Rob's Bday Part 3

The next day of riding was the longest. Our route was 52 miles. I was a little nervous about his because I wasn't sure I could finish. I was comforted by the fact that I could always call the SAG wagon to come pick me up if needed! Rob, however, was ready to ride! After breakfast we went out to our bikes (which were locked up and covered with a tarp) and someone had added their bike. Rob decided he would give it a try: Unfortunately, this bike was not a good fit. Rob decided to stick with the one UDC tours had instead. The weather was beautiful and we hit the road. There were a few tough hills I ended up walking, but I made it to the top just fine. Our first stop was at the Martin Ray Winery. We had snacks and visited their tasting room. I didn't do any tasting since we had a long day ahead!
Look closely in the middle of this picture and you'll see a sheep grazing on the hillside.
This is the picnic area at Martin Ray.


After our snack stop we continued on. We rode through Healdsburg, which is a very neat town. They had a very cool Bike Shop called Spoke Folk. Not to long after Healdsburg we arrived at our lunch spot: Hop Kiln Winery. We had sushi for lunch (provided by Terry and Mary) and wandered through the great shop they had in their tasting room.

The Hop Kiln Winery used to be an actual hop kiln- as in hops for making beer. Here's Rob in front of the main building. We gathered around the UDC SAG wagon to fill up on water and snacks. We were a little more than half way on our route. It was a little warm- almost 90- but there was plenty of shade on the tree lined roads. Rob rode most of the day with Ben and Sarah from Tennessee. They were more his pace. This was one of the lovely views. I appreciated the scenery so much more than I would have in a car. You can experience the smells and the sounds of your surroundings on the bike. I managed to ride all 52 miles. The last 5 were a little slow, but I was determined to finish!

Each night, we ate dinner at the Village Inn Restaurant as a group. The food was excellent and we really got to know Terry and Mary and the other cyclists. The second night several of us decide to try the loaded twice baked potato. Here's a photo:

I earned that sucker! And it was GOOD- bacon, cheese, scallions, sour cream- Mmmmmm! Delish! Next post- our last day and our awesome ride on Hwy 1.