Portland to San Francisco Bike Trip - Day 13

Day 13 Stats - August 31, 2006

• Stillwater Cove to Inverness
• 62.30 miles, 3898 ft. elevation gain, 788.82 miles total (38,474 elev)
• Ride time 5h 06m, trip time 7h 05m, start time 07:58am
• Average speed 12.3 mph, max 36.5
• Cities visited: Stillwater Cove, Jenner, Bodega Bay, Valley Ford, Tomales, Pt. Reyes Station, Inverness
• Total flats to date: Aimee:2, Pam:0, Preston:1

Expected a farm-style wakeup (roosters, peacocks, etc.), but the morning was pleasantly peaceful. Watched the farmer move the sheep from their barn out into the hills, ate a quick breakfast from our cooler, and then on the road for another early start. (After Aimee changed her tube and tire, which had been damaged a week ago and had finally given up the ghost sometime last night.)

The joy of cycling on the coast really seemed to sink in today: The northerly wind gently aiding us along. The warm sun on our backs. The pleasant fragrance as we passed through innumerable eucalyptus groves. The low traffic. It felt good to live "in the now", free of quotidian concerns.

Made brief stops at Jenner and some other coastal towns, which are getting progressively more upscale the closer we get to SF. At Bodega Bay, we said goodbye to the coast and headed inland. The temperatures soared, but the road immediately gained a nice bike shoulder which was well worth the heat. I guess the expense and lack of land on the coast make it impossible to have a shoulder/bike lane, whereas there is more space available for such luxuries inland.

Ate lunch at a cafe in Tomales. Sat on some nice benches and enjoyed the gentle breeze. Continued on after lunch through the steamy hills until we finally made it back to the water (and cool ocean breezes!) at Point Reyes Station. From there, we pedalled a few miles off-route to Inverness, our destination for the night.

The Motel Inverness ($135/room) was a very pleasant surprise, featuring newly remodelled rooms, an incredible common area/lobby, and beautiful views of the bay and valley. And this was the least expensive hotel we could find!

Met two women pulling trailers who were close to completing a loop from Oakland up through wine country and back down along the coast and back to Oakland. Also met a guy pulling two trailers(!) and dressed quasi-military (long cameo pants, wide brimmed hat, etc.). Learned that he had moved with his girlfriend to Arcata for a job that didn't pan out. They were biking back to the Bay Area when the girlfriend was blown off the road by a logging truck outside of Garberville. Her bike was totalled and she was banged up enough that she couldn't continue the trip. She was waiting in Santa Cruz and the guy was finishing the trip solo because Greyhound wouldn't let him put his bike on the bus. The story seemed a bit sketchy in places, but we didn't press for details...

All-in-all, another sublime day "on the road". It's hard to believe that in less than 40 miles, it's all going to be over!