By the time we got to the coast I was pretty well soaked through from
the fog/drizzle but it wasn't very cold so it wasn't that bad - just
cold/wet feet until somewhere on King Ridge. I had a super ride: got
to: ride most/all day with Megan, chat and ride with Gary Parsons
(from Nevada City), met and rode with Jay from SoCal, rode the
one-person-tandem-Aron-locomotive from Bolinas to past Marshall,
regrettably rode by countless bakeries without stopping (although
there was really no time to stop anyway), King Ridge was stunning as
usual, I discovered a new favorite beer in Gualalala
(somethingsomething bourbon barrel stout), *no cars* on the dirt
section of Fish Rock road and its amazing views near the top, peaceful
and lovely stretch on Flynn Creek Road after turning off of a busy Hwy
128, dusk along the rolling valley on the approach to the Orr Springs
climb, hearing a cover of Prince's "Kiss" by a band playing at Orr
Springs resort as we rode by in the dark, lying at the side of the
road resting/stargazing for a few minutes a couple miles from the
summit, climbing Orr Springs by moonlight alone, etc, etc...
I had a great time on the ride but realized that day two would be more
pain than fun after only 50 minutes of sleep in Ukiah. So, I opted for
a few extra hours of sleep and a slow roll back to Santa Rosa, with
bonus stops for wild blackberries and affogato along the way, where we
caught a bus back to the GGB plaza. I'd like to complete the ride for
credit some day but as far as I'm concerned I had a perfect weekend.