Day 16: Vallejo to Petaluma

Day 16:  Vallejo to Petaluma

May 5th, 2017

15.81 miles in 6 hours 40 minutes

Walking down CA 37 from Vallejo to the Petaluma River wouldn't be that different than walking across the San Mateo Bridge -- almost the same amount of traffic, and almost the same complete lack of crossroads, driveways, or even a place for an Uber driver to make a U-turn if I was to get picked up.

I had planned on walking only the 10 miles from the Mare Island onramp onto CA 37 to the intersection with CA 121 at Sears Point.  As I got closer to that intersection more and more people started honking encouragement at me, because they knew how far I must have walked down the highway.  

But at that 3 way traffic light there was no place for any Uber driver to pull over.  There is not even a crosswalk at that light.  So I had to push on another 6 miles to the first exit of any kind at the Petaluma Marina.  I had to run/walk the last 3 miles because I had a phone interview scheduled and it wasn't going to go well with all the trucks whizzing by.

My conclusion is, if you have the time, take the scenic route thru Napa and Sonoma on CA 121.  You get to traverse the ridge between the two valley towns, and that ridge was looking beautiful from the bay, with a combination of green and gold surfaces.  

The Ridge between Sonoma and Napa Viewed From the Bay

I can confess that this traversal on foot from Napa to Sonoma is possible, because in 2013 that was my last leg of a 12 person 200 mile relay I was part of, the Ragnar Napa race.  I was recruited by my niece Erin for this race, who was living in California at the time.  Part of the motivation for doing this hike is conditioning for the next Ragnar race I'm involved in, the 8 person 120 mile Ragnar Trail Northwoods, that by "coincidence" is near where she now resides in Wisconsin.

After making it to the Petaluma River, I quickly caught an Uber to the Larkspur Ferry Landing.  Thursday I came to Vallejo on the Vallejo Ferry.  By Friday I had crossed the northern end of the bay, and I was ready to take a different ferry home.

San Francisco Skyline from the Larkspur Ferry

Day 16:  Vallejo to Petaluma

Accounting: 

    Starting Balance                                       50.11

• Uber to Breakfast                                       6.25
• Uber to Mare Island starting point                     10.79
• Uber from Petaluma Marina to Larkspur Ferry plus tip   33.59
• Larskpur Ferry to San Francisco with Clipper Card.      7.25
• BART to Millbrae                                        6.75
• Caltrain to Sequoia Station                             3.75
• SamTrans ECR to San Carlos Station                      2.05

    Ending Balance                                        120.54

Kombucha of the Day -- Pineapple again

Voice Notes:

You could say the United States is a Lutheran idea. Let me explain.

Luther did a good job of bootstrapping a decentralization of the Christian church.

The Declaration of Independence did a good job of declaring the sometimes necessity of decentralization in mankind's affairs

The constitution reinforced this decentralization (while binding them together into a single entity)

Seems to me like a connection between the 95 things nailed to the church door and the next amendment to the constitution.

Something to allow the people to govern themselves without the intervention of global capital.

The ridge between Napa and Sonoma is very picturesque.

I see. A point is where the hills actually have a chance to coming down to meet the water of the bay without all that marsh.

I have to admit that electricity distribution is far more peaceful than oil distribution.

The trail because of where it's positioned allows you to see the bay and it's surrounding hills 101 or 80 or 580 or 80 don't accomplish that because they're too close to the hills.

Zero out of 100 Uber cars

I'm getting honks of encouragement as I get closer to 121.

I see you approach to San Francisco (??)