20th September - Guerneville to San Francisco

Today was all about getting to San Frnacisco and having a REST DAY !!

We ended up the previous day 13 miles off route so we left early at 7.40am to get back on route as we had 85 plus miles to cycle to San Francisco.

After rejoining the SR1 we hugged the coastline to Bodega Bay and saw seals basking in the sun. Fortunately, the fog lifted early today and by 9.30 we were cycling in bright sunshine. We reached our breakfast location at Bodega Bay and enjoyed omlettes, hash browns and toast. The route then headed inland leaving Sonoma Cunty and entering Marin County. The cycling was a continual journey over short sharp hills and steep inclines and proved to be strenuous work. We were rewarded with lovely countryside views (a nice change from the coastline). We passed through Valley Ford, Tomales before reaching Point Reyes Station at 2.00pm for a short lunch stop of coffee and a sticky bun each.

After lunch with continued cycling in great countryside, the journey included a quiet bike path through Samuel P Taylor state park before entering the suburbs of San Francisco 20 miles from the Golden Gate Bridge. Chris led us on our way expertly using the route map so our journey was relativelt stress free. At Sausalito we got our first glimpse of San Francisco and after yet another long climb we reached the Golden Gate Bridge - whoop whoop. It was great to cycle across the bridge and we took out time to savour the views (see pictures below).

At the SF end of the bridge we met up with Scott on his bike and he guided us to our evening lodging in China Town. The ride today was 160kms (100 miles) and this followed a much longer journey yesterday. After freshening up we went out for a lovely Thai meal and talked about plans for the rest of our stay in SF. We are having a great time on our bikes, but all of us agree that after 15 consecutive days of cycling, a rest day is welcome! We have now cycled nearly 2000kms (1250 miles).  We've agreed to meet for breakfast at 9am - wow - a well deserved now that's a lie in!

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Chris was awarded TWIT of the day - he thought he was in London and did not not to stop at 4-Way stop signs!!!  A driver had to slam on his brakes and shouted - we stop in Fairfax!


Views along the coastline we followed
 to Bodega Bay

Seals sunbathing near Bodega Bay



Meet David - who owns Candy and Kites
 at Bodega Bay



Which way is South?



Bike path through the
 Samuel P Taylor State Park



 

Our first glimpse of San Fransisco after a
 long climb out of Sausalito



At the gateway to San Fransisco
 - the Golden Gate Bridge

View of San Francisco from the Golden Gate Bridge



Vancomex team cross the Golden Gate Bridge




Alcatraz - the lodging for TWIT of the day 



Golden Gate Bridge - San Francisco



View of the Golden Gate Bridge near sunset



19th September - Fort Bragg to Guerneville

We left Fort Bragg at about 8.15am - the plan was a relatively short 115km ride to Stewarts Point. Little did we know how the day would unfold. We followed Highway 1 for most of the day apart from an alternative scenic route around the coast and through the quaint town of Mendocino. Sensible cycling pace so we could amire the views.

We had coffee at the tiny town of Elk in a general stores.  The coffee was strong and the cakes very tasty. We returned to Highway 1 and met up with Scott, our driver, who had some good and bad news for us. Our hotel was not in Stewarts Point (we were referring to out of date information about hotel bookings) but much further on in Guerneville. Good news is that Scott thought location and lodgings were 'cool', bad news was that they were another 70kms further South and 20kms off course!! The plan was further complicated in that Maurice was required to sign important business contracts in San Diego and therefore needed to be in San Francisco to get a flight by 8pm. So we now had a much longer ride for the day and had to really push hard to get 'Maurice to the church on time'!! A plan was hatched for Scott to take all our luggage to the hotel, come back and pick up Maurice from the ride and drive him to San Francisco airport. And that was exactly what happened - so Vancomex is a rider down for the ride tomorrow with Maurice hopefully rejoining us in San Francisco.

Despite the long ride we were again rewarded with excellent weather, fantastic North California coastline and great road surfaces. We worked well together, the the kms passed by quickly. As we approached our lodging for the night several Vancomex tour records tumbled - for example: we reached our highest total climbing of 7,000ft for one day; the biggest calorie burn of 2,697; longest daily ride of 182 kms (114 miles); steepest slope at 16%, and fastest speed of 45mph. When we reached our lodgings (Cottages on the River) in Guerneville we had 1 more record for the tour - total ride time for a single day of 9hrs 8mins. We deserved our beer tonight !! 

Tomorrow we have another 160km day planned  - ouch! The good news is that we reach San Francisco and a REST DAY - hurrah!! We then meet up with another rider, Simon from the UK, who will be riding with us to the Mexican border. We are all looking forward to meeting up with him.

A few pictures below - balance from yesterday plus a selection from today.

Meet Jim and Jill travelling from Vancouver

 to San Francisco as part of a small group like ours

Keep pumping those legs Tom

Keep pumping those legs Tom



Climbing a hill and still puff to talk – fit boys!





Don’t throw the bikes over the cliff – there's

 still a long way to go




The coastal route we followed for 30k – magnificent cycling in great weather




The coastal route we followed for 30k – magnificent cycling in great weather



The coastal route we followed for 30k –

 magnificent cycling in great weather

The coastal route we followed for 30k – magnificent cycling in great weather

Lunch stop – don’t be fooled by appearances – the Pizzas we had were great



Was it the cycling, was it lunch, was

 it the weather – all three!



Worryingly, this was before any beer



Good peleton boys




Surelt those buns are not all for you Maurice




View from a loo in Elk where we had coffee



Brain waving to the crowds that had lined
our route



I'd hate to see Tim angry!




Guys we have a problem - you have to ride
another 70kms today !!



We saw these consistently along our route
today but have no idea what flower they
 are. Can anyone help?



Have you got everything on the
 shopping list Tim?



Posing at the top of a long climb - superb views

Posing at the top of a long climb - superb views



Views at the top of one of our climbs before
 Jenner




Views at the top of one of our climbs before Jenner



Seals near Jenner

18th September – Garberville to Fort Bragg

An 8am start after a good breakfast that included omelette and waffles with lashes of maple syrup. We were all a bit apprehensive about the proposed ride to 2000ft up Leggett Hill.  It was great to have Tim back for a full-day ride – properly back amongst Team Vancomex..

After starting out on US101 we made a couple of turnoffs to follow more scenic routes along the Eel River before returning to US101. Again we saw eagles soaring above us.  We’ve either been on the US101 or close to it for 1600kms so it was a significant moment in the tour when we left it for the last time to join SR1 (see picture).  Soon after joining SR1 we were treated to an 1100ft climb to an altitude of 2000ft. This took about 45 minutes to complete – and was both the highest point of the whole ride from Vancouver and the longest non-stop climb. (No Kay and Karen – it is not permitted to stop half way up!!)  At the top of the climb we were out into the sun and joined Scott who had got us coffee and bagels – this was the first time we used the chairs provided by Maurice. (SEE PICTURES)  We met up with David, Jim and Jill who were cycling from Vancouver, Canada to San Francisco – it’s really nice to exchange tour stories with other cyclists along the route.

After our stop we had a fast 10km decent making our Bradley sideburns blow in the wind – probably as close as we will ever get to cycle the Alps section of the Tour De France. The descent was truly exhilarating. We then climbed an even steeper hill but thankfully only 800 feet of ascent. After the hill climbs and descents we reached the coast and hugged it for the next 30kms – the weather making it a real treat to cycle this section with plenty of stops for photos. We had a super lunch at Westport – first taste of Pizzas on the tour so far and their toppings were superb.

We finished the day’s ride along a 3 mile beach cycle path  – a perfect way to end the day. At 5.15 we cycled into our lodgings at Fort Bragg, all agreeing that this was one of the best days so far.  110kms under our belt today – time for an IPA beer or two. Another key milestone today was that we passed through 1000 miles for the tour, making us feel pretty good.

Tom was a clear winner for TWIT of the day. A combination of several incidents, but the best was his version of Ministry of Silly Pedalling. We could not stop laughing for several kms.

PS Sorry for lack of photos - slow connection speed - will catch up tomorrow

Wake up Tom, it’s beer o’clock time



A few grandads next to the Grandfather tree




 


to our 1600km flirtation with US101.
 SR1 – hello, we will be together for a while



All five seats out the van for the first time
 - coffee and refuel at Leggett Hill Peak



The coastal route we followed for 30k – magnificent cycling in great weather



The coastal route we followed for 30k – magnificent cycling in great weather



Meet David – travelling from Vancouver to San Francisco for a 90^th birthday celebration – WOW



17th September – Eureka to Garberville

An early start today (7.45) as we wanted to maximise our time in the Avenue of the Redwoods. This is something we have all been looking forward to for some days. After breakfast Chris led us along the US101 at a fast speed and the kilometres sped by quickly. We clocked up nearly 40kms before stopping at Ferndale for 45 minutes to drink strong coffee and eat home made cakes. This stop was significant as Ferndale marked the official half-way point from Vancouver to Mexico – it feels like we’ve been riding for ever, but we’re only half way there! Ferndale was a fascinating town with well preserved Victorian buildings and bespoke shops of all kinds. A real gem of a place. 

After another 15kms we picked up Tim at Rio Dell. Great news - Tim returned to the saddle to join us partway through the days ride after 3 days off the road. It was great to see him riding again after a frustrating few days for him. In fact he had missed days of very long uphill climbs, dangerous descents, freezing mist and poor visibility. As soon as Tim joined us the sun shone, the terrain was mostly flat and we had stunning views for the rest of the day  Tim - how do you do it?  

Today was all about the Redwoods. We travelled along the Avenue of the Giants for 50kms and it was absolutely awesome – these great trees live for between 5 and 13 centuries and even after falling they take 100 years to totally decay. Cycling into these Redwood Groves was like entering a hushed cathedral (ok, a quote nicked from a book, but it’s very true). The magnificence of these trees makes it even more appalling that they are being cut down at a rate that threatens extinction by the end of this century! Another highlight of the day was that cycling through the Redwoods we were treated to an airial display by a family of eagles.  Awesome!

At 3.00pm we lunched close to one end of the Avenue of the Giants at Miranda.  During each day we can experience a wide range of weather and temperatures. Earlier in the day we needed to wear 3 layers of clothes when we were near the coast in temperatures of 50F. When moving only a few miles inland the temperature rose to around 85F and this made it uncomfortable to eat outside in the direct sunlight. Cycling uphill can be very warm and cycling down the other side of the hill we are plunged into the cold.  Makes it very difficult to plan what to wear!

After lunch, delayed as our planned restuarant was closed, there was only 20k left to do and we ended our ride day at 5.15pm – a superb days cycling – hope you enjoy the pictures below.

A closely fought contest resulted in Brian being voted TWIT of the day when leaving his helmet behind after a tree team hugging experience.



Handover of navigation maps from
 Tim Chris for leg 3, albeit a day late!



Vancomex team pouch securely fixed
 to Chris’s bike for all the navigational kit



Mail boxes at the US Post Office in Ferndale

– in the US people have to collect their own mail

 from the Post Office




Ferndale, officially the half way point between Vancouver and Mexico – good a place as any to stop for a wee!




Vancomex is a team again as Tim joins us for today’s ride at Rio Dell



Eel river views from the Eel river bridge



Meet Derek and Nathan who we met in the Avenue of the giants



A few shots of our view through the Avenue of the Redwoods



A few shots of our view through the
Avenue of the Redwoods



A few shots of our view through
 the Avenue of the Redwoods



A few shots of our view through
the Avenue of the Redwoods



A few shots of our view through the Avenue of the Redwoods



A few shots of our view through the Avenue of the Redwoods




Brian marking his spot between two

 Redwoods





A drive through tree



A Vacomex Redwood tree hug

We think this is a bald eagle but happy
 to be corrected !