A time to talk: Escape to California was a welcome respite from weather

Mary Magee

guest columnist

The only solution to surviving this miserable weather is to put on your mukluks or visit warmer climates.

I had the chance to travel in early April with nine other women on their week-long bicycle trip in California as the driver of their support vehicle.

When we drove into California, I got that special feeling I always do when arriving in that state: A sense of optimism and the promise of good things to come.

We visited Mendocino County, which is about half way between the northern California border and San Francisco along the coast. All of us met up in Lakeport, which sits on the western shore of the bejeweled Clear Lake.

I still remember summer camping there with my husband in the 1980s, when it was sublimely hot and we spent all of our time swimming and hanging out under a graceful willow tree.

Of course, it wasn’t hot in April, just pleasantly cool with blue skies and no rain.

On the first day of riding, I followed in the van, map in hand, and an Emmy Lou Harris CD playing soft country rock. The women rode through Scott’s Valley, the sweetest terrain where goats grazed and wild turkeys crossed the road with their orange-red heads poking forward and backward.

Heading west, we passed the two Blue Lakes, then climbed to a viewpoint, where we looked down on enticing Mendocino Lake through tangled oaks and madronas.

Two days of hard riding brought us to Mendocino, a quaint, misty, coastal town filled with restaurants, art galleries, B&B’s and Victorian homes surrounded by white picket fences and soft country gardens.

The ocean was dazzling with its changing hues of blue. That night, some of us ventured out onto the bluff near town.

As we looked back toward the little hamlet, it was all lit up and enchanting against the dark sky.

From Mendocino, the riders rode along the dreamy coastline, then inland on Highway 128 past rivers and through redwood forests into bucolic, little wine-producing Anderson Valley.

Here, I rode my bike where it was flat and surrounded by green velvety hills dotted with oak trees and wineries.

Several of us ate lunch in Boonville at a gourmet organic café. It seemed so natural to be sitting outside in the sunshine!

The next day, the riders continued south into the Russian River Valley, where our first stop was at the elegant and grand Ferrari-Carano Winery. Here, perched on a hill, was a cream-colored mansion surrounded by an expanse of flowering gardens and vineyards.

The building was spacious and multi-leveled with a gift shop, a cellar and two wine-tasting areas. We happily absorbed the beauty and the sunshine.

After that stop, I did some more riding as the weather got even warmer.

Our lunch stop was in Healdsburg, a trendy town with a village green surrounded by intriguing shops and restaurants. It was so uplifting to see people outside in the sun.

We continued through the valley to Windsor, where we stayed for two nights. On the rest day, several of us cycled to Santa Rosa to see the Charles Schultz museum, a tribute to the creator of the Peanuts cartoon. We learned about the history of cartooning and the evolution of Schultz’s beloved characters.

Lunch was at the Warm Puppy Café, where the cartoonist used to eat every day.

Soon it was time to head north, back to Lakeport via Cloverdale, Hopland and Ukiah, and through more breathtaking terrain.

The beauty of the countryside, the camaraderie among us, and the sun’s rays made this a most gratifying trip.

Reach Mary Magee at marymagee@harbornet.com.