(Tidbit Number 1)
The niece of my long-time riding buddy
is a restaurant critic in the Bay Area.
Dining with her is a delight not only because she is knowledgeable about
food and wine pairings, but because instead of chowing down on one wonderful
entree with associated sides, we generally taste a smidgeon of this and a dab
of that until we’ve enjoyed the best of the entire menu. Along the way we are charmed by her
culinary impressions and delighted by an unexpected flavor. We’ve learned to savor these
adventures.
California’s State Route 1 from Marin County, along the
Pacific shore to its junction with US 101 near Leggett is a 213 mile feast of
tide pools, ocean bluffs, quaint villages, lumber towns, fishing harbors and
history. Luscious curves and
pretty good pavement make it easy to bat right through it. I know, because I’ve done so.
Having a new home base closer to the shore, I took a tidbit
the other day, instead of the full meal.
The springtime called me to head
west on Westside Road out of Healdsburg.
The valley floor is scribed with vineyards and dotted with tasting
rooms. Up the hillsides, verdant
coastal forests over a sublime counterpoint as they loom over the farmlands.
At CA 116, we follow the route of the Russian River through redwoods
and quaint enclaves. Liking, as I
do, to celebrate a good ride with a good cigar, I stopped in at a “Smoke Shop”
in Guerneville, but was informed that if I wanted to get a cigar, I should
check the filling station’s convenience store right next door. Welcome to the Emerald Triangle.
116 heads west to the coast through the charmingly tattered
Monte Rio then along a broadening Russian River to its mouth. About a mile inland, it joins CA
1. South would be Tomales, Point
Reyes and Marin; north (today’s route) would be Jenner, Fort Ross and Stewart’s
Point: a mere 26 miles. Just a
tidbit.
I paused in Jenner to find that cigar – again, no luck –
then continued north on CA 1.
Three or four miles up the road, the pavement begins to wind and
switchback up the hill.
The
endless view beneath an azure canopy prompts a stop for a portrait of the
Breva.
I have pictures of two
formers (read: "bikes") at this very point.
Back when our west was young and we
were break-necking our way to the Pacific Coast, folks in Central Asia were
doing the same thing. Only they
were heading east. Encountering
the ocean, they arced north finding their way to Alaska and its abundant
population of otters for pelts.
They moved down the coast, but not so much for a bridgehead for further
expansion. Their intent was to
farm the coastal bluffs in order to provide groceries for their far northern
colony of trappers.
A bunkhouse, a cookhouse and an orthodox church were
built. Trade was established with
the locals (and with John Sutter)...
...but a Putin-esque raft of firearms was kept oiled and
ready should relations falter. A
colonnade was built to encircle the Russian encampment we now know as Fort
Ross.
I remember when CA 1 actually traversed through the parade
ground – drove through in my VW – but in the 70s, the highway was rerouted in
order to preserve this unique piece of California’s heritage. An interpretive center has been erected
and the .3 mile walk to the original site is paved and more than worth the
effort. Pack your camera and your
imagination.
State Route 1 continues to spindle
north, in and out of rivers’ mouths and up and around bluffs and hills. The ocean is never far away. Its mist often drifts across the
highway. The luckiest cattle and
sheep on earth graze here – if beef or lamb on the hoof might be considered
lucky.
At Stewart’s Point a general store sells gas and freshly
prepared baked goods. On a foggy
morn a cup of their coffee goes down particularly well. On this afternoon, a Stewart’s Classic
Root Beer slaked nicely.
My coast tidbit ended here as I coursed east along the famed
Stewart’s Point / Skaggs Springs Road.
It tunnels through redwood groves then rises to grassy ridge tops as
heads past Lake Sonoma and back to US 101 at Healdsburg.
o0o
Resource:
If you find yourself in San Francisco needing a dash of
hipness with your dining, and you really want to impress those who are with you
with your where-we-gonna-eat prowess, hook into the Tablehopper for good
reviews on Bay Area places you might otherwise never know of. Bookmark this one: http://www.tablehopper.com/
Info on Fort Ross: http://www.fortross.org/
o0o
Today’s Route:
From US 101 at Healdsburg, CA: west on Westside Road to CA
116. West on 116 to CA 1. North on
CA 1 to Stewart’s Point. East on
Stewart’s Point Skaggs Springs to the Dry Creek Valley, Healdsburg and US 101.
© 2014
Church of the Open Road Press
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