Bandits

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The last few days have offered incredible riding and scenery. Our route has taken us nearly exclusively on Highway 1. Through this area its two lanes wind and dip, curve and drop, ascend and pitch as we follow a craggy and beautiful coastline. The bushes and trees and brush tend now more to the golden than rich greens - fine with us if it means less rainfall. We've played hopscotch with a group of four riders that we first met at the top of a climb in Oregon. It's been fun to compare notes when we run into each other at the only grocery store in the small, tourist towns that dot the route.

Yesterday we took an inland detour into cow country. Sprawling dairy farms spread over hills the color of straw and we pushed up and over repeated climbs back to the water. These roads were very twisty and curvy too. In the late afternoon the shadows began to grow and we rode along Tomales Bay. The bay is a narrow inlet of roughly fifteen miles with quaint houses and cottages tucked into tiny coves and right along the water's edge. Further on we saw a small boatyard with some dilapidated vessels and both sailboats and fishing vessels bobbing at their moorings. Most of this stretch is undeveloped but there were a few small towns devoted to oysters harvested on the mud flats. The homes are wooden and modest and sit at ease with the landscape.

We set a new record for this stretch of the tour: 61 miles. I was feeling a bit tired last evening and dozed off before writing this blog post. Time for one more story to happen...

At around 3 AM I woke to the sound of plastic and rustling. A couple of raccoons had unsnapped the buckle on my pannier and were devouring our snacks! They were up on the picnic table helping themselves to trail mix, pumpkin pie, and Cheez-its. I shooed them off and they disappeared into the trees. Thankfully they didn't get into Rach's bag which held our breakfast. Today - San Francisco.

Returning our s'mores skewer

Packing up at Stillwater Cove
 
Showing the area's Russian influence near Fort Ross

Sheep!

Appropriate beverage


Home after commute

The Orange Bullet

Fun descents

Cloudy beach

Tomales Bay

Comments

  1. UnknownOctober 19, 2018 at 10:44 AM

    That is a good beverage. It would be even better if you could find a drink that said “THE OLD GUY.”

    I’m going to be in San Francisco tomorrow! But I will be arriving by airplane

    ReplyDelete
  2. CheriOctober 19, 2018 at 4:03 PM

    Did you check out the sailboats in the boat yard? If you didn't, is it tough to cycle by without a stop? And raccoons in your snacks! They are lucky you only shooed them - stealing snacks is a serious offense here out west!
    Also, I loved the root beer picture! I worry that you three are always exhausted so pictures with a bit of a smile ease my mind.
    Ride safely.
    Cheri

    ReplyDelete
  3. Debbi StevensonOctober 20, 2018 at 11:24 PM

    San Francisco. Hope you are going to wear flowers in your haïr. What a lovely city. Hope your leg muscles are holding up. Love to you all. Xx

    ReplyDelete

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