The Accidental Cycling Tourist

I hadn't owned a pedal bike in ages. But the last time I rode a cycle before I bought my Townie was in November 2007 when we chose to escape the dread of winter in Calgary by spending a long weekend in San Francisco. The weather was gorgeous, and we rented a couple of bikes from Blazing Saddles at Pier 41 just to get around a bit. Somewhat unexpected, we found ourselves riding over Golden Gate Bridge. In quest of lunch we proceeded pedalling into Sausalito. Then we went on further towards Tiburon in order to take the ferry back to the pier. Oh my, did our legs and bums hurt after...

A 20mls (32km) trip and a ferry ride

This trip didn't really inspire me to buy my own and pursue a newfound or revived hobby. All I could think about is what an exhausting way it had been to get around. Now I think differently, I guess I still don't like hills, though...

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Fahrradfahren in San Francisco

Wir machen eine Zeitreise zurück in das Jahr 2007. Im November war es sch...kalt in Calgary und so beschlossen wir, uns eine Portion Sonne & Wärme in San Francisco zu geben. War es herrlich, so im T-Shirt herum zu laufen. Wir kamen auf die glorreiche Idee, uns Fahrräder zu leihen. Das ging anfangs auch ganz gut. Wir überquerten die Golden Gate Brücke, machten ein Mittagspäuschen in Sausalito und trampelten dann weiter bis Tiburon, wo wir die Fähre zurück zum Pier nahmen. Mann, taten mir inzwischen vielleicht Beine und Hintern weh. Es war zwar ganz nett, aber keine Inspiration, sich ein eigenes Fahrrad zuzulegen, dafür war es einfach zu schmerzhaft und anstrengend. Heute sehe ich das etwas anders. Aber Bergauffahren... das mag ich immer noch nicht.

Where did the time go?

We found ourselves rushing to Bellingham Airport on last week's Wednesday to catch a plane last minute to California and enjoy once again our friends' hospitality. They had a few days off as well, and we had the rare opportunity to roam around together and re-discover the bay area.

The weather was kind and we had mild temperatures and sun. We made good use of our time and spent it outdoors on foot or on wheels as much as we could and far away from computers.

My need for walks as well as my interest in the geology, specifically in the San Andreas Fault were completely satisfied in the Midpeninsula Open Space Reserve. The fault line goes right through this area.

the fault line

The same fault bisects the Point Reyes peninsula from the California mainland, and we had some wonderful beach time, visited the lighthouse and listened to the crashing of the waves going to shore.

Another day we went wildlife viewing at Año Nuevo State Park to see the elephant seals.

Way too soon we had to return home back into the treadmill called work. Needless to say, we had a blast, and made the best out of the long Easter weekend.

And here's to the proud owner of a brand new Tiger 800.

One thing my friend said got stuck in my mind: Let's buy some scooters, he said, put knobbies on and ride down to Baja. Darn you, Guido. You are giving me all the wrong ideas... yet again. Thanks for a wonderful time, guys!

California's Wine Country

Napa Valley or Sonoma Valley is not Tuscany or the Provence, and doesn't thrive to be, but it is certainly a worthy alternative for those who crave some Southern European flair every once in a while. Bonus, it is fairly close to our home, and in the same time zone.

There was an abundance of country lanes connecting the wineries (some big names and many small unknown to us), and we had to admit: This is definitely Vespa territory.

With temperatures in the twenties (70F) we rolled down the windows, wishing we had at least a convertible.

It was harvest time, and big trucks were racing between the vineyards and factory. We stayed out of their way by continuing to use the tiniest roads we could find on the map, and were rewarded with ever so beautiful vistas.

The grapes are ripe, and waiting to be harvested. By the way, they tasted delicious.

Especially this stretch of road with the old moss covered stone wall reminded us of Southern France. There was no sound except for the chirp of the crickets.

Needless to say that this won't be our last visit. There are so many little roads to explore (and wines to taste) that one could easily spend a week in the area to discover (or to get drunk...).

Speaking of... (discovering!). We visited Chateau Montelena, a winery that had a story to tell which was worth making a movie of. Actually, the movie does already exist: Bottle Shock with Alan Rickman.

The tale is said to be based on a true story where a Californian wine for the first time won a blind tasting contest in Paris back in the 70's when French wines were regarded as the world's best wines, and Europe would turn up their nose at American products. California wines earned a lot more attention since, and today many regarded and excellent wines are being produced in the area.

We watched harvesters sorting out the grapes. They didn't notice us and were busy with what they were doing.

Where is the romantic flair of wine cellars? Not oak but metal seems to determine the storage facility for wines.

I rather prefer the barrels. They look so much more picturesque than metal bins.

Alas, this is the last entry of our journey. The touristic part is over, but we had the pleasure to stay another two nights with our friends Guido and Andrea at their house, to catch up, enjoy their garden, admire their ever growing motorcycle fleet and relax (for a change).

Thank you for reading and taking the time to comment.

Highway 1 ('Nuff Said!)

You cannot complete traveling California without taking Scenic Highway 1. We left quite early to beat traffic, as this road is quite popular with the locals, too.

Not much going on at Alice's Restaurant at that time of the day or so it seems. We were curious about this gathering spot for motorcyclists. The place is a Mecca for burgers, but if you are looking for good coffee, you better find a Starbucks.

We spotted a lot more two-wheelers in this part of the country than elsewhere. And for the first time around, a maxi scooter. We followed the Burgman for a while, and the spousal unit was seriously considering an upgrade...

Crossing Golden Gate Bridge is mandatory. It cost a fee to get into San Francisco, however we didn't have to pay going North.

A forest fire obstructed the view of the otherwise clear day. We have seen this architectural beauty often enough, have crossed it on foot,  by bicycle and by car, so we were not too disappointed that we didn't get a perfect photo op.

North of San Francisco the real beauty of Highway 1 begins. The roads are as twisty as hell, and my motorcycle heart was beating fast with desire to ride those turns.

Oops! Trouble? We didn't too anything wrong... We? Speeding? I am sure we didn't do anything unlawful, Officer.

The patrol car was actually holding up traffic for a complete different reason. Here's the scenery:

A film crew was on location to shoot a commercial for a new Porsche. Unfortunately they had it covered and hidden from curious onlookers before opening up the road again. Hence we didn't even get a glimpse of the car. We will have to look out for the commercial though.

The North stretch of California Highway one is SCENIC in capital letters. Much better than the Southern part and less crowded.

The vistas were spectacular, and we were glad that the fog hadn't kicked in yet.

We shouldn't have mention the word 'fog'. Because there it was.

And kept crawling over the hills like a predatory beast.

At the end of our day we were blessed with a pristine sunset in Mendocino.

The misty air made the evening light special. We went to a little food joint in Mendocino, got stuffed, and called it a day. Forgot the name of the place. It wasn't worth mentioning.

Worth noticing however is the breakfast place Eggheads in Fort Bragg. It had a Wizard of Oz themed menu (such as Dorothy's Revenge, Red Shoes Scramble or Lions Mighty), and was probably the best breakfast (crepes and heavenly waffles with fresh hand-cut fruit) we had on our whole trip through six states.

Fire and Water

We entered the land of the giants: Sequoia National Park, the often neglected neighbor of Yosemite. It was nice and wonderfully... void of people.

 

How can you not become a tree-hugger in front of such beauty? Over 800 year old and going (standing) strong.

Suddenly there was the smell of fire in the air, and we were surrounded by smoke. Not a comfortable feeling I can tell you.

And here are the culprits: Firemen as fire-starters. They use the fire to clear the ground which helps the new vegetation grow.

As the smoke pollutes the air, and air quality is regularly watched, managed wildfires cannot be conducted at all times, but they are important for the health and growth of the forest.

The twisties in the area were fantastic, and would have been perfect for motorcycle riding. Maybe another time. Back down in the valley we chose the slab to cross quickly central California. There wasn't much of interest, except for the prevalent alarming water shortage. The land looked in parts like a dust bowl.

Finally we made to to the westernmost point of our journey. The Pacific Ocean.

Some lazy beach bums

The long way to the water

I could watch them all day, they are so funny.

Our day ended in Morro Bay, a small seaside town.

The most interesting feature here is Morrow Rock, an almost 600ft high volcanic plug (like the Lion Rock at Piha Beach in New Zealand, or Devil's Tower in Wyoming).

We were in the mood for seafood and followed the recommendation of a local.

The Outrigger is a reasonably priced fish restaurant where we were seated at a table with an ocean view. I had some awesome clam chowder (no pic as I was too hungry), and giant shrimps with a Mexican twist: drowned in Tequila.

Yum!