to the lighthouse and back is about two hours on slow, slippery roads, and everyone was a bit on the tired side, enthusiasm for the idea was not high so we decided to just continue our journey south via Hwy 1. We made our final stop before 101, after traversing the windy roads past Stinson Beach behind two of the slowest cars on the face of the earth who evidently did not know what the turnouts on the side of the road were for, gassing up and choosing our path home. We also noticed Patrick’s rear tire had a worn spot that you could see cord on – and only 3,000 miles on it! Pamela decided to mosey about and take some photos along the way (check them out – some really great ones of the bridge and vista views!). Patrick, Stevie and Todd had to jet back so Todd could stop off at work (ick!). Which left CC, Audrey, Bill, Real, and myself to journey the back way along the Great Highway, thus avoiding 19th Avenue – which would have been great had there not been some sort of relay event there that day and that section was still roadblocked even though the event was over. This led us to a less than serene trip snaking through the streets of SF, with stop signs at every block – the clutch hand was getting a little sore! Finally past the madness, we broke free onto Hwy 35 and onto 280. Deciding to delay our return home as much as possible, we took Black Mtn. Rd., which runs parallel to 280, stopping at a little vista point at the side of the reservoir. We sat there in the warm sun for at least a ½-hour, enjoying the breeze and the sun and the glow of the day. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a group of people actually repelled at the thought of getting on their bikes because to get back on meant really going home and an end to the journey. We vowed to return to this area again next year and explore all the roads we missed this time. It was a wonderful weekend with good food, amazing adventures, and, best of all, great friends. Wishing you all warmth and blue skies and hoping to see you out on the road soon! Peace,
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Wow
– what a trip!! It started in Santa Clara with coffee (our favorite!)
where Tyler, Audrey, CC, Bill, and Real met up to begin the journey.
The early morning had been quite cool and overcast but by the time we
hit the road, the skies were blue and dotted with big, white, fluffy
clouds that looked like they would be so soft to fall into and take
a nap! A brilliant day for a ride!! We headed up 280 and the back way
across the GG Bridge, stopping at the vista point to pick up Wendy and
Doug who were patiently waiting for us, where I was witness to one of
the fastest cell phone draws by Bill ever seen… I barely had my
helmet off before he was ungeared and had his phone out, dialed, and
listening to a message!