Mojo Slim

I've been terribly tardy in posting this, in fact, haven't been around BF50+ too much lately. But here it is an I hope you enjoy it.

It was a perfect mid-September morning when 2 tandems and 5 singles gathered at the usual starting point to start a 5-day adventure that would take us 260 miles to Pacific Grove (near Monterey) CA.


The route was put together as a group effort, pooling ride experince, Google maps and local knowledge. We each carried at least two days' worth of clothing on racks with paniers or in small backpacks. This was the first time I had done that. We were fortunate to have some spouses meet us along the way with fresh clothes.

Following a very flat 56 miles to Davis CA (bicycle capital of the world) the first day ended after a lunch break in Old Sacramento. The weather was outstanding. The Day 2 start was delayed by a bit of rain we watched come in on some Smartphones. We never saw rain again. Here's what we saw at 6:00am in Davis.

Out through Winters (with a stop at Steady Eddy's), traveling on back-country roads that were smooth and virtually traffic-free. This is Putah Creek.

We skirted Fairfield and ended in Cordelia after a short 44 miles. That's me below, in red with the knee brace, near the back.

Day 3 took us to Vallejo via Lake Herman Rd to catch the ferry for San Francisco. We encountered some hills and a bit of headwind, but it didn't ruin our day. In the picture below, you might be able to see the U.S. Navy Reserve Fleet in the bay.

We pre-boarded our bikes on the ferry and settled in for the one hour trip to SF. Here's the skyline. I admit this photo is doctored.

We picked our way through the crowds around the wharf and had lunch in view of the Golden Gate Bridge.

The Bridge was crowded with what appeared to be Swedish fashion models on bikes, so we didn't ride across it. We made our way through The City, out to the coast at the zoo and eventually to Rockaway Beach after a 46 day, plus 28 miles on the ferry. Here's Rockaway:

Day 4 took us further down famous Highway 1, including Devil's slide. The climb was a piece of cake. The descent a bit hairy -- traffic, construction, wind and loaded bikes. But 64 miles later, we are in Santa Cruz.

Day 5 follows the "Coast Bike Route" through fields of whatever is in season. Another easy day, the highlight of which was the bike trail from Marina to Monterey.

As if 260 miles weren't enough, 4 of us rode the famous 17-mile drive the next day. Absolutley perfect. Here we are in front of the Lone Cypress. That's me in the ugly jersey.

We stayed in motels each night. Dinner out was preceded by a session of adult beverages. The relatively short ride days made the trip a breeze. We pretty much rode together for most of the time. We are already planning the next ride.

Red Rider

Nice -- did you ride back too?

Last year we took the ferry from Vallejo to SF and rode the tandem to Santa Barbara, staying in B&Bs and hotels on the way down. It was epic, especially the Big Sur coast.

Between SF and Monterey we saw Brussels sprouts, pumpkins, artichokes, and heavenly heavenly strawberry fields. Those were a feast for the olfactory, that's for sure.

We'll probably do it again, too...so scenic and fun.

rdtompki

Mojo,
Looks like a really great ride. How did you get back?

RR,
I'll have to revisit your post on the SB ride. My wife and I need to do this on our tandem before we get old(er). We'd probably get a one-way rental on an SUv to get the tandem home.

gracehowler

Looks like a great ride.
Not to steal the thread, but how about more info about the knee brace? My stoker has some knee issues

R&J

Velo Dog

Been meaning to make that ride for years. I live near Reno and have relatives in the Monterey area, and every spring I plan to have my wife drop me on the west side of the Sierra, maybe in Auburn, so I can ride to PG. Some damn thing always comes up... Maybe next year.

George

You guys look good. When I first looked at the pictures, I thought of the wild bunch. Nice pics.

BengeBoy 

I think this is the point in your trip when your instincts failed you.

t4mv

Mojo, nice write up and pics! Time for some friends and I to ride down the coast again, thanks to your travelogue.

BTW, you guys are the 50+ version of Fear the Beard(tm)

Hermes

Mojo Slim

[QUOTE=Red Rider;11624264]Nice -- did you ride back too?

We didn't ride back. Our spouses met us in Pacific Grove for a couple of days. In my case, my wife and I ate with the group the first night (free BBQ at the motel), she went shopping with a local friend the next day and we had dinner with friends the second night. We brought one of the tandem couple home (they are our neighbors).

Mojo Slim

My knee issue it not a bike injury. I tweaked it a couple of months ago cleaning a garage, or rolling around on the floor with my 2-year-old grandson ro something. I'm not sure the brace does any thing other than remind me to pedal straight and be careful when I stand up. My knee doesn't bother me when I ride.

Mojo Slim

If I have done it right, here's a link to the route. I drew the map from memory after the ride, so it might not be perfect, but it will get you close.

https://ridewithgps.com/users/22559

big john

Fun trip, Mojo. I'd love to do another multi-day ride sometime.

Mojo Slim

Here are a couple more pictures of the ride. The first is on a bike path out of Davis toward Winters. We had just waited out a rain cell and were back on the road.

And here's what we were riding to:


And here we are checking a map, trying to figure out how to get from the base of the Golden Gate Bridge to the Coast route. We found it.

B. Carfree

That looks like a fun ride. Nice pictures.

Although it adds a few miles, I would use a different route to the coast. I prefer to follow Putah Creek to Lake Berryessa (north on Pleasants Valley instead of south, then west on hwy128). Once 128 drops me into the Napa Valley there are lots of ways to the Sonoma Valley, but I usually take silverado trail to Calistoga, then Petrified forest to Porter Creek (becomes Mark West Springs) to Santa Rosa. Mark West Springs Rd. changes names a few times as you go west, but puts you on Hwy 1 just south of Jenner. If one rides down the Russian River late in the day one is likely to face headwinds, so early is best for that portion.

jppe

Good info to know there are bike paths in that area

DnvrFox

Didn't (doesn't) once erstwhile poster SKT (SaiKaiTai) live in Pacific Grove?

Anyway, looks like a great and fun ride.

Mojo Slim

Oooo. Traced this route on "Ride with GPS". Part of what was good (for me) about the route we took was that it was pretty easy. Your route has HILLS! Of course, we also planned our ride with handy motels in mind. But, I think our next multi-day ride might head over the Berryessa-Calistoga-Santa Rosa-Napa way. Thanks for the info.

BlazingPedals

Looks like a lot of fun. Why no pics of the Swedish supermodels? Also, if the climb at Devil's Slide was a piece of cake, where was the pie?