A 3
day bicycle tour from Guerneville, through Alexander Valley, up over Geysers
Road, through Cloverdale, along Fish Rock Road, to Gualala, down the coast,
and back to Guerneville. Janet, Rachel, and I started in Guerneville
on Friday the 13th, with a cool, spring-like day. The weather was
nearly perfect for this tour, but I was feeling weak (due to a serious
illness that was brewing). The climbs the first day were very hard -
Rachel handled them on her borrowed bike like a pro. Janet and I were
slow on the tandem. Highlight of the day was decidedly the pizza joint
in Cloverdale. We arrived Just after dark. Cloverdale lacks
suitable camping accommodations, so we made our own - the public
library. Tom woke at 3 in the morning to drive up and meet us (and
bring a spare rack, as Rachel's had cracked in 3 places)! Thanks
Tom! We installed the new rack, and headed over the equally difficult
(but with more dirt) Fish Rock Road. We arrived in Gualala ready to
eat, and bought way to many groceries before heading to dinner at the
Roadside Cafe. Dinner at the bar was good, and we reveled in the
warmth before heading out into a drizzle that crescendoed into rain.
Tom was accustomed to this after his recent tour. Since a leaky tent
wasn't enough, Rachel brought her leaky camelbak in side the tent to ensure
a good swimming pool by the time she woke up. I was feeling worn down,
and started to experience symptoms of bronchitis. We were worn - so
everyone agreed to take the "easy" coast route. This route
was beautiful, and we saw tons of whale spouts - sometimes 4 at a
time! We got excited when we saw a black back or fluke. The
original plan included much more climing, so when we finally made it back to
the car in the persistent drizzle, were were glad to be back before
dark.
