California’s north coast offers a wealth of magnificent ocean views that rival the more well-known Big Sur coastline. Photos by the author and Mark Homchick.
How often have you handed out this pearl of wisdom: ?stop and smell the roses?" Plenty of times, right" Now the harder question. How many times have you actually followed this advice" If you?re like me, the answer is not very often. In fact, hardly ever. Guilty as charged, I decided to remedy this situation with a long-overdue ride.
I set out with no timetable, no agenda, other than to stop in on two friends to whom I repeatedly made vague promises to visit over the years. With one living in Northern California?s Sonoma County and the second living in southern Oregon, the door waggled wide open to a wealth of fantastic, deserted riding roads. A map of the route taken, by Bill Tipton/compartmaps.com.
My tale of wanderings begins in Windsor, a small town adjacent to the better-known wine destination of Healdsburg. This area sits just far enough north of the San Francisco Bay Area to weed out most casual traffic. Having lived here for a number of years, my pal Mark Homchick had the surroundings well scouted. Mark and I enjoy a long friendship reaching back to our days on staff at ?Cycle? magazine. A former pro road racer, Mark?s tempered his competitive instincts over the years and ?just putts? during street rides now?not always the case with ex-racers. An exceptionally smooth and skilled rider, Mark?...