Day 9: Windsor, Sonoma California

 Distance: 207.9 km

Cumulative distance: 2499.8 km

Maximum speed: 125 kph

Moving average: 60 kph

Temperature range: 16.0 - 35.8

Maximum elevation: 649 metres

I had spent the night before plotting out a destination for Thursday night. I figure after a week straight of camping I was due for a proper bed with sheets, so had booked an Airbnb.

When I get up, Russell is waiting for me and when he sees me walking to the shower, he calls out and asks me if I would like a cup of coffee. The old, classic "bait and switch". I said sure, after my shower. The shower is coin operated and only take quarters. So I plunk in three quarters only to discover that it takes a minimum of four to get the water going so I have to go back out and ask Russell if he can lend me a quarter. He gives me a $1 token. He saved me from a long walk in my pajamas back to the gate.

Once I have showered, Russell is ready for me. He asks how I like my coffee and he delivers a cup with WHIPPING cream. AND cleaning product. Russell wants to detail my bike. Maybe he thinks I'm a slob and that he could do better, I don't know and even though I am slightly embarrassed, not too much and he gets to work, Have at her, buddy. While he is doing this, he tells me about all the cleaning of vehicles he does, for himself, his neighbours, his neighbours who are away, that he has a long pole for cleaning high on his super fancy camper van and that he made a bunch of modifications to his van as he is a retired machinist from Boeing. I ask him if he has seen the Netflix documentary about the Boeing 737 Max. He seems oblivious, maybe because he has been retired for seven years. Russell loves to visit and the coffee was the price. It's ok, I'm not in too much of a hurry and he did lend me a dollar at a desperate time in my life. We spend well over an hour visiting. I get a thorough tour of his van and his modifications. Fortunately, his wife is waiting for them to go on a bicycle ride so when I tell him it is time for me to get about my chores, he only talks for about fifteen more minutes.

I start out on Hwy 101 and it is alternating between sun and fog. It is fresh at 16 degrees and I need to stop to put on a wind proof layer. But it is my final day on the coast so I need to be comfortable and happy.

The highway turns inland and I see a sign that says "coastal route" so I veer off. It is twisty, scenic and fun. On my left, the sky is sunny and on my right the sky is sometimes foggy, sometimes sunny. Not so foggy that I can't see something great, though. 

When I get through Manchester (California), I realize that had I not, on a lark, taken the coastal route, I would have missed my intended route over to Sonoma because Hwy 101 turns towards Sonoma much earlier than I wanted. And because I don't like riding freeways, I had specifically chosen to ride over the mountains on the narrow, twisty "Mountain View Road". Hwy 101 would have kept me from that ride.

That's all she wrote.

Close to the turn inland, I see I sign that says "coastal access" so for one last look and one last picture, I take that road and ride out to get a view. It is another rough road and in the middle of nowhere; at the nearly-end of the road, there is a state forest and what I think are a couple of acreages and what looks like an abandoned pickup truck. I get a fleeting view of that the ocean and that's it for who knows how long. Inland it is.

I start up Mountain View Road inland. It is as I visualized from looking at Google Maps: narrow and twisty. Also, enshrouded in forest. Lots of up and down, too and the road is not in good shape but it is hard surfaced all the way except where there was some road work happening. It was hard riding and after riding at 16 degrees earlier, it got warm real fast, made more challenging by how much work it was to navigate and throw the bike around. There is a large elevation gain of  650 metres. This is similar to the riding from yesterday but without the stress of being low on gas.

I arrive at the Airbnb around 5:00 pm, dog tired. They have a retriever, who is VERY happy to see me. This dog is not tired. I think I am going to have to ride to get dinner but as it turns out, it is only a brisk fifteen minute walk to downtown Windsor. My hosts tell me it is a safe neighbourhood and that my bike will be o.k. on its own out on the street.

I get a couple of recommendations and after I am settled into the place I head out. Much to my amazement, it is really fresh and I regret not wearing a jacket. This amazes me because of how hot it was earlier. This actually contributes to the area being such a good wine region: hot during the day and cool at night.

Once I am back, I have to retrieve a couple of things from the bike and find my camera and water bottle on the seat. Four hours after leaving it there. 

I was out for nearly two hours, including the walk, which is all I can handle for one day. Despite there being a hot tub and my goal to soak in there, I don't have it in me. But I am really glad for the change.