What a great day! It started out
slightly cool, but not enough to warrant any extra clothing. The sun
was out without any fog getting in the way. Finally, I was able to
cycle in the bare essentials: a jersey, shorts, socks and shoes. The
day warmed up nicely, but not to a point of being hot. We started out
the day cycling through the vineyards of the Russian River area of
Sonoma County.
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| Hazy leaving Cloverdale |
We were blessed with a 30 mile run
through the back roads of a beautiful countryside, laced with
wineries everywhere. The grapes on the vines were at the point of
being ready for harvest. We tasted some of them from the vines nearby
the road. They were small, sweeter than I thought they would be and
with a seed in each. The deep blue-purple color contrasted the green
of the leaves and was reminiscent of what you would find in an old
painting. You could tell that the vines were ready to give up their
seasonal yield to make that magical elixir: wine.
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| Leo trying to sample a wine, before its time |
We rode with various people today,
taking turns talking with one another, while admiring the scenery.
Today, it was spectacular. California is a truly lovely place, at
least so far. The coastal areas, the redwoods, the grassy hills and
the vineyards are like a special blessing had been bestowed upon the
region.
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| This winery is over 100 years old |
Along the ride, Joe, Baltimore Mark and
I generally kept together, and for the last half of the ride, we were
inseparable. In the first half, Joe and I did a side visit to the
Kormel vineyard, where they are famous mostly for champagne. I tried
the pinot noir and the port and Joe tried the champagne. We could
only have a sip as we were still riding for the day. The wine was
mediocre at best.
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| The Kormel Winery |
After the SAG, Mark, Joe and I passed
through the small towns of Guerneville, Monte Rio, Occidental,
Freestone and Valley Ford. We stopped at the Union Hotel in
Occidental, where we were treated to freshly baked sticky buns.
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| Enjoying sticky buns |
As the 3 of us rode on, Joe noticed one
of his favorite wineries, Joseph Phelps, and so we stopped and took a
look around. The wines seem to have won many awards, although we
didn't venture to have a taste. I might look at their wines when I
get back home.
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| Mark and Joe outside of the Joseph Phelps Winery |
After we left the final winery, Joe,
Mark and I caught up to Tracey (he also rides a Roark) and Char. We
decided that this was a good opportunity to ride with them, so we
spent the last 20 miles cycling and chatting. We were almost the last
ones to arrive this day, and we were happy about that. We spent 2
hours off the bike during today's ride, just sightseeing. It was
another great day.
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| Typical vineyard sight |
Let's see what tomorrow brings.
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