Circle the Bay

Wednesday, May 16, 2018

Day 10: Bear Flag Republic to Vallejo Ferry

(Sonoma to Vallejo)

Circle The Bay Part 3

May 13th 2018

38.8 miles in 6 hrs 9 mins

(Total: 200.8 miles in 36 hrs 21 mins)

After a bunch of dilly-dallying between those SMART train stations we had to commit to biking from Sonoma to Vallejo today, as there were no other options for public bicycle carrying transit (not actually true, we could have taken a bus to BART and never got on the ferry).

Leaving the historic Sonoma Hotel

Buckminster Fuller Geodesic Dome

Turkey Vultures working on some rail kill

It was a really rough ride at the southeastern tip of Sonoma County farm roads. The roads in the northwestern extreme of the county (Sea Ranch) are far better. When we finally. crossed into Napa County they let you know it (see picture below).

Crossing from Sonoma to Napa County

But for whatever reason, on a nice Napa farming hillside I shifted to highest (or smallest) gear on my back freewheel (instead of shifting from lowest to middle on the front gears), which set off a cascade of events that led to making it easily on time to a later ferry than we planned, and a nice Mother's Day brunch on the Napa River while my bike got repaired at the Napa River Velo bike shop.

I had just installed my rear rack, the last piece of my original 1980 setup for a California bike trip. But the particular short bolts that keep from interfering with a 7-gear freewheel had disappeared who knows what decade, and the generic water bottle fastening bolt I used was a tad too long. Unable to peddle I successfully unclipped (yeah!) and inspected the problem. In trying to free the chain from this bolt that retarded it, I slipped the rear derailleur cable out of its rear stay.

It would have been an easy catch, but instead I let myself believe the rear derailleur cable had gotten unadjusted. When I loosened the cable to readjust, the metal iglet at the end of this cable of twisted metal strands flew off. Which caused the cable to fray quickly to the point it was no longer feasible as a cable. The bike did not work.

Our thoughts went back to moments of breakdown in the past. You become reliant on the goodness of other humans to help you get back on the road. And the thing is, the goodness always shows up. And now we have Uber as well.

Which worked for me to take the bike in the trunk of a Lexus to the coolest bike shop on the Napa River right downtown next to several fine choices for restaurants. He tolerated the beep-beep of the open rear trunk we had to tie down to fit the bike in all of those 10 miles and I thank him. Laura had to bike those 10 miles but made it within minutes of me.

The rest of the trip to Vallejo was uneventful, but all that time on CA 29 was something Laura never wants to experience again. This from a woman who bikes to work every day. But this is the pinch point in the entire Bay Trail, the place where there are no good options for the pedestrian or cyclist. The alternative is CA 37 which is hard to recommend as well (until it gets rebuilt into a real freeway like its counterpart to the south, CA 237, with a modern bike route attached) .

Riding under the approach to the CA 29 Bridge over the Napa River

A bit of the bay cutoff by CA 37 between American Canyon and Vallejo

On the Vallejo Ferry

Homemade Pineapple Cherry Kombucha

Sunday, May 13, 2018

Day 9: Petaluma SMART Station to the Bear Flag Republic

(Novato to Sonoma)

Circle The Bay Part 3

May 12th 2018

15.6 miles in 1 hrs 45 mins

(Total: 162.0 miles in 30 hrs 12 mins)

Laura and I biked to catch Caltrain to San Francisco, then biked to the Larkspur Ferry, then biked to San Rafael to catch the SMART train to Petalum, then biked to Sonoma. And this was the easy day.

We picked up a spare inner tube in Petaluma, then rode over the 400 foot hill that separates the Petaluma watershed from the Sonoma watershed. We stayed the night at the historic and rather old Sonoma Hotel, right on the edge of the Sonoma town square, down the street from the barracks where Mexican General Vallejo decided to take down the Mexican flag and raise the Bear Republic flag in 1846. He was a traitor to Mexico, but a hero to new state of California once the Bear Republic joined the Union.

Next to the General's barracks is the Sonoma Mission. Given Mexico got its independence from Spain in 1821, by 1846 were there vested Spanish and Catholic interests wanting to pluck a cherry back from the Mexicans?

The start of the adventure

Larkspur Ferry

Farmer's Market pastry consumed on the Larkspur Ferry

Seed Bank, Petaluma

New SMART train lift bridge over the Petaluma River

Biking out of the Petaluma Valley

Sonoma City Hall

Where the Bear Flag was raised

Pineapple Grapefruit Kombucha

Saturday, May 12, 2018

Day 8: Hamilton AFB to Petaluma SMART Station

(Novato to Petaluma)

Circle The Bay Part 3

May 8th 2018

24.9 miles in 3 hrs 32 mins

(Total: 146.4 miles in 28 hrs 27 mins)

Hamilton AFB Repurposed Hangar

Another day taking a train, then ferry, then train to the trail. Getting off the SMART (Sonoma Marin Area Rail Transit) train in southern Novato near the repurposed Hamilton Air Force Base, I biked along the restored wetlands and then swung inland to find the next SMART station just north of downtown Novato (the downtown Novato station opens next year).

Hamilton AFB Wetland Restoration

Bay Trail Signage

Novato City Hall

I biked all the way down the central commercial street of Novato. This distance from the bay, Novato was probably more of an agricultural town than a maritime one. And like San Carlos it has centralized its small town feel on this long street. It's like a San Carlos with no Belmont and no Redwood City on its boundaries (not quite true, as the train ride through made clear later in the week -- there is almost continuous urban development between San Rafael and Novato, at least along the train and 101).

At the far end of town, on the first significant hill, I took a break in Pioneer Park, which is really Pioneer Cemetery with playground and ball field attached. The pioneers still buried up here weren't taking any chances on the bay waters rising in the future.

Pioneer Park Cemetery in Novato

Novato Marin SMART Station

Once I made it to the next SMART station in northern Novato, I decided to just go for it and shoot for catching the 1'ish southbound SMART train in Petaluma a simple 2 hour bike trip to the north. But because of construction on 101 (adding a desperately needed extra lane to part of the daily congestion south of Petaluma) this bike route took me far off into the San Antonio valley, an extremely rural region on the border between Marin and Sonoma counties.

Rural Stretch Between Novato and Petaluma

Birkenstock's Abandoned Headquarters

Bike trail through Olompali State Park that interrupts 101 frontage road

Two Cows with Two Noisy Bells

Detour onto Rural Roads

Horse Ranch outside Petaluma

Petaluma River

Unknown Kombucha, Previously featured

After making it to Petaluma and back in one day on a bike, I'm taking the rest of the week off, until Saturday that is, where Laura and I are going to bike from Petaluma to Vallejo with an overnight stay in Sonoma. Here is the emoji for the first day of that trip:

🚴‍♀️ 🚴‍♂️ 🚆 🚴‍♀️ 🚴‍♂️⛴ 🚴‍♀️ 🚴‍♂️ 🚆🚴‍♀️ 🚴‍♂️

Tuesday, May 8, 2018

Day 7: Marin County Civic Center to Hamilton AFB

(San Rafael to Novato)

Circle The Bay Part 3

May 3rd 2018

9.7 miles in 1 hrs 26 mins

(Total: 121.5 miles in 24 hrs 55 mins)

Getting off the Larkspur Ferry today, the pavement on the pedestrian/bike bridge over the main road felt really rough. I finally had to admit my rear tire was flat. Luckily there was a bike repair shop right at the foot of the bike bridge, opening in less than an hour.

This gave me an opportunity to upgrade from by mostly bald road tires to something with a little more tread. Just in time for biking an unofficial part of the Bay Trail that connects San Rafael to Novato on a levee between sunken agricultural fields near the bay. Only on the northern end of this segment do you see the "Do Not Trespass" sign on what is clearly a well used trail.

All the travel to and from Marin County limits how much biking I can get done in a day, but then again all the travel on trains and boats is part of the fun. And I'm enjoying exploring every stop of the brand new SMART train (Sonoma-Marin Advanced Rail Transit).