Sierra to the Sea 2010

Saturday June 19, 2010

We are back again at the Holiday Inn on First St. in San Jose for the start of Sierra to the Sea. We got up at 5:40am and took showers. We walked to Starbucks (1 blk away) and got a grande latte and a mocha. We also picked up a blueberry scone and petite vanilla scone. We went back to our rooms and ate our breakfast. We then brought our bags (2 XXXL duffel and 1 XXL duffel, 40 lbs each) and bikes over to the trucks for loading. This year we did not box our bikes. Yeah! They wrapped the bikes in blankets to protect them. This way we don't have to put our bikes together before the ride and at the end of the ride. Double yeah! It was suggested that it would be cold in Bear Valley (there was snow on the ground and you would have to camp on asphalt) so we opted to get a room at the Lodge in Bear Valley. After we arrived, I grabbed a cart and Andy and I schlepped our heavy bags from the bus to the Lodge in Bear Valley. Some people looked at us in envy with the cart and were offering $100 for it. We checked in. Boy the walls are thin. We had loud Phil and roommate next door. You gotta wonder when it is standard to provide earplugs for all the rooms. We put some bike clothes on and took our bikes for a spin to check them out to make sure everything was working OK after being transported in the truck. Everything seemed fine. Andy went out on the main road (Highway 4) and headed in the opposite direction from where we would be headed tomorrow (towards Markeleville). He just did and out and back of 10 miles and did 1000 ft of climbing in that short bit! We went to the party by the pool and nibbled on snacks. The bar opened at 4pm so we then went and got drinks. Dinner was at 6pm. We met some older men from Southern California. Andy rated the dinner a "B" and the dessert brownies were good. We are now back in our rooms and reading and journaling.


Sunday June 20, 2010 Bear Valley to Jackson


We got up at 6:00am and had our gear on by 6:30. When we went down to breakfast there already was a line of about 2/3 the total riders on the tour! Everyone was leaving early. We were in line next to a fella that had camped outside. He was making out like it was a polar ice cap out there. Breakfast was good. I had eggs, fruit and a big cinnamon roll. I split a second one with Andy. So, I was well-fueled to start. We went outside to check the temperature. It wasn't that bad. I should have gone by what I felt and not have dressed so warmly. I guess I got scared by that guy from the breakfast line. I overdressed. At Vista Point (~7 miles) I stopped to take some pictures but mainly wanted to take off my arm warmers. So the ride wasn't as nuclear cold as I thought it would be. At the first rest stop (30 miles) everything came off: the double gloves, the beefy knee warmers (I had a light pair and a warm pair on at the same time), the arms to my vest jacket and then put on the arm warmers. I put back on my lighter knee warmers and my vest. So, next was a hill...not too bad of one. Then we had a horrendous decent on an awfully paved road (nicknamed Sheep Shit Road instead of Sheep Ranch Road). My hands grew tired from braking. Then we had a steep climb on Sheep Shit Road where I used my granny gear. There was a nice decent and and then there was a long, long climb out of Sheep Ranch. Luckily, I had forgotten about this climb. We then had Rest Stop #2 which had a pool. Last year a lot of people got in the pool in their shorts and jerseys but this year the pool water was green and uninviting. We sat there about 20 minutes. Long enough for me to take my underlayer off and wrap it around my waist. Since I used my sag bag for my other clothes at Rest Stop #1 I had to use my own pockets and waist to store my discarded clothes. I ate some watermelon and we were off again. The next 25 miles was OK...no major climbs. Rest Stop #3 was in Mokelume Hill. I had felt hungry before we stopped so I ate some Sport Beans from my own stash and some banana and watermelon. We pushed off and did the final hill between Mokelume Hill and Jackson, 3.5 miles. We arrived at camp and set up our tent. Andy went swimming in the great pool at St. Sava Mission. Nice shower-nice hot water. I went back to the tent and tried to organize my stuff. By that time the bar opened and I bought beers for Andy and I. Then we migrated towards the picnic tables and chatted with people. I introduced myself to who I think is the youngest rider, Max, who is 9. He is riding on a tandem with his father. But he is a little stud because he rode on his own bike from San Jose to Bear Valley! We met up with Fritzi and Brian, who we met on the tour last year. They are from Santa Cruz. Brian rides fast and always gets into camp early and has put the tent up in the best camping spot and has the beer chilled for Fritzi. It was nice catching up with them. We were comparing elderly parents. Tonights dinner is pork loin roast with rice pilaf and a fancy mediterranean pasta dish. Andy is pleased with dinner.

Our statistics from today:

Lisa mileage=73.23miles Andy mileage=74.2miles

Lisa climbing=4998ft Andy climbing=5295ft

Lisa ride time=4:53:59 Andy ride time=4:25

Lisa av. speed=14.9 Andy av. speed=16.7

Max speed=34.00 Andy max speed=38.8





Monday June 21, 2010 Jackson to Ryde Hotel in the Delta



Did not sleep well last night. I must have awoken 10-12 times during the night, From now on I am taking an Ambien CR at bedtime. Andy was cold last night but slept well. We got our bike clothes on and then took down the tent. We ate breakfast. I ate well. They had my favorite, oatmeal with brown sugar. I also had some toast with jam and some eggs. I think we left around 7:30am. Todays ride was less hilly but I could definitely feel yesterdays ride in my legs. They were hurting in the beginning but that went away. Rest Stop#1 was at Lake Comanche. They had frosted animal cookies there, so that was a new treat I haven't eaten in years, maybe decades. Rest Stop #2 was at Woodbridge Winery. I bought a bottle of wine for the wine and cheese party we'll have in Duncan Mills. We went the cheap route this year. Instead of the $17 bottle of wine we purchased last year we paid $8 for the Woodbridge wine. The wind was a little up from what I wanted. I rode behind Miguel for awhile, then Andy pulled and he went much faster so I was dropped in less than 5 minutes. After riding alone awhile, Andy waited for me at a turn. We stopped at Locke, the old preserved Chinese town in the Delta to check it out. We then stopped at a market for some tea. For some reason coldsweet tea tastes very good in the heat of a bike ride. We had less than 3 miles to ride to the Ryde Hotel. We set up our tent on the bumpy grass and then took showers. We are now sitting in the patio area (emphasis SHADE) of the hotel after getting drinks from the bar. We are chatting with the folks from Santa Cruz, Fritzi, Brian and their friend Frank and another fella we met , Alan, from Los Altos. Dinner and breakfast were not impressive...just like last year. So, we look forward to Lake Solano, which is always impressive becuase it is catered by the Buckhorn in Winters. Barbeque ribs and chicken and a waffle bar plus oatmeal for breakfast!.

Our statistics today:

Lisa mileage=76.98miles Andy mileage=81.4miles

Lisa climbing=1880ft Andy climbing=2358ft

Lisa ride time=5:11:23 Andy ride time=4:58

Lis av. speed=14.8 Andy av. speed=16.4

Lisa max speed=32.50 Andy max speed=36.5





Tuesday June 22, 2010 Ryde Hotel to Lake Solano



I had a good nights sleep last night thanks to AmbienCR. We got dressed in bike clothes, took the tent down and then went to breakfast. Breakfast was disappointing. They had fruit, a crustless quiche with vegetables, yogurt and weird muffins. Andy didn't eat the quiche since it had vegetables. He ate 2 of their small weird muffins. I don't know how he made it through the ride today with that small breakfast. We took two ferrys on our way out of the delta. We then made our way onto Montezuma Road which winds through the windmill farm. There was a little wind, more than I remember for last year but it could have been worse. I worked pretty hard against the wind. I hadn't seen Andy for awhile and then I got a cell ring. It was Andy. He stopped at the coffee shop at Rio Vista and was drinking a great mocha. We agreed to meet up at the first rest stop. I thought to myself "I bet he meets up with me before the first rest stop" and sure enough he did. The first rest stop was at Shiloh Church. Forgot to take a picture but it is a cute old church. Now the wind was less in this location. We pushed off and made our way onto Highway12...not my favorite road. This is usually my least desired spot on the tour because there is high speed traffic with lots of trucks and last year it was a spot where a lot of people got flats. It didn't seem as bad to me this year because the space for the bike lane was bigger than what I remembered. I got through it OK and met Andy for a popsicle at the minimart as you turn onto Walters Road after Hi 12. We were off again and then stopped at Rest Stop#2 in Keating Park. It was a nice tree-shaded rest stop and they had animal cookies so I had to eat a handful. Then we were on our way again. We proceeded up Pleasants Valley Road to Lake Solano. It is a very, very gradual climb...so gradual you don't know you are climbing over time. We got to Lake Solano and it was only 1:15pm. We put up our tent but realized we were missing an end metal part. That's what you get for buying a cheap tent. We did some surgery on the pole used for the rain fly and used its metal part for the piece we needed for the main body of the tent. It worked. We got the tent assembled and then went to take showers. Andy went to the river and waded up to his chest. He said the temperature was like snowmelt level. Very cold! I say he lasted about 20 miinutes and then he took a hot shower again. We went to the minimart and bought beer and chips, food for the gods. After downing some beer and chips I went in search of my sagged bike clothes and then rinsed out our bottles. We are now napping (Andy) and writing in the journal (Lisa). We are anticipating a great dinner tonight and breakfast tomorrow morning because the Buckhorn is catering.

Our statistics for the day:

Lisa mileage=60.01miles Andy miles=63.5miles

Lisa climbing=1493ft Andy climbing=?

Lisa ride time=4:22:48 Andy ride time=3:56

Lisa av. speed=13.6 Andy av. speed=16

Lisa max speed=26.5 Andy max speed=27.9


Wednesday June 23, 2010 Lake Solano to Calistoga

I slept well again thanks to AmbienCR. We tagged our bags with orange ribbon so that they would be dropped off at the Best Western in Calistoga. Our breakfast was quite a spread. There was a Denver egg mix, quartered potatoes,a waffle bar and oatmeal. I had a little of everything but like last nights dinner I didn't eat everything I took. Last night I was prepared to eat a feast but ended up eating one piece of chicken, some potatoes, lots of their salads (they had 3 kinds) and 1/2 a roll. Now that I read this a second time it doesn't sound so miniscule. I was full to the point of having a stomachache and I don't like that feeling when it happens. About 2 hours later my stomache felt normal again. So, after we ate breakfast we headed off. I rode to the resevoir overlook and took 2 pictures. The water looked green. Then I rode up cardiac hill. It was about what I remembered it but there was a lot of downhill that I had forgotten about. I don't know why but after that point I was constantly checking mileage to see how much closer to the rest stop I was. I think I was bored with the scenery. After Rest Stop#1 we went into Pope Valley, which has a lot of vineyards and is pretty. Our next stop was at the Pope Valley Market where we bought popsicles. Andy was going to do the Berryessa Loop but changed his mind and decided to ride with me instead. After the popsicle stop we rode up Ink Grade, always a fun clmb. It seemed longer than what I remembered. There were markings on the road at the 1/ 2 way point and 3/4 point. At the 1/2 way point I was thinking to myself, "only 1/2 way!" But I also thought there would be a steep rise before the top but there wasn't so, so much for memory of a climb. You could see the top of Rest Stop#2 as you were finishing the climb. I had obtained fresh bottled water at the popsicle stop but hadn't touched it. I put ice in the bottle and drank about 1/2 the bottle in one swoop. I was so hot I could feel sweat dripping down my back. We then made our way to the hotel. We had a lot of decent, first rough and then Deer Park was smooth and fast. We gradually made our way onto the Silverado Trail. The Silverado Trail seemed as long as the last time (5 miles). We checked in to the motel, took showers and then put our laundry on to wash. We had so much laundry that we had to prioritize what we wanted to wash so we only washed what we really would need to finish the tour. Right now I am at the poolside, writing in my journal. I gave Andy an anniversary card and he liked it. It tied into our adventure together and spoke of future adventures together.
Our statistics today:
Lisa mileage=59.84miles Andy mileage=63.0miles
Lisa climbing=4024ft Andy climbing=4790ft
Lisa ride time =4:32:46 Andy ride time=4:09:17
Lisa av. speed=13.1 Andy av. speed=15.2
Lisa max speed=36.5 Andy max speed=38.4


Thursday June 24, 2010 Calistoga to Duncan Mills

We are now in the freezing cold winds of the Duncan Mills campground. Our day started fine. We awoke at 5:30 and I immediately made coffee with the hotel room coffee maker...what a luxury! We got dressed in our bike clothes and packed our gear. We rode to the campgounds and pumped our tires ( we forgot to pack a pump with our hotel specific gear). We rode over to the California Roastery and each had a mocha. After our mocha we rode back to our hotel and had the complimentary breakfast. Andy and I split a waffle and I also had oatmeal. We then pushed off. There was a climb outside of town on Franz Vallley Road. The first place we stopped was at the Jimtown Store, which is supposed to be the most northern point of the tour. We split a yummy blueberry muffin and took some pictures. We were on our way again and 10 miles later was the first rest stop. It was at Quivira Winery. It was absolutely beautiful there. They have the prettiest gardens I've seen anywhere. They had different types of chickens and vegetable garden plots. I took several pictures. We pushed off again. The next stops were Madrona Manor (sentimental stop) and rest stop #2 at Moshin Winery. I ate some chex mix type stuff and the salt tasted good. I don't know why I didn't eat this earlier...it would have been more nutritious than the occasianl brownie bite I ate. We pushed off again and the ride went well until Andy got a flat on River Road as we were approaching Guernville. A broken nail was the culprit. He changed the tube fine and was putting in the last bit of air in when he tore off the valve. So, he had to change the tube again. This time it went well and we were off again. Unfortunately it was an ugly ride for the last bit because Andy was hungry and stressed out from the tube changes so he was close to bonking. We got into camp and he got a microwave burrito at the minimart and felt better after that. The camp was cold and windy, as I remembered it last year. It took some creative genius on Andy's part to get the tent up in the wind that was more suitable for sailing. We put my heavy gear bag inside the tent so it wouldn't blow away. We then showered. Really hot showers...yum, yum. We put on all our winter type clothes and I huddled in the tent and wrote in my journal. They have a wine and cheese party tonight with the "talent-notalent" show. It took a lot of searching but I found our sagged $8 bottle of wine for tonight. Dinner will be good for me-barbeque chicken and baked potatoes but Andy (who only eats cut up chicken) is disappointed.

Our statistics today:
Because of the flat and the problems with the wind our minds were elsewhere and I never got the stats off our bikes so here is what the paperwork says we did:
mileage=59.3 miles
climbing=2450 ft
ride time =4:00

Friday June 25, 2010 Duncan Mills to Olema

Today I dressed for cold weather but it wasn't horribly bad. We had a "continental" breakfast. So, I helped myself to 1/2 bagel with cream cheese, a quarter of a poppyseed muffin, a container of yogurt and some OJ. I figured I needed the OJ considering all the wine I drank last night-2 full glasses on top of the beer I had at 3:00pm. Last night's "talent-notalent" show was fun. Miguel played Arnold Schwartzenegger again with the two masseuses in bikinis posed as the fawning women. There were a lot of skits this year...more than last year. It was a lot of fun, some good laughs. So, todays ride began with a slow gradual climb on the Bohemian Highway to Occidental. We stopped at the great breakfast place Howards Station. Andy and I split a big bowl of oatmeal and each had a mondo-sized, super-good mocha. I am getting used to drinking mochas instead of lattes now. I'd better not develop the habit though because of the increase in calories over a latte. After eating at Howard's Station, we headed up Coleman Valley Road. The whole time I was climbing I kept thinking it would be so much harder climbing in the other direction. When I ride Levi's Granfondo in October I will have to ride in that direction (from the coast to the east). It was so fogged in we could barely do the decent on Coleman Valley Road closer to the coast. I had to stop to wipe my glasses because I couldn't see. So, because of the fog no real photo ops were taken. After Coleman Valley Road we headed south down Highway 1 along the beautiful coast. After awhile it heads inland a bit and then we hit the only rest stop of the day at Valley Ford (30 miles). At the rest stop I ate 2 brownie bites, filled my water bottles and headed out to the road again' Our next stop was Tomales Bay. We stopped for a few minutes but didn't buy anything. We pushed off again. My next stop was 8 miles later near Tony's Restaurant (famous seafood place) where I checked my mileage and switched my water bottles. I pushed off and soon met up with Andy and then we rode together the rest of the way to Point Reyes, another 8 miles later. We stopped in Point Reyes to load up on cash ($100) so we could tip Hector and Rafael (the drivers who hauled our gear around in the truck and we entrusted our gear to) each $40 when we get to San Francisco tomorrow. We then stopped at the deli at the end of town and Andy had a meatball sandwich...one of his favorites. After eating we headed the last 2 miles to camp. Camp was perfect. There was only a light breeze, unlike Duncan Mills which had wind best for sailing. It was sunny, also. Because there was no wind our tent went up easily. We then showered. After I gathered my gear for the next day, Andy and
I walked to a nearby store to buy beer. I had saved the chips from the previous day and they actually survived fairly intact in our duffel bags so I didn't need to buy chips. We are now just hanging out. Tonights dinner is tri-tip so Andy is a happy doggy.
Our statistics for the day:
Lisa mileage=57.54miles Andy mileage=61.75
Lisa climbing=4042ft Andy climbing=?
Lisa ride time=4:32 Andy ride time=4:13
Lisa av. speed=12.6 Andy av. speed=?
Lisa max speed=33.5 Andy max speed=?

??Andy's I-bike computer did not work in the moisture (fog) found around Coleman Valley Road


Saturday June 26, 2010 Olema to San Francisco

Today is our last day riding! We woke up, got dressed and they had coffee available early-yeah! Breakfast was being served so we ate breakfast before taking our tent down. We pushed off and headed south. The ride went fine and we had some rollers. Eventually, the terrain on the right became water again (like an estuary). I think this happened around the Bolinas area. But, I don't know this for sure because Bolinas is famous for not having any signs as to where it actually is! I eventually got to Stinson Beach. Andy was there drinking a mocha. Powering up before he climbed Mt. Tamalpais. We both left within minutes of each other but Andy climbed further to the very top of Mt. Tam whereas I climbed to the Pantoll Station. At the Pantoll Station I rested a bit and then headed down the hill towards Mill Valley. Riding down Mt. Tam I froze my nuggers off with chilled sweat. The Double Dipsea running race was on so I had to stop twice to let runners through. When I got into the flats, Andy I and I left phone messages with each other. He told me he was at Edgwood Rd. and I said I was approaching Sausalito and we could meet at the Starbucks in Sausalito. I needed to get a latte to warm up. We met up and each had a latte and a mocha. We then left towards San Francisco. The approach to the Golden Gate Bridge was very windy. The route this year was different than last year. This year did not take you to the photo op area and the steep climb up the bike trail. So, this year no Golden Gate Bridge pictures. The Golden Gate Bridge was the usual difficulty...people on rental bikes who don't know how to ride a bike causing a danger. No accidents luckily. We headed towards Golden Gate Park and found the meadow which had our Sierra to the Sea picnic area. We were done!!! Another great tour!!! We ate lunch, hung around until the buses came to bring us to San Jose. When we arrived in San Jose we waited for the truck to arrive with the bikes. We loaded our gear and bikes into our car and headed to Roseville. We stopped in Stockton at In-N-Out for a burger and fries, gassed up and headed to Roseville. We arrived home and everything looked fine. Yeah! So, this year we had another great tour!
My statistics for the day:
Lisa mileage=37.5
Lisa climbing=3118 ft
Lisa ride time =3:20

Statistic totals for the week:
Lisa mileage= 424.4 miles
Lisa climbing=22,005 ft
ride time= 30hr 50 min