Ride the West Sep 09--Day 11 Ft. Bragg to Cloverdale

Hello Family and Friends, We awoke to a clear blue sky and 50 degrees this morning in Ft. Bragg, CA, across the street from the Pacific. Looming about 5 miles off shore was a huge fog bank that never did intervene with our ride today.

After a light breakfast at the hotel, I rolled out of the parking lot with Mike Munk at 8:15 am. Mike and I rode together several times during my cross country trip in 2006 and we know how to push one another. That said, we did not hammer each other, but we did make sure that neither got cold over the next 20 miles.

We rolled along at about 19 mph riding out of town and then turned it up to 20-21 mph as the hills began to appear on the horizon. Taking turns on the front, we both felt our legs warm up and start to fire. Unfortunately, Mike has a hip injury that is definitely affecting him and stealing some of his energy. Nevertheless, Mike can still turn the bicycle crank swiftly. As we rolled along, we were both looking at the amazing views that the California coast offers. Some of the best vantage points are from the bridges that span the valleys and harbors along the coast. We stopped about 4 times to take photos of God's handiwork.

After about 10 miles, we headed back into the redwood forest for more cycling to die for. The roads are wonderful, the traffic very light and the view of the majestic redwoods is superb. Mike and I pushed hard for about the last 4 miles to the SAG stop and we were both happy to stop at the Paul Dimmick campground area.

I shot the bull and refueled over about a 30 minute period. Since most of our folks were moving a tad slower today after a tough day of climbing yesterday, the riders slowly arrived for their morning snack.

I left the SAG stop for a short dash (13 miles) to the next sightseeing tour, an Apple Cider Stand. I pedaled through the forest for about 7 more miles until the roadside transformed itself into a scene of golden rolling hills with occasional sprinklings of grape vineyards and olive trees. As I crept closer to the Apple Cider Stand, I suddenly felt like singing America the Beautiful having seen so many "amber waves of grain and purple mountain majesty . . ." I couldn't help but think that in just 30 miles I'd seen ocean and beaches, giant redwoods and now the golden hills of California. I cruised into the Apple Cider Stand and ordered a large cup of apple cider that tasted delicious! I found a warm place in the sun to sit down, dry my gear, and enjoy a taste treat. Eventually, several of my buddies arrived and we all enjoyed something none of us has on a regular basis, apple cider.

The SAG stop was only 7 more miles down the road, so it came quickly in the town of Booneville. Bill Bergen and I talked with a husband and wife that were doing some light cycling around the area in preparation for an upcoming retreat. These happy folks were very interested in our trip and wanted to do something like this in the future. By now the temperature was about 80+, so I had a chockolate shake from the Redwood Cafe, ditched my underarmor shirt for the first time and put my game face on for the climbing ahead.

The original climb was billed as about 5000 feet but turned out to be closer to 3000. And to top things off, we had a 15 mph tailwind blowing us up the hill most of the way. I was flying up the lower 5 miles of this hill at about 19 mph until I hit the business end of the mountain. I climbed at about 7-10 mph for about 30-40 minutes and the temperatures were now approaching 90. Yes it was hot, but it was a dry heat! As I pushed up the tougher part of the hill, I heard some rustling in the trees on my left on the side of a hill. I glanced left and saw two young deer staring at me and I told them, "I'm too tired to stop and take your photo!" They never moved.

The climb was reasonably even with a few really steep hills to provide some drama. I kept telling myself, "Only x miles before the downhill, stay steady, keep shifting to keep your pedal pace even and your speed even." Sometimes I listened to myself and other times I did like Arlene does, and I ignored me.

After cresting the hill, the ride down into Cloverdale was a blast. Nicely designed turns and steep enough to get me moving around 40 mph for a long time. And as always, I was relieved to see the Best Western Hotel sign.

Eventually, everyone arrived, we unloaded the luggage van, hit the pool for a swim and hot tub and had our debrief of today's ride and reviewed the schedule for tomorrow. I then returned to my room to relax a couple minutes before dinner. Suddenly, I heard a knock at the door and since it was left slightly open I could see a police officer standing at my door. As I approached the door, he asked if I was Steve King and if I had been riding my bicycle down Cloverdale Boulavard at 35 mph? I told him that, yes, I am Steve and that, yes, I did just ride into town. He then told me that 35 mph is a speeding violation. I soon thereafter looked for a video/TV camera and smiled, knowing one of my good buddies had set me up! The officer smiled and was kind enough to take a photo with me at my request. There is a story behind this story that you'll have to ask me about sometime.

We had a good dinner at a local brew pub and then I hoofed it 2.5 miles roundtrip to MacDonalds for an evening meal supplemental. Yes, I was still hungry. And when I returned, standing in the parking lot were Scott and Kathy Terpstra, friends from my ride across America in 2006. The Terpstra's, along with Larry Fariss, David Holloway and Greg Robinson all went next door to a local Sports Bar and caught up on old times.

More wine country riding tomorrow, so stay tuned!