Our first ride, and it's through wine country

We decided to stay an extra day here at the campground in Cloverdale, CA. The weather forecast was for sunny and warm, and we had found a nice road for a first bike ride.

It was a beautiful ride, through the vineyards of Sonoma County. The ride was short (16 miles) but it was pretty hilly, so our legs got some good exercise. Mine were screaming at me at times. Have to start somewhere, and we hadn't ridden for several months. Plus, my legs are mush from the surgery.

We packed a lunch, rode for awhile, stopped at the top of hills to congratulate ourselves and take photos, and just soaked in the day. It was exactly what we have planned for our entire 2-3 months, so we were really pleased about our first outing.

After we rode out to Sonoma Lake and had our picnic, we headed back into Cloverdale (about 2 miles from our campground) and bought dinner, as well as 10 pounds of ice, to take back to the camper. Ever tried to get 10 pounds of ice up two miles of hilly road on a bike? It can be done, with the right pannier, which fortunately I have.

The last 200 feet to the campground is straight up--and I mean straight up. I had to walk my bike (and 15 pound of food+ice), but Vicky did it. For such a thin person she is awfully strong, which is the payoff she should get from a lifetime of running.

Vicky, Jules, and I signed up for the STP earlier this week. I am hoping we can get in at least 500 miles before we return to Whidbey Island in April. If so, it would give us a good start for our training. Some year I hope to be able to train without having to come back from foot surgery. We're all looking forward to the ride this year, although I had to confess to Vicky, who noticed that I seemed a bit sad about something as I was signing us up for it, that I will miss Sean. Doing the STP with Sean and Jules was a once in a lifetime experience for a dad, and I'm so glad I got to do it.

Now I will do it with my son and my wife. What a difference from the first time I did it when I was by myself. It was a great experience for me, but not as much fun as doing it with people important to you.

Here's Vicky. She wanted me to point out that her hair tie matches her cycling jersey.


The little dot in the road is me:


There are interesting succulent plants in this area.





Isn't it beautiful country? Here's me with the ice: