One fantastic ride

I wasn't around this weekend to ride in the mornings. So when I returned around noon on Sunday, I was itching to get out on the bike. I had considered running, but just really felt like riding. I checked the weather - no impending rain. Winds about 10-15 mph. Hm.

Still didn't matter. For weeks I've been dying to get out to the Wildflour Bakery in Freestone. For weeks I've been saying "I want to ride out and go to this sacred bakery." I just had it in my mind that I was going to DO THIS.

I headed out Guerneville Road and pedaled into the wind. It was cool, but there was enough sunshine warming my arms and back that I didn't need the arm warmers yet. Not too much traffic out, surprisingly. Left on Frei Road and up the first little grunt. Before I knew it I was zipping through Graton along Graton Road, mentally preparing for my first big climb. It was so quiet. The air was crisp and fresh and the only sounds that could be heard where my feet spinning away at the pedals.

After tackling Graton Road, I made it into Occidental. The other big treat of the day was getting to ride my most favorite road in the world - Bohemian Hwy. I took my sunglasses off as I zoomed through the towering redwood trees which shaded and cooled the air, providing a fresh scent of damp redwood. Again, the road was silent and I really felt, in that moment, that I was in church: the majestic trees around me were my stained glass, and my bike was the pew in which I was praying. It was truly heavenly. All was silent and I simply smiled and thought "I am SO lucky."

Another 10 minutes and I pulled into the Wildflour Bakery. I could smell it before I even saw it! I sat down with some coffee and a walnut-apple-cinnamon scone and took my first bite.

Now, I've been telling everybody since I moved up here that one of the things I miss most about Berkeley is the Cheese Board. Their scones are a delectable treat and I've never had a scone even come CLOSE to comparing to the ones the Cheeseboard produced. But as of yesterday, the Cheeseboard has finally met its match. The scone I had at Wildflour bakery was so incredible, so fresh, so full of everything that is good and right with food, that I couldn't help but smile and know that I had done the right thing today.

After I left I turned right on Bodega Hwy and left on Petaluma-Valley Ford Road. The roads were still somewhat empty and peaceful. I didn't see one other cyclist out there. Made my way back via Bloomfield->Todd->Llano and back along the path.

The wind really died down once I was in Occidental, so I was glad I had made the decision to go. It really was a fantastic solitary ride and I just couldn't get over how peaceful it was. The hills are starting to turn green, the cows were out, and the air was so clear and so crisp, every breath invigorated my lungs.

49 miles, 1500 feet of climbing, and three glorious hours of just enjoying the ride.