The plan Sunday was, for me, a little momentous.  We’ve been talking about riding the Russian River Ramble for a year now, and this was definitely on our bucket list.  Well guess what…Check!

Tim McGraw – Something Like That

SUNDAY

I knew it would be a potentially tricky situation when planning to have a late-ish night that included a bag of wine, followed by an early morning wake up, but I didn’t want to face that reality when trying to pack in as much fun into one weekend as possible. But it actually turned out alright and I was feeling surprisingly spry!

As any good Memorial Day weekend event requires, we had another drive ahead of us.  In holiday traffic, it took us about 2 hours to reach our launching pad for the day – Guerneville, CA.  But lest we forget, this is CA, and the drive is never boring.  I take pictures of this bridge any time I have a camera.  For anyone who hasn’t been over the Golden Gate, these are for you.  Heading north…

Guerneville is located in Sonoma County, covered in coastal redwoods and nestled along the bank of the Russian River.  It is the quintessential summer vacation location.  It’s wonderfully charming, with lots of color.  Expect to see a lot of peace signs and tie-dye and rainbow flags because it is a haven for both the hippie and gay communities.  The hippies keep the place really relaxed, and the gays keep it really clean.  It’s what makes this town so great.

Once in Guerneville, our ramble starts from the Coffee Bazaar in downtown and follows Hwy 116 west along the river.  (This area is in the center of a small coastal mountain range, so there are plenty of climbs if you want them, but by following the river, this ride can also be almost perfectly flat).  At Monte Rio, take a left and cross the bridge over the river; take a right onto Main St for about 1/4 mile; then take a right at Moscow Rd to continue following the river.  This is where I, the keeper of the map, misinterpreted our directions and sent us on an eight mile (out and back) uphill detour via Bohemian Hwy.  Just remember, follow the river!

Better yet, I mapped this ride on MapMyRun, so you can see and print the map here.

Here we are on our decent down Bohemian Hwy.

Does my wife look hardcore, or what?!

Once on Moscow Rd (the turn we missed earlier), apparently the ride can be a little bumpy; but I was so enamored by all of the summer cottages lining the river that I don’t remember noticing.  Like I said – quintessential summer vacation.  Soon, the trees start to thin out, and you can feel the cool ocean breeze moving in off the Pacific.

And the next you thing you know, you’re rolling into the  quaint, tiny little town of Duncan Mills…

Uh oh, we’ve got company…

Whenever you’re out in nature, it’s important to be prepared for the chance encounter with the local wildlife.  Here, Lea demonstrates how to fend off a bear attack.

Step 1) Laugh at the bear.  This makes the bear feel embarrassed and confused.

Step 2) Remove your limbs from the bear’s mouth, and punch it in its smelly snout.

Now…if you’re ever attacked by a squirrel, here’s what you should not do!

Do not feed the potentially rabid rodent with your bare hands, and then squeal like a frightened child as it voraciously attacks your bag of trail mix! (btw – these pictures are from last weekend in Yosemite).

Class dismissed.

Back to the ride…  Duncan Mills is at the intersection of Moscow Rd and Hwy 116.  We decided that, although our directions directed us in a different direction, we wanted to continue west and see where the Russian meets the Pacific. So we hung a Louie back onto Hwy 116 and followed it until we saw signs for Hwy 1 North to Jenner.

Rolling out of Duncan Mills…

…and into Jenner.  At this point, you get your first glimpses of the ocean, and the wind really picks up.  On a hot day like this, it feels sooo nice.

This is a cottage at the Jenner Inn, in case anyone’s interested…

This last stretch up Hwy 1 leads you to a cliff overlooking the natural feature responsible for some of the best Pinot Noir in the world.  I’ve wanted to see this outlet ever since we visited the Merry Edwards Winery where they described the primary difference between the Russian River and Dry Creek Valleys (South/North neighbors) – and why the one is known for cool-weather varietals such as Pinot Noir, and the other for warm-weather varietals such as Zinfandel.

The coastal mountain range that virtually spans the Western border of the US acts as a barrier to keep the cool ocean air from blowing inland.  This yields warm conditions, perfect for growing Zinfandel grapes (what Dry Creek is known for). However, there is a break in the range where the Russian River lets out into the Pacific, allowing that breeze to blow down the river and into the Russian River Valley below…perfect for Pinot Noir grapes (what RRV is known for).  It’s such a simple explanation, but until I heard it, it never made any sense to me!

Here, the water in the foreground is Russian River and water in the background is the Pacific Ocean.

This is also your turn-around point, so it’s all downhill from here! 🙂

Moscow Road.

It’s hard to get a clear sideways shot when you’re traveling 18mph, but what I found so particularly beautiful about this area is that its landscape is covered in the coastal redwoods, and the floor beneath those trees is blanketed in green clovers.  Where the Sun’s rays squeak through the canopy, the otherwise black forest floor glows green.  (Say that three times fast).

After 35 miles on the saddle, we were famished.  Jerry had a fancy dinner waiting for him in the city that night so he ate light, but Lea and I were ready to get our eat on.  As we were loading the bikes, there was a really nice guy who struck up a conversation with us and recommended Taqueria La Tapatia.

ALWAYS trust the locals!  This place was incredible!  Lea got the carnitas tacos…

…and I got the ceviche tostadas.  They’re super fresh and full of interesting, yummy flavors.

House beer, La Tapatia Ale, was excellent!  If you like Sierra Nevada, you’ll love this.

Oh yeah…and you want to know what song was stuck in my head on repeat the ENTIRE ride?  If you pressed play at the top of this post, you’re listening to it!

Again, for those of you who haven’t experienced the Golden Gate (or those who wish to revisit it), this is heading south.  You’ll soon understand what has traffic backed up…

…it’s the views!

Just look at this little rubber-necker with her head out the sun roof.

While I’m at it, here’s a couple more shots through town.

That night, JP had dinner at Delfina’s in the Mission, while Lea and I curled up on the couch and watched Law Abiding Citizen.  Holy hell – why didn’t somebody warn me?!  If you haven’t seen it, or haven’t already been warned, let me know and I’ll fill you in.

MONDAY

Ah yes, the day I would’ve spent at work were it not for one of our most important holidays, Memorial Day.  Lea and I split from our better third (JP) and went for a morning activity at the coast.  I was geared up for another surf, but with no reliable surf report, I’ve learned to come prepared with a backup plan.  I’m glad I did because the ocean looked like a lake, and Lea needed a running buddy, so it all worked out!  In fact, I ran for 50 minutes (Lea did 60 just to keep me in my place), which is the longest I’ve run in…well…I don’t remember ever having done that.

After, we stretched on the beach and watched the fog roll in from our new $10 beach chairs!

No, I’m not wearing pants.  Men have hair, OK?!

While much of our run that day was along the coast, much of it was also through wildflowers and prairie lining the trail.  Almost immediately after, I had my first really good allergy flare up of the season and I was out of commission for the day.  But a little couch time is just what I needed to finish the redesign of the site!  I don’t know about you, but I really prefer the white.

After a weekend like this, we had to go out with a bang – Iron Man 2!  Have you seen it yet?  It’s just like the first one, which is AWESOME!  OK, I love you, good night.

Cheers