by Liz

Day’s mileage : 39

Running total : 1,302

Ascent : 3,304ft

Sunday.

It wasn’t easy to leave our rest day home in Bodega Bay. The gorgeous view over the bay and the birds that live there had got right under our skin. But an amazing breakfast helped stoke us up and we tore ourselves away at 10am.

It turns out Cathy has a good nose for finding alternative routes. The road headed inland for a good while and instead of following Highway 1 we had a fascinating eight miles through hilly ranch territory, with horses, cattle and sheep and even a cowboy on his rounds. We passed an interesting geological fault line in the middle of nowhere, lined with huge smooth boulders. Up and up we went until it felt like we were on top of the world.

Highlights were the colours today. Wildflowers in shades of blue and yellow. The astonishing scarlet flashes of a red-winged blackbird in flight. Orange Californian poppies and deep crimson sweet peas. Red geraniums and nasturtiums. The glistening green of tiny hummingbirds. A couple on a first anniversary ride on their sparkling multicoloured tandem. And the stiff wind kicking up white horses across Tomales Bay, the water muted turquoise at midday then slate blue in the late afternoon sunshine.

Lowlights were Cathy coming out in a rash after an insect took a liking to her, and some bank holiday weekend visitor traffic. I had to think quite hard just to get those.

We’re staying in the village of Inverness tonight, population 1,400. There are friendly clucking chickens in the garden and we’re thinking how best to consume the twelve eggs kindly left for us by our host before we leave tomorrow morning. Cathy’s gone for a walk while it’s still sunny. Philip is determinedly experimenting with a recipe for microwave veggie risotto as, not for the first time, we’re in a tiny home with a mini kitchen. It’s peaceful and relaxing as every window looks out over trees of varying shades of green. Tomorrow will be different as we head in to San Francisco.

Additional notes

Bodega Bay to Inverness, Sonoma and Marin counties, CA.

Left at 10am. Arrived at 4pm.

Weather: Cool again, 10 degrees, felt like 9. The sun was warm but the wind was cold and strong, 20mph and behind us.

Landscape: Through Bodega Bay with its hotels and eateries along Highway 1. Knobbly, grassy hills on our left with many tower of jewels plants, and sea to our right. Then we lost sight of the sea and had hills to our right. Inland stretch of 10-12 miles in ranch country. Fields of horses, cows and sheep. A large, flooded area with water so deep it was choppy in the wind. Lake District-like country with soft hills covered with grass and even some lakes. As we climbed higher the landscape changed, it was open and hilly and we could see for miles. An outcrop of smooth rocks in an otherwise grassy landscape with a long fault line running downhill away from it (we think we are on the San Andreas fault line here). Groves of eucalyptus. As we crested a ridge the ocean appeared in front of us. A long downhill run into Tomales. A river valley with green hills on either side, the road undulating. Alongside Tomales Bay, a muted turquoise with little white horses kicked up by the wind. Later the bay became dark grey as we rode further south. Along the far side of the bay to Inverness. 

Towns: Bodega Bay. Tomales. Nick’s Cove where we took a photo to send to Emily at work. Marshall. Point Reyes Station, full of bank holiday visitors. 

Trails: Not a trail but an alternative route to the 1 which C found along a country road. 

State roads: Highway 1, not too busy to begin with. It was busy with bank holiday traffic alongside Tomales Bay. 

Breakfast: Waffles with banana, melon and strawberries and locally made ice cream.

Lunch spot: A picnic table outside the Marconi conference centre overlooking the bay, discarded oyster shells strewn on the ground. Out of the wind for C who was feeling buffeted.

Dinner (P): Microwave veggie risotto. 

Wildlife: An animal that looked like a wild dog. A black cat that seemed much too big to be a normal cat. At least one hummingbird on a stand of tower of jewels plants. Red-winged blackbirds. 

Plants: Tower of jewels. Blue and yellow wildflowers, deep crimson sweet peas and orange poppies. Cultivated red geraniums and nasturtiums. 

Things we saw: Clover Dairy with a proud sign that it won the dairy of the year award in 1991. Hageman Ranch with a row of big old trees on the road approaching it. Another mysterious road sign – ‘Changed conditions ahead’. Numerous signs that read ‘Preserved as farmland forever. By the owner and the Marin Agricultural Land Trust’. A colourful, laden tandem parked outside a restaurant in Marshall. A street called Mañana Street as we approached Point Reyes Station. When I went for a night walk in Inverness there were no streetlights and it was very quiet, just a few dogs barking and some frogs or insects chirruping.

People we spoke to or saw: Strangely we passed four runners on the remote country road. A farmer mounting his horse and setting off across a field. Quite a few cyclists after Tomales, mostly unladen. A couple at our lunch spot with takeaway oysters, a bottle of wine and a broken leg (the chap). C chatted to a group of cyclists in Point Reyes Station and I talked to the couple with the colourful tandem, celebrating their first anniversary with a weekend ride. 

Incidents: Komoot was being a real bore about the alternative route C found, repeatedly announcing ‘You have left the route. Take a look at the map’. So I suspended him. The valley road after Tomales was quite busy and the wind was gusty, not always a good combination. C got bitten by an insect at lunch and her face became red and rashy (this wasn’t her favourite day). Some cars overtook us dangerously on blind corners along the windy road beside Tomales Bay. As we neared Point Reyes Station a car joining from a side turning nearly drove into me – I yelled ‘Look out! Be careful!’

Shopping: Palace Market, Point Reyes Station. 

Accommodation: A strip along the side of the owner’s house so quite compact but old and full of character. P had to cook in a teeny-weeny kitchen with no sink. The host left us a bowl of mini Hershey chocolates which lasted us for the week.

Today’s sound: The wind woo-wooing in the telephone lines overhead. 

Today’s smell: Delicious food smells outside the various restaurants we passed.

Special moments: Sitting upstairs on the sitting bed before anyone else was awake, no mist and a clear view across the bay. We were all reluctant to leave, it was beautiful and comfortable at this little house in Bodega Bay. Where we stopped for our snack it felt like we were on top of the world and some of the hills had long grass that was swaying and rolling in the strong wind.

Positive experience from my journal: Being up in the hills. 

Appreciation from my journal: Carrying mini eggs for C and liquorice for P, from home and then from Bodega Bay.

Blog comment from Kathy Fraser.

Video: Sea birds at Bodega Bay (25 sec). E filming P riding through trees in ranch country (10s). Tomales (1s). E&P passing with hills and sea behind (1m9s). 

Mementos: Palace Market receipt, Point Reyes Station.