THE WINE COUNTRY TOUR "Sonomarinapa" Six to nine days, 280-550 miles Some of the tours we offer could just about lay themselves out, without our help: there may be only one realistic route choice in an entire region. That is not the case in the three counties north of the Golden Gate (Marin, Sonoma, and Napa). There is such a dense tracery of tiny back roads and lightly traveled highways throughout this region that settling on a single, one-size-fits-all route is impossible. Thus, you see the wide range of options reflected at the top: from six to nine days of riding, and anywhere from an easy 300 miles to a very tough tour of 550 miles (very few of them flat). Even with all those options, there are still so many great roads left out of this tour that we have created two Mini-Tours for the area that will make use of many of those fine roads. Because of the varied topography and the constantly changing (and almost always beautiful) scenery, this region may rank as the most popular cycling destination in the state...perhaps in the country. Many pro teams do their off-season training here, citing the “almost European” riding conditions. Nearly every cycle-tour operator in existence offers a “Wine Country” package, and our route will travel roads used by these catered groups and by at least a dozen organized centuries, doubles, and other mass rides. But we’ll also explore some obscure roads that rarely show up on the routes of the mainstream tours. There are so many highlights on this trip, it’s hard to compress them into a tidy little list. There are, of course, the premier vineyards of both Sonoma and Napa Counties, but there is so much more that has nothing to do with vineyards or wineries that calling it simply the Wine Country Tour is almost a misnomer. There are many miles along one section or another of shoreline, both out on the rugged sea cliffs and in along the shores of bays, lagoons, and rivers. There are cool, quiet roads through redwood, bay, and eucalyptus groves. There are the panoramic views from the top of Mount Tamalpais, and the top of King Ridge, and the top of the Geysers, and the top of..it goes on and on. This tour can be easily linked to the shorter Mendocino-Clear Lake Tour, just to the north. There are detailed notes in both tour packets outlining how this can be done. Together, they make up a beautiful and quite challenging two-week tour. • Tour packet: 50 pages; 55 photos, 10 maps • Where does it go? Day 0.1: Optional West County Loop 50 miles, 1200' up and down 64 miles, 2500' up and down This stage is only nominally “optional” because, being a loop, one needn’t ride it to get from point A to point B along the tour route. But I consider it an essential part of the tour. Staging out of the starting campground north of Petaluma, it explores dozens of little backroads in the hills of southwestern Sonoma County and northwestern Marin County..some of the prettiest and emptiest roads around. Perfect for cycling. Day 1: Petaluma to Olema 57 miles, 4900' up and down Bonus miles: 13-mile out-&-back, 1500’, & 5-mile loop, 200’ This is a fantastic bike ride..a classic. Works its way west from Petaluma through the coastal hills and then doubles back inland through San Geronimo Valley before climbing from Fairfax up and over the ridge and descending to Bolinas on the coast. Then it follows Hwy 1–and the San Andreas Fault–north from the Bolinas Lagoon to a pleasant camp in Olema. But the real centerpiece of the stage is the optional out-&-back to the summit of Mt Tamalpais: one of the greatest stretches of cycling and sight-seeing anywhere. A second optional loop explores the quaint town of Bolinas. Showers at camp. Day 1.1: Optional Point Reyes Tour 44 miles, 3300' up and down Bonus miles: 18-mile out-&-back, 1000’ Tours the Point Reyes National Seashore, one of the most beautiful, unspoiled landscapes in the state. The basic route rolls all the way out to the end of the continent, to the Point Reyes Light Station, a hilly and often very windblown adventure. The bonus leg travels to the northern end of the park to visit historic Pierce Ranch, a beautifully preserved 19th century farm compound. Access to great hikes in the National Seashore as well, or rent a kayak for a paddle on the bay. Returns to same campground in Olema. Day 2: Olema to Duncans Mills 51 miles, 2000' up and down 57 miles, 4000' up and down Runs north through the quiet country town of Point Reyes Station and on up alongside beautiful Tomales Bay to the sleeply village of Tomales. After wandering around on some of the prettiest little backroads you could ever wish for, it returns to the ocean for a dance along the rugged cliffs of the Sonoma coast before turning inland to a private camp in a bend of the Russian River. The longer, hillier route climbs onto the high ridge line above the ocean before whistling back down to camp on a series of snappy little descents. Superb cycling every mile of the way. Showers at camp. Day 2.1: Optional King Ridge Loop 53 miles, 4500' up and down 68 miles, 6000’ up and down King Ridge is considered one of the most spectacular, legendary cycling roads in the country, and the other roads that make up the balance of this loop are not bad either. After an almost level run alongside Austin Creek, the King tilts up into the steep hills in a series of wicked climbs that deliver you to cycling heaven: miles and miles of empty country, running along ridgelines high above deep canyons or plunging seaside cliffs. This is an essential stage for strong riders. One of the best rides ever. For less ambitious riders, we suggest ways to shorten and soften the ride. Returns to the same campground in Duncans Mills, so those not wishing to tackle this challenging circuit can spend the day relaxing on the bank of the river. Day 3: Duncans Mills to Cloverdale 50 miles, 1500' up, 1000' down 60 miles, 2500' up, 2000' down You finally get to the vineyards and wineries that give the tour its name. But first, you visit groves of old-growth redwoods along the Russian River, and on the long route, climb into the apple orchard country around Sebastopol and Graton. Eventually you roll out into the mellow hills and valleys of a succession of premier wine regions: Russian River Valley, Dry Creek Valley, and Alexander Valley. Overnight in a private camp overlooking Alexander Valley. Showers. Day 4: Cloverdale to Calistoga 41 miles, 1500' up, 2000' down 60 miles, 4000' up, 4500' down The short route rolls easily through the vineyards of Alexander Valley while the long route climbs into the remote back country known as the Geysers..a raw, rugged region of intense geothermal activity. Beautiful scenery, big climbs, and the longest, fastest downhills of the tour are in store for those who take this walk on the wild side. After the two routes rejoin, the stage continues south through Alexander Valley and into quiet, scenic Knights Valley before spilling out into famous Napa Valley. Camp south of Calistoga in a lovely state park. Showers. Day 5: Calistoga to Napa 30 miles, 500’ up, 700’ down 57 miles, 1500’ up, 1700’ down A relatively easy and very pretty ride. The short route–included only as a bail-out for tired riders–stays on the nearly level floor of Napa Valley. The longer route climbs out of the valley and descends into delightful, secluded Pope Valley..a cycling dream world. Eventually the route returns to Napa Valley and continues south–past one prestigious winery after another–to a pleasant park on the outskirts of the city of Napa. Showers. Day 6: Napa to Petaluma 48 miles, 2000’ up and down 47 miles, 4000’ up and down Bonus miles: 3-mile out-&-back to Jack London home The shorter route is actually the harder of the two today. The flatter route winds south and west out of Napa through the low, rolling hills of the Carneros wine region before visiting the historic Spanish colonial town of Sonoma. The hillier route grapples its way over a couple of very steep mountains, with each killer climb followed by a rocket descent. The routes reunite in Glen Ellen–Jack London’s home town–and then everyone climbs one last steep hill before descending back toward Petaluma and the campground where the tour began so many days ago. • How hard is it? In spite of the fact that the daily miles are quite short, and that the highest elevation on the tour is only around 2700', this route stacks up as a fairly difficult tour, not so much because of the length of the routes or the size of the climbs, but because of the steepness of the terrain. (Grades in big mountains tend to be long but gradual. Here in the coastal hills, they tend to be shorter but steeper.) This is very much a two-tier tour, with easier and more challenging options each day so that the tour can be shared by riders of differing abilities. The shorter options on this tour are quite manageable for moderate riders, but the longer, hillier routes will test even the strongest veterans. The shortest version of the tour averages 46 miles a day and 2000' of climb per day for six days. The longest day is 57 miles. The longest version of the tour averages 61 miles a day and 4000' of climb per day for nine days. The longest day is 75 miles. • When should you do this tour? This tour could be ridden comfortably anytime from April to late October, with just a slight increase in the likelihood of rain at the outer limits of that window. Perhaps the ideal time would be from mid-May to mid-June, when the rains have stopped but the fields are still green. Indian Summer (mid September through October) is also very nice. • Accommodations All of the campgrounds on this tour are pleasant. All of them can be reserved, except for Skyline Park in Napa. All of the campgrounds have showers and most have a variety of other conveniences as well. There are motels and inns near all of the designated campgrounds on this tour, so it is possible to convert it from camping overnights to lodgings. • Travel..to and from The tour begins and ends in Petaluma, less than an hour north of San Francisco on Hwy 101. This makes it possible, if you’re driving from the Bay Area, to skip some of the camping in Petaluma and turn the first and last ride days into drive days, if you choose to do so. Because it’s a loop course, cars can be left in Petaluma for your return. There is also easy airport shuttle service from SFO to within half a mile of the Petaluma campground. Adventure Velo 7315 Fircrest Avenue Sebastopol, CA 95472 707-823-9807 backroad@sonic.net