A day of wine and roads....
A heavy mist soaked the bike and kept us in this morning. As the day dried off, we ventured out. We are officially backtracking and wending our way home. Not willing to take on the traffic of the Bay Area, we turned north, following our tracks of yesterday ... except for another of Jules' famous detours.
Past Gualala, we followed the ocean to Point Arena. Still wildly beautiful in reverse, riding the inside lane produces a much calmer experience. Goaded by my complacency, Jules turned off the highway onto Mountain View Rd. Starting out mildly enough, a few miles in, the mild turned to wild in a replay of yesterday's ride. Over one mountain, then another, the road morphed from smooth to rugged, lined to unmarked. Jules and Rascal loved the challenge and I squelched my fear to revel in their joy.
Suddenly, a lonely picnic spot in a grove of redwoods appeared. We sat in their shade, enjoying the intimacy that these breaks in our travels bring. We lingered here, unwilling to break the peace, but soon the road called and we saddled up.
Back on route 129, vineyards began to flourish. We were riding in the Anderson Valley, a wine producing region we had never visited. A sign touting a port and chocolate pairing had Jules making a U- Turn to the Brutocao Cellars. A small local producer, the atmosphere was perfect for us - no crowds, no hype. We tasted and bought - Pinot Noir, Italian Zin, Port and of course the accompanying Chardonnay Raspberry Truffle Chocolate Fudge!
Through the sun warmed Anderson Valley we rode. As we neared the coast, the fog ate the sun and we stopped to put on our leather. Route 1 entertained us some more until we landed for the night, just south of Fort Bragg.
An after dinner stroll to the ocean put us in a cove where waves crashed on the rocks around us. Thrilled by their power, we stood listening to the concert of the wind and the sea as evening fell, whispering a prayer for us at the end of our day.
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