California, May 31-June 7, 2008
$1,075 per person
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What's Included
- Seven nights Hotel or Inn lodging
- All breakfasts and six dinners
- Support van, luggage transport and ride leaders on route
- Ride packet with cue sheets, maps & items of interest
Overview
Bicycle from San Francisco, along the Pacific Coast, through Russian River Redwoods to Napa wine country!
We'll feature a day off in Calistoga to bicycle through the wine country or enjoy the famous Napa Valley spas. Then a special treat- to stay in the vibrant university town of Davis- voted "the most bicycle friendly town in the U.S."
Itinerary
Day One: San Francisco
Our trip begins on Saturday in beautiful San Francisco! You'll check-in throughout the day at the European-style San Remo Hotel, located just a few blocks from famed Fisherman's Wharf and located in a quaint historic neighborhood of North Beach.
You can plan your day as you wish and enjoy the fabulous city of San Francisco.
San Francisco - a city of spectacular views, variety of cultures, quaint neighborhoods, and incredible amount of wonderful things to see and do, will seek your attention!
The gracious people at the San Remo will offer sightseeing tips and Suzie and Roger will be available in the afternoon to meet and greet the group.
That evening, we meet for a wonderful Welcome Dinner at famous Caesar's Retaurant near Fisherman's Wharf.
Day Two: Point Reyes Seashore (45 miles)
Our first official cycling day finds us leaving San Francisco and pedaling across the famous Golden Gate bridge.
We stop at Sausalito, a Mediterranean-style village which sits right on the San Francisco Bay, offering amazing panoramic views of San Francisco.
Heading north, we'll meander through the eclectic towns of Marin County from Mill Valley, a pictuesque town and home to Muir Woods, to Larkspur, with its charming downtown area listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and finally past Fairfax, Marin's groovy little town where life virtually stopped in the 1960s.
Point Reyes National Seashore has a rugged beauty.
At this halfway point in the day we turn west and head for the Pacific Ocean cycling through beautiful reserved forests and along mountain ridges. Intersecting the Pacific Coast highway we enter Olema, the gateway town to the National Seashore.
We'll take time to stop for refreshments and continue a few miles more towards our destination town of Inverness and the beautiful grounds and lodging of the Inverness Valley Inn.
Day Three: Guerneville (40 miles)
We rise on Monday morning to a wholesome breakfast and depart the beauty of Point Reyes.
Stunning views abound at Tomales Bay State Park.
We'll join the Pacific Highway road traveling north and enjoy stunning views of the bordering Tomales Bay.
Pedaling inland, we coast along rolling terrain past the historic town of Freestone and into Occidental.
Nestled among the towering redwoods of West Sonoma County, Occidental provides an enjoyable stop for lunch as you stroll in a lovely, relaxed setting and browse the town’s unusual shops.
We'll enter the Lower Russian River area following forested roads and skirting streams until we reach our destination for the night - Guerneville.
We'll be the exclusive guests of The Creekside Inn, just a five minute walk from the main downtown area.
For a few more miles, you can enjoy a 10 mile roundtrip visit to beautiful and famous Armstrong Redwood Reserve right outside of town.
The Napa Valley is beautiful in the late spring.
Day Four: Calistoga (45 miles)
We rise this morning to a wonderful breakfast catered by Lynn - owner of the Creekside.
Today's pedaling meanders from woods to vineyards as we explore the small backroads with rolling hills framing the landscapes of many famous winemakers who grow their grapes in the renowned viticulture regions of the Russian River area.
We reach the beautiful and fertile Napa Valley - and enjoy the afternoon and overnight in charming Calistoga - famous since the 1800s for its healing hot springs.
Day Five: Day Off in Calistoga
Today cyclists can choose to "hang" around Calistoga-walk the town or pamper themselves in one of the towns reknown spas.
Others will opt to take a cycle tour of the famous Silverado Trail- to see the towns of Napa and St. Helena and visit the beautiful acreage of Napa vineyards that adorn the valley.
Day Six: Davis (67 miles)
Today we head eastward over the Vaca Range where you can find the California that existed before progress.
Meandering through the Chiles Valley, we skirt Lake Berryessa Recreation Area and follow the rolling terrain to the beautiful Monticello Dam before heading down into Yolo County along the flat Putah Creek.
Zigzagging just a few more miles through budding groves of olive and walnut trees - we reach the bike friendly college town of Davis. Here is where bicycles are more prolific than people and bicycling is a primary mode of transportation for many.
We celebrate the end of our cycling day enjoying an open bar party and then dinner on the town!
Day Seven: Davis to Fairfield (44 miles)
Leaving Davis after breakfast, we'll travel through the beautiful grove area along the Putah Creek.
Pope Valley, on the way to Davis.
Heading south we'll follow backroads into Vacaville where we'll enjoy lunch in their renovated downtown area. We depart Vacaville cycling along the Pleasant Valley Road, through the upscale Rockville neighborhood and into the town of Fairfield bordering the American Canyon.
A fun detour for us- and for those with a sweet tooth, we'll enjoy a visit to the Jelly Belly Candy Company just a few miles roundtrip diversion off the route.
We rest for the night in the comfort of the beautiful Best Western-Cordelia Inn and celebrate our final group dinner.
Day Eight: San Francisco Bound! (30 miles)
We'll rise early and head towards San Fran enjoying views of untouched marsh landscape following an almost no traffic road paralleling the highway route towards the Bay area.
Skirting the water through historic Benicia - a charming town on the Carquinez Strait, we'll pass through its festive Saturday Farmers Market before arriving at the Vallejo Ferry to sail us across the San Francisco Bay.
Docking in San Fran, it's only a short ride through the city and we're back at North Beach and the end of an exciting tour!
We had a great time in California! Loved the routes and the meals and accomodations were excellent. Being with you and Roger felt like going on a tour with friends.
~ Woody and Jewel Shaull, Pennsylvania
Trip Difficulty
You will experience moderatly rolling terrain with some hilliness and a few short climbs on many days.
This trip is best suited for an intermediate or experienced cyclist who is able to cycle 40-50 miles a day on varied terrain. We suggest a lightweight road bike with ample low gearing for the rolling California terrain.
Our support vehicle rides the route to monitor cyclists and a ride leader is also on route and usually follows along with the last riders.
We advocate a "stop and smell the roses" type of touring so that you can enjoy each days route at a comfortable "TOURING" pace. A shuttle is available upon request for those needing to cut short some of the longer days.
Getting There
San Francisco is easily accessible by plane - landing in S.F. with many ground transportation providers to our hotel in North Beach. If you are driving to the Bay area, there is paid parking available through our hotel.
Additional Information
Please visit our Trip Information page for general trip information and registration information.
Upon registration we will send you a Welcome Letter full of pre-trip details including how to get you and bike to the trip start, bike rentals, suggestions on packing, trip area and contact information, cycling and travel websites to enhance your trip experience, etc.
We are always happy to receive your e-mails or calls if you have any questions!