The Bicycle Adventure Club - Come Ride With Us!

California North Bay Tour

April 28th to May 11th

Ride Director: Bruce Dewey
Ride Co-Director: Marilyn Dewey
Report by: Stephen Kiel

On April 28th, Bruce Dewey, Marilyn Dewey, Marty Fink, Joe Hindman, Marlene Rawles, Miriam Joscelyn, Carol Hermes, Hank Hermes, Ginny Hackney, Terry Hackney, Virginia Cottingham, Mike Raudenbush, John McCoy, Linda Stewart, Stephen Kiel, Linda Kiel, Alan Kailer, Renee Kailer, Hewes Agnew, and David Lindeman set out on the epic California North Bay Tour. This trip in the countryside, just north of the San Francisco Bay, set and exceeded high expectations.

Starting in Davis, a city that celebrates cycling, we warmed up our legs and treated ourselves to the scenery of the northern portion of the California Central Valley. We transitioned to one of the world’s best wine (and beer) countries as we traveled into Suisun and Sonoma. We had a spectacular look at the San Francisco Bay as we crossed the Carquinez Straits on a bridge with a dedicated bike lane. As we rode deeper into wine country, we passed vineyards that were leafing out in spring green and ornamented with artwork. The roads were lined with wildflowers, the birds were singing, and the hills were covered in shades of spring green. If you weren’t swept away by the scenery, it’s time to check your pulse.

On the coast, we explored Point Reyes National Seashore and Bodega Bay. Bodega Bay was the site that Alfred Hitchcock chose for the movie "The Birds". As we were riding through Point Reyes there was a crew filming the movie "Beautiful Boy". We will need to watch the movie to see if there are any familiar looking cyclists riding down the road in the distance. It’s easy to see why this area has been attracting filming crews for decades. The landscape on the coast had everything from Cypress trees draped in Spanish Moss, a lighthouse shrouded in fog, and the Russian River winding lazily through the trees as it made its way to the ocean.

Our trip back to Davis along the northern part of the loop, from the coast via the wine country, was just as delightful as the southern part of the loop. We explored legendary cycling routes, traveling through the wine country towns of Windsor and Saint Helena. As we made our way back to Davis, the local temperature dropped to complete a trip with nearly perfect weather – OK it was a little windy on the coast at Bodega Bay. Along our entire route, we visited quaint towns like Occidental and Winters, lunched at wonderful stops, snacked in great local bakeries and legendary coffee shops like Steady Eddies, and had many exceptional dinners.

In addition to the spectacular scenery and the luxury of our accommodations, we piled up quite a list of accomplishments. Bruce and Marilyn were the perfect examples of great leaders - everything just happened without a hitch, and they made it look easy. Each one of us excelled as bicycling tourists and adventurers while enjoying the many things this trip had to offer. No one got hurt. No one got lost, although a few of us did do a bit of independent exploration. We met and rode with Randy and Lucy Glover. We celebrated Renee’s birthday.

We started our trip visiting the "Bicycling Hall of Fame", and visited delis, bakeries, and restaurants that are cycling haunts along the route. It was a route steeped in cycling tradition and filled with friendly local riders. This BAC trip was made from routes that have been popular with local clubs and riders for decades, and it became an instant classic.

I believe that I speak for all participants when I say thanks to Bruce and Marilyn for hosting such a wonderful and memorable trip.