Mendocino Coast

  The following day, refreshed from a long rest and with a belly full of healthy food, courtesy of Georgette, Albert was able to get an early start. This was much appreciated, for as the day’s ride unraveled, Albert was surprised by the road conditions that he encountered. There were some quite challenging climbs along this portion of coastline, some of which hugged steep cliff faces featuring sheer drops to the rocky shoreline and its fishing vessels below. Today, to Albert’s advantage, the winds were on his back and shortly into the day, the remains of the morning fog had burnt off, leaving blue skies and bright glorious sunshine.

   By mid-day, Albert passed Fort Ross, which turned out to be the start of a strenuous ten-mile stretch of winding coastal highway, that included a five-hundred foot climb, culminating in a fast, hair-raising, switch-back descent. Shortly after came the town of Jenner, where the Russian River meets the Pacific Ocean. Here, Albert pulled up to catch his breath, and made his way out to the sand spit found at the mouth of the river, to bask in the sun with a handful of beachcombing tourists.

   Leaving Jenner, via a narrow bridge over the Russian River, Albert rode passed Goat Rock State Beach. This was the first in a series of Sonoma County beaches culminating at Bodega Dunes State Beach. Albert soon found himself in Bodega Bay, where the classic Hitchcock movie, ‘The Birds’ was set. He hadn’t seen Blue Bird or J-Bird for the last two days and wondered if perhaps they might be here – catching up on a little chatter.

   After another hard, but relatively short fifty-miles, Albert found a quiet peninsula beach, and with one eye out for gatherings of large clusters of birds, set himself up for what looked like a cold, windy, night.