Friend (Joe) - Wasn't that California coast awesome?
PR - Yeah, it was awfully hilly, up and down and around and up again.
F - Awesome, as in beautiful, spectacular scenery, not awful?
PR - Oh, that, yes, of course. Waves crashing into cliffs, spray flying, turkey vultures soaring, meadow larks singing and cows feeding on lush green hillsides, all of that and more. But with that some of the toughest miles of my journey, whipped me in shape for the Sierras and Rocky Mountains ahead. Lots of ups and downs where stream courses have carved there way into the landscape on their way to the sea.
F - So have you decided on a route west yet?
PR - In general, yes. From San Francisco I'll likely follow the Adventure Cycling route through Sacramento to Placerville. There I'll rendezvous with some of my winter gear shipped ahead to me by friends c/o General Delivery. From Placerville the choices are Highway 50 or Highway 88 to Carson City then on to Fallon, NV on Highway 50. Follow that across the State into Utah at Cedar City.
F - Did you stop at Ft. Ross south of Stewart Point?
PR - I did. Did you also know that before that I passed a Ross Ranch as well? No relation that I'm aware of. Ft. Ross was established in the early 1800's as a Russian/American outpost to support the Alaska fur trade. The Russians also brought Aleut natives from Alaska to hunt sea otters along the California coast. The big wigs lived inside the Fort and the rest outside. By the time the Fort was abandoned around 1840 the population of otters was much depleted. There wouldn't have been eucalyptus trees growing at the original site as they are today either.
The Fort has been restored to resemble the original. An interesting stop, this time of year, minus the horde of tourists.
Then you know it's California when you see flocks of California quail, wild iris, plum trees, and Scotch broom in bloom. A couple of days I was also well soaked after all day rains. But I had several spectacular mornings that came in clear and crisp making up for it.
F - When do you plan to be in San Francisco?
PR - I left Santa Rosa and Terra Freeman's place yesterday. She's a member of the local Sonoma Peace and Justice Center. This connection came through David Hazen, a Peace Alliance friend in Eugene, Oregon. I am again being well taken care of.
I'm in Petaluma at the moment staying with other Peace Center friends, Kendra and Eugene. It isn't far down the road from Santa Rosa. But it will make my ride into San Francisco a bit shorter when I leave here after posting this.
F - How's the new bike holding up?
PR - It is faster and that's a plus but the tires weren't as durable as the Schwalbe's I had on my mountain bike. Ten miles out of Santa Rosa the day before yesterday I ran over a rough patch of Eucalyptus seed pods that gave me my first flat on a main tire, the rear. I put in a new tube. It went flat too in short order. A rescue call to Terra got me a lift into town.
It also got me to an open house at the Santa Rosa Peace Center that was going on as my roadside drama unfolded. Food, folk music and rest were just what I needed.
F - So what was the problem?
PR - Turns out the tire had a ruptured side wall that blistered, pinching the tube leaving me running on the rim. I ended up buying two new Armadillo tires yesterday, the closest I could come to the puncture resistant Schwalbe tires on short notice.
Yesterday Charlie Gesell, a neighbor of Terra's and I biked out to where I had the flat tire then back into town, about a 21 mile circuit. I got a chance to try out my new tires. It was also a very pleasant way to spend a morning with a new friend biking past vineyards, the Pinot Noire wine country, surrounding Santa Rosa so Charlie informed me.
F - You couldn't just chill out and stay out of the "saddle" for while, eh?
PR - Well, as I think I mentioned before it is important to me to maintain the integrity of my ride by not skipping portions of my cycling journey when I go by car. In this instance it wasn't a safety issue and I had the time. I felt rested. It was a pleasure pedaling over flat ground without a load.
I've got to pack up and hit the road to make San Francisco before dark, about 50 miles from here. Looks like a great day to be crossing Golden Gate bridge. Later, and many thanks to Terra Freeman, Kendra Mon and Eugene Lane my gracious hosts and new friends with the Sonoma Peace Center.
F - Stay safe!
Viajero por la Paz - Don
PR - a bonus for blog followers, Terra Freeman's simple recipe for yogurt. 1/2 gallon of milk, 4 tbs. powdered milk, raise to a temperature of 180 degrees (takes a candy thermometer), let cool to 120, add 4 tbs. starter mixed with warm milk, keep it warm for 8 hours afterward then cool and presto, you've saved the planet from a few more plastic containers and yourself some of your hard earned cash. She keeps the yogurt in a large glass jar.
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