As my phone quacked at me, I scrambled to hit the snooze and looked into the dark morning sky with the moon still in plain sight. After another snooze or two I finally decided to get up and was surprised how fast the fog had moved in. The sky was a dark grey, the moon no longer visible, and the morning light was just beginning to shine. James and I packed up quick, postponed breakfast, and headed out. I was wondering what the day would bring, especially considering we had ridden over 80 miles the day before. I wasn't too sore, but I was definitely moving slow, and the misty morning fog wasn't any help to motivate me.
The next 15 miles were slow moving and damp and foggy. James and I (mainly me) would find any excuse to stop. We stopped to eat breakfast, to snack, to take pictures, so that James to fix a flat tire, and eventually when we made it to the small town of Jenner we stopped for coffee. The small yet interesting Cafe Aquatica seemed like the perfect place. I was surprised when they didn't offer WiFi, but soon realized that Jenner is a place where people go to get away from everything. I had a breakfast burrito which was good, but the clam chowder was to die for. Probably the best clam chowder on the coast. It was all organic, super chunky, and the broth wasn't too thick...just like grandma used to make.
While we warmed our insides with coffee and good food, the fog seemed to roll in even thicker. Eventually we got the courage to get back on our bikes and headed down the road towards Bodega Bay. We got word that there was a cafe there that offered WiFi, and about 10 miles later we found a spot that had amazing pastries, pies, coffee and WiFi. I couldn't resist a fresh fruit covered cheese Danish and James ordered the biggest piece of apple pie I've seen this side of the Mississippi. We both got connected and I undoubtedly worked on my blog while I enjoyed my delicious afternoon desert.
A retired dentist, named Tim, was working on his laptop in the cafe and soon engaged a conversation with us. He seemed to really enjoy hearing about what we were doing, and told us about his 35ft sailboat he has been working on, getting ready to sail around the world. Tim was a bit quirky, but super interesting and inspiring. He had a lust for life like that of somebody that just survived cancer and wasn't going to waste another moment. We talked with him for a good hour, and before parting ways he told us about an oyster place we had to try, Hog Island Oyster Company. James made a comment that he loves oysters, but can never afford them, and without hesitation Tim the retired dentist pulled out his wallet and gave us each $20 bucks, saying "Dinner's on me!" James and I weren't exactly comfortable with taking a stranger's money, but Tim insisted and told us he might meet us over there if he could finish his errands.
It was now past 2:30pm, the fog had cleared, the sun was out and we were excited about oysters. I called ahead to Hog Island, and found out that they closed at 5pm! It had taken us just about all morning to make it the 25 miles we had come, and now we has about 2 hours to make it another 25 miles to the oyster spot. With no time to spare we hit the road hard and fast, like a couple of cheetahs sprinting full speed to capture some dinner.
Hog Island Oyster Company is located in the little town of Marshall on Tomales Bay. The ride there was incredible and somehow we found time to take pictures of the rolling hills, beautiful farmland, amazing coastal views and still make there before 5. I have to say, riding through the Sonoma farmland was very inspiring. It was another one of those rides I feel I could do 1000 times and never get sick of it. I suppose apropos to the name, Hog Island, there were a couple of hogs parked out front of the Harley variety...so we parked our hogs next them and headed in.
Just as the woman behind the bar was closing up we arrived and ordered a dozen each and a cold one. At this hour it was shuck your own, but that's all part of the experience. Right as we finished our first oysters, Tim showed up and ordered a dozen for himself too. The oysters were really beyond great. Maybe it's because I was still so happy that we made it in time, or maybe it was because of the company I was in, or maybe it was because they didn't cost me a dime, but they were some of the best oysters I have eaten.
After the oysters Tim said, "Well, that was a great appetizer but I'm still hungry. You boys want to go get some dinner?" Was this quirky old retired dentist really offering to buy us dinner on top of oysters?!?! We couldn't believe it. Well our options were to see if the Tony's was open 2 miles down the road, head back north 7 miles to see if Nick's was still open, or head 12 miles south to one of the restaurants open in Point Reyes. We opted to continue south, and hope that the closest one was open. It wasn't, and just as the restaurant was within view, we saw Tim get back in his little convertible and drive off. Not even 1/2 a mile down the road we see him driving the other direction. As we both took our eyes off the road to see what he was doing, disaster struck!
I was riding behind James and as we both looked back at Tim for a split second, James put on his brakes and I didn't. As I turned my eyes back to the road I had just enough time to see what was inevitably about to happen to me. I braked as hard as I could and tried to swerve out of the way, but still clipped the back of James' tire which sent me flying off my bike and into the middle of the road. Luckily all those years of martial arts training proved useful in that split second as I somehow managed to shoulder roll out the accident completely unscathed. As I stood up, made sure nothing was broken, and moved my bike to the side of the road, the adrenalin began coursing through my veins and the impact of what just happened hit me hard. I was shocked and had a minor freak out moment, but after eating a small snack on the side of the road and sharing a few laughs with my new friends, I was ready to move on.
In Point Reyes (Reyes = Kings) we found Tim at a nice restaurant called the Station House Cafe. The first highlight of dinner was the savory puff pastries that they served as the bread appetizer. They were filled with egg, unsweetened and super tasty. I think we devoured at least two baskets of those before even ordering. After scanning the menu we all happened to decide on the same dish, one of specials: the house made fettuchini with butternut squash in a cream sauce covered with hazelnuts. It was truly amazing! Then to top it all off, Tim decided to order dessert: homemade pumpkin pie and a homemade bread pudding. The pumpkin pie came out with some fresh whipped cream, and the bread pudding came covered in a caramel sauce. Both were great, but I was blown away by the bread pudding with caramel sauce. It was hands down the best bread pudding I've ever had. I still can't get over it. It was truly a great meal, with great conversation, and great company. Something I'll remember for a long time.
Before parting ways, we traded contact info with Tim and he invited us on his boat should we cross paths again. I was thankful for meeting him, and he is truly a generous man. I hope to be able to pay the generosity forward someday.
As for camping, we headed a couple of miles down the road towards the Olema campground. It was dark by now but the traffic wasn't bad. At Olema we found a campground, situated next to a church, that charged $42/night for tent camping! WTF?!?! Do people actually pay that much for a designated little campground 15ft from the next spot over? We couldn't believe it and decided to bike the rest of the way to Samuel P Taylor State Park. Much to our surprise, over half of the 5 miles there was on a designated bike path. This was great news as a cyclist, and made for a wonderfully smooth and car free entrance to the park.
At the hub of the state park we found warm showers, electricity and running water. After cleaning up, shaving, and charging our phones a bit we decided to head a little further down the bike path instead of camping at the hub with everybody else. We eventually settled on a little redwood grove where we each had a hollowed out stump to ourselves to hang our tents. Falling asleep in the Redwoods was probably the best way to end an amazing day. I have to say that it was the most exciting day so far, not to mention we were now only about 30 miles from San Francisco. This is what bicycle touring is all about!
Miles: 73
RRD: Me
-D
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