WEST COAST TOUR SEP 2010

Santa Cruz to Carmel by the Sea

65 miles

Sep 25, 2010

Our last day. In some ways were are relieved as we are all tired, but in others we wish the tour would go all the way to San Diego. We had a nice day and not too much climbing until the Monterey peninsula. One of the amazing sights were the incredible "truck" farms as we called them. We saw artichokes, brussel sprouts, cauliflowers, straw berries, several kinds of lettuce and probably others we didn't recognize.

Picking straw berries. Appeared to be at least hundreds of

acres of them

Cauliflowers by the thousands. All looked ready to pick to me

A local we talked to, said these types of fields went at least

75 miles further south than where we were

The gang, plus a visitor, Paula, on the left who was

a rider on the cross country tour in 2008 and on the staff in 2010

Cannery row in Monterey. Great food on the wharf.

Bird rock on the Monterey peninsula

Jim and Pebble Beach

The Lone Cypress on pebble beach Supposedly over 250 years old

One of the unusual houses in Carmel. Carmel was a

disappointment to us. It was totally over run with

tourists including us. We finally loaded up in someones

driveway and drove back up to Sea Side tired and hungry.

This tour was the hardest work of the seven I have taken since 2006. It was also the most beautiful. I have never seen so many beautiful and wonderful sights in two weeks in my life. I would highly recommend it to anyone.

WEST COAST TOUR SEP 2010

San Francisco to Santa Cruz

86 miles

Sep 24, 2010

This was one of our toughest but gratifying days. We had almost 5,000 ft of climbing, most of it in the first 30-40 miles. Nice day and later in the ride we had a nice tailwind. Getting out of SF and its suburbs had lots of climbing and traffic. SR1 was very challenging with lots of traffic and absent shoulder part of the way early.

A ship coming into SF as we are leaving

Started seeing alot of pampas grass after about 25 miles
on the route

Crop lands started about 30 miles north of Santa Cruz

This field is something I had never seen before. Artichokes

Sorry about the pic quality. I was shooting on the run

trying to keep up with Ron

This camp was strange. It is not a camp ground and the

cars were parked on the road shoulder. Big sign said

"Keep out"

WEST COAST TOUR SEP 2010

San Francisco

Rest Day

Sep 23, 2010

Sandy came out from Denver for two days. We first

came to SF 44 years ago. We finally took a tour of the

city. I was always in meetings on our previous visits.

Tom (aka Mr Tour Director) out at the beach in west SF

Yep, Alcatraz. My dad (born in 1897) and a marine in
WWI, voluntered in WWII and trained death row and life
prisoners from the Federal Prisons like Alcatraz. He gave
them basic military training to be ammunition carriers in
the pacific war

WEST COAST TOUR SEP 2010

Petaluma to San Francisco

50 miles

Sep 22, 2010

Our route today had alot of climbing out of Petaluma. We went southwest into the hills then swept around back southeast to Sausalito before getting on the Golden Gate Bridge. Traffic, Traffic, Traffic in this area. The Golden Gate was absolute fabulous. Had a 25 knot cross wind but that was no problem compared to the people on the bridge on rental bikes. Still, lots of fun crossing this great land mark of America.

Hills west of Petaluma

Jim H cruising through Sausalito

Getting ready to cross the Bridge. Yes, it is

cool in SF in the summer

Jim and Ron on the bridge

At the start of the bridge

I was amazed that the railings were so low on the bridge.

Easier to jump over I guess. There are plans to put a

net below it.

San Francisco and the Bay Bridge from the GG

Bridge

A look back . Really wonderful experience

WEST COAST TOUR SEP 2010

Cloverdale to Petaluma

73 miles

Sep 21, 2010

Today was another great riding day. Slight head wind, but no rain and beautiful country side. We rode through the Sonoma valley. As Jim H said. Napa is for tourists and Sonoma is for farming. We saw lots of evidence of the start of the vendage, but few tourists. Went up in the hills and visited some "hippy" towns. Really strange. Young hippys seems like an oxymoron to me.

Sonoma vineyard backed by beautiful hills.

Haven't picked yet.

You may recognize your favorite vineyard.
Lots of them here.


Look at those grapes! Sweet too! We only stole a few

Some parts of a hippy town are really nice. This is in

Occidental. I didn't want to show the down side.

WEST COAST TRIP SEP 2010

Fort Bragg to Cloverdale

77 miles

Sep 20, 2010

Things are changing. We started along the coast then went up the Navarro river to the redwoods and over some hills to the Anderson Valley. They produce some great wines including the Silver Oak Cab. Lots of climbing again (4,460 feet)

The Coast just below Mendicino. Look! No rain and

we actually a mild tailwind. Great riding day

Where are all the trees? This is unusual

The Navarro Redwoods. Look at the tiny car. Most
of these trees are actually second growth (that is less
than 150 years old)

Then into the Anderson Valley and great vineyards. I am
always amazed at the neatness

The vineyards backed by the hills (if your in a car) or

mountains (if your on a bike) And yes we had to

pedal over similar ones to get out of the valley

WEST COAST TOUR SEP 2010

Garberville to Fort Bragg

70 miles

Sep 19, 2010

This was a really tough day. Rain for all but the last 5 miles and headwind all the way. To be fair the wind wasn't really a factor in the mountains. Almost 5,000 feet of climbing out of one river valley into one that drained into the sea. Then 20 miles along the sea to Ft Bragg. Really cold descending out of the mountains after having climbed for a couple of hours.

Lousy picture, right?

Fits the day. Climbing and rain

Down to the sea. Beautiful in spite of the weather or

because of it. I don't really know

Sea, sea stacks and mist.

WEST COAST TRIP SEP 2010

Eureka to Garberville

77 miles

Sep 18, 2010

This day had rain the whole way with few exceptions. , 4300 feet of climbing so I was bone tired at the end. BUT, really beautiful and wonderful sights to be seen. Rode the Avenue of the Giants. Something unbelievable.

The area around Ferndale had at least dozens of diary farms

around it. Some people thought it smelled like a barnyard,

but I thought it smelled like money.

An area of Old Growth that was cut down in the 1800s'

The Scotia Museum, made entirely of redwood. This town

has been the headquarters of the Pacific Lumber Co. since

1869. Very well kept.

Jim among the Giants

Ron among the Giants

This tree was 21 feet in diameter, almost dead

and supposedly over 2000 years old. Note

the fresh cuts because it is still growing

WEST COAST TOUR SEP 2010

Crescent City to Eureka

87 miles

Sep 17, 2010

This was a long cloudy with about 30 miles of rain. I wasn't up to that much and got a bump (a ride in the van for the first 12 miles. So I got 75 miles of riding on my 69th birthday. I was happy with that. Total ascending for the day was 4500 ft and I did about 3800 hundred feet. Rain for the last 30 miles.

Typical route rap (review of next days' ride) with director Tom

reading off his little lap top.

Saw some beautiful swamps and in this one some ducks
who didn't want to have their picture taken

Tracy changes Ron's tire while he look on (helplessly?)

Nice herd of elk right by the road

The gang had a surprise for me at the last SAG

How about this victorian house that is now

an exclusive club in Eureka?

WEST COAST TOUR SEP 2010

CRESCENT CITY

Rest Day

Sep 16, 2010

Of course we had all the menial duties: bike cleaning, laundry etc, but we did go out and look at some big trees. Will not post many as there are many more to come, but they are awesome. Truly amazing and wonderful to look at. They are at their most northern natural locations near Crescent City

Where's the top. Over 300 feet up. This tree

is probably around 500-800 years old

if it is typical for its diameter at the base.

Makes you think doesn't it?

And of course, the obligatory light house. Not working
naturally. I promise this is the last one. It is cut off from the
shore at high tide, and I was mesmerized watching the
tide come in for an hour.