Sunday, December 7, 2008

2008 Dec 06 - Polar Bear Ride

2008 December 06 - Polar Bear Ride

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Today's Ride Route

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Well, I had wet fog problems on Hwy 12 from Rio Vista to Fairfield. I reached Rio Vista at 9:45 AM, but then it took me another 2 hours and 15 minutes to get the 25 miles to Fairfield. :-(
It is not the ground visibilty which is over a quarter of a mile. But the humidity is just at that point where the moisture creeps into the helmet to spread a thin mist over the INSIDE of my face shield. It is not humid enough for the mist to form droplets and run off. But the humidity is just right to coat the face shield. I would lift my face shield and if I did not need my glasses to see I could have made it to Fairfield. But my glasses would soon become coated. So I was riding stop and wipe and go along Hwy 12. Finally stopping at the Western Railway Museum parking lot.

Meanwhile I had been in contact with Phil T. via cell phone and he and Bob M. were waiting for me at a McDonalds near I-80.

I finally reach Fairfield at Noon and we all have a bite to eat since I had not eaten yet that day.

I tried my camera in Rio Vista and at the Western Railway Museum where I stopped for about 25 minutes. But it turns out that the new rechargeable batteries did not charge in my usual battery charger. So I was without a working camera today.

The photos were taken by Phil T. {a link to Bob's pics are at the end}
Don I. and Bob
Bob next to his Triumph Sprint RS. We had a Triumph on this Ride
We get a guy in the parking lot to take a photo of the Three Intrepid Polar Bear Riders
Since Bob lives in Sonoma the Ride will be in his back yard so we let him lead the Ride while Phil and I follow. It is a really sunny day although a bit chilly. My electric jacket liner comes in handy. We head down I-80 to the Hwy 12 exit toward Napa. At the Hwy 12 turn off for Sonoma we take Hwy 121 to Hwy 116 which takes us into Petaluma. We needed to make an emergency pit stop at the intersection of Stage Gulch Road and Lakeville Road at Ernie's Tin Bar, Lakeville, CA. Seems like there was too much coffee being drunk. :-)

Photo found by Googling

The traffic is fairly heavy as the weather is bright and clear. It takes a bit of time to get through the traffic in Petaluma. But then it is a beautiful Ride along Valley Ford Road which merges into Hwy 1. Just beyond the village of Valley Ford we take the turn off to Occidental. That road is a bit rough, but saves a bunch of time.

We reach the turn off for the Bohemian Highway, which is the road to Occidental and then to Monte Rio. But Freestone is just off the Bodega Highway and we pull into the Wild Flour Bread parking lot. The bakery is really busy.

Wild Flour Bread web site


The road side sign
Looking back toward the Bodega Highway

A baker at the brick ovenLook at the loaves of bread
The board shows what is available today

I bought four loaves of bread and cut them up to share some with my Lunch Bunch
{ added after I ate the bread - The bread is full of flavor with a nice dense consistency. I guess this is what bread used to be.}

Off we head toward Sebastopol and it takes a bit of creative lane splitting {when a turn lane showed up} to get us through the really heavy traffic in Sebastopol.

We stop for gasoline along Hwy 12 a few miles before Santa Rosa. Then we head over Bennet Valley Road to Warm Springs Road to Glen Ellen. Just south of the main part of Glen Ellen there is General Vallejo's old saw mill. It has been converted into a series of shops and restaurants and is called Jack London Village. One restaurant is the Yeti. One of my fellow Chain Gang members {BMW F650 Riders} goes by the nick of i_Yeti. So I had to get a photo of the restaurant for him.

Jack London Village


The old water wheel still works
Yeti Restaurant web site
Here is the Yeti, Indian and Nepalese Restaurant


We then head off along Arnold Road which we took on our last Ride. We turn off a little earlier at Verona Road and work our way to the Sonoma Cheese Factory. It is now 3:30 PM, so I decide to skip lunch and head home. Good choice since the fog never completely left east of Hwy 113. There was just enough sun light to keep the fog above the ground as I rode my way back to Stockton.

A last smoke break before I head home across the street from the Sonoma Cheese Factory
Phil and Bob {who lives within walking distance of the Sonoma Plaza} stop for a Deli Sandwich at the Cheese Factory.

Sonoma Cheese Factory web site

The front of the Sonoma Cheese Factory


A link to Bob's photos
:

end

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