Our Woodland Warm Showers host Mark escorted us to the edge of town and we headed south to Davis. We were excited to spend a couple days there, get a little rest, and check out the town. The 10-mile-ish pedal through the country and tailwinds made the short ride even sweeter.
A quicker ride meant an earlier arrival—and that meant we could spend some time exploring. Davis is a biking mecca and has been for decades. The extensive network of bike lanes and paths is first class and Cortney and I both enjoyed the super-flat terrain. We also really enjoyed a cool brewery downtown called Dunloe Brewing. And Guads, an awesome burrito place.
Our second night in town, we had a very special stay with Warm Showers hosts John and Cathy. They treated us to a beautiful home-cooked dinner and gave us a place to stay. John and Cathy have both done a significant amount of bike touring over the years. We were able to enjoy great conversation share stories about family and travel—and bicycles.
Cortney and I headed out of Davis on Halloween. Cort wore some bunny ears affixed to her helmet (thank you, John). And I wore a Hawaiian shirt. I’m not sure how a Hawaiian shirt says “Halloween,” but it was fun to ride in.
This stretch took us on country roads that bobbed and weaved through the countryside around the interstate. We made a short and uneventful stay in Fairfield and then moved on to Napa the next day.
In Napa, we had another Warm Showers stay lined up. We arrived in town relatively early, so we rolled over to the Oxbow Public Market, a cool marketplace featuring a riverside deck, food vendors, local produce, and more.
We thoroughly enjoyed pastries and coffee at Model Bakery. And we still had some time before we could go to our Warm Showers, so we did some work at Fieldwork Brewing Company and shared an amazing sandwich from Fatted Calf. Trade Brewing was just across the street so afterward, we popped in for a quick one where we talked with some of the locals who were super curious about our bikes.
(Note to self: I think Cortney and I need to put together a craft brewery guide as we make our way across the states.)
Our Napa Warm Shower stay with Heather and Mike was a great one. They are an exceptionally kind and generous couple who cooked a fabulous meal and shared great conversation. We talked family, travel, work, parenting, and bicycles. They’ve done a lot of touring in the US and abroad, but have also done a ton of river rafting. (We loved how they knew about some of our favorite places in Idaho, like the Sawtooth Mountains and the Salmon River.) Heather and Mike also gave us a ton of fantastic recommendations for things to do and see in the Napa Valley that weren’t necessarily related to drinking wine. (Which is crazy to do in the wine country, right?)
It was special to get to know them.
The next morning we set out for a north-bound ramble through the Napa Valley before making camp at Bothe-Napa Valley State Park. We cruised up the Napa Valley Wine Trail, went up through Yountville and on to Oakville and Rutherford where we stopped at La Luna Market and Taqueria and had fantastic burritos. I think we get pretty high miles per burrito (mpb). At least 30.
We made it to camp at Bothe-Napa Valley State Park just before sunset. Located in the heart of the Napa Valley up near Calistoga, the park is full of redwoods and oaks. We opted to live it up a little and rented an awesome yurt for the evening.
The next day was a big climbing day. We went into Calistoga first thing to fuel up and then took Calistoga Road up… up… and up. In retrospect, we should’ve listened to Mike and Heather and taken the longer, quieter, more bike-friendly route through Alexander Valley. Instead of benefiting from their wisdom, we opted for the more direct route, which was packed with traffic and didn’t offer much of a shoulder. Despite the very uncomfortable riding, the climb offered some genuinely gorgeous scenery.
Certain parts were very steep. (Grades like this are Cortney’s favorite.)
When we rolled into Santa Rosa, we stocked up at everyone’s favorite market Safeway. Cortney and I then pedaled down to Adobe Canyon where we’d set up camp at Sugarloaf Ridge down near Kenwood.
Sugarloaf is absolutely gorgeous. The only unfortunate thing was the steep climb (especially after a day of steep climbs) for the last mile before hitting the visitors center. The name of the camp includes “Ridge,” so we should’ve known better. Not going to lie, Cortney’s spirits were dampened—but she made the final climb and did brilliantly.
This camp was busy but relatively quiet. But not for long. As soon as it got dark, a small army of boy scouts camped next to us. It was all good, but it was pure bedlam.
Cortney and I weren’t sure what they were working on for this trip but speculated it was a merit badge for “Making noises in the dark”… ” or for being “Blissfully unaware.”
At one point, a young scout used the area behind our tent as a bathroom and I shared a few choice words with him, giving him a bit of a scare. I felt bad, but I’m only human.
The next day, we enjoyed some really fantastic cycling down the valley through Glen Ellen and Sonoma and across to Petaluma. It was a beautiful day. (And our obligatory stop at Lagunitas made it even more beautiful.)
We hadn’t been there in years and had a lot of fun.
The warmth and generosity of cycling community continues to impress us on this trip. Looking forward to seeing friends in Petaluma and our upcoming visit to Marin.
-Erik
