June 1 - 21, 2007

by Herb Lee

Bike touring! What a way to spend my first month just after retirement. The purpose of our travels was simple: biking, hiking, birding, sightseeing and just having fun. Just the kind of activity we all enjoy doing.

Geno, a friend and cycling partner for more than 9 years, dubbed this tour Herbie's Freedom Ride in recognition of my freedom from the bonds of work and to introduce me to retirement. Having a bike tour planned immediately after my retirement was great timing since I wouldn't have much time to dwell on or miss the daily routine and friends I left behind.

A lot of work goes into planning and organizing a bike tour and Geno gets the accolades for another great bike tour. The first part of our route replicates our bike tour from last year. Geno wanted to repeat the route so he could show Jay, a newcomer to our bike touring group, some of the most breathtaking sceneries of the north coast.

In short, our tour travels through the farmlands around Davis to the vineyards of the Napa and Alexander valleys by way of Lake Berryessa. After meandering around the Russian River area, we connected with the coastal highway west of Occidental via the scenic Coleman Valley Road.

For the most part, we then followed the coastal highway south past San Francisco to the central coast and Los Osos where Jay lives. To avoid traffic, we took occasional side roads off Highway 1 but we usually paid for this choice with long climbs.

The route definitely wasn't easy with difficult climbs over cardiac hill as well as roads such as Franz Valley School, Coleman Valley, Fairfax-Bolinas, Ridgecrest and the Devil's Slide area. Add to this mix the countless other climbs along Highway 1 plus 50 lbs of gear and you've got a real workout. I can still hear Jay crying out "Holy Cow!" as he began the climb up Coleman Valley Road.

At the last minute, I decided to ride my recumbent. My response to the general belief a recumbent can't climb is: "They climb just fine with the proper gears and a little more time. However, grades of 15% and greater can be a true test of one's endurance and will."

During this trip, the fact I was retired stuck with me for a number of days since the subject came up often in conversation. I'm beginning a new phase in my life. How did that impact this trip when compared to prior bike trips? I would have to say the biggest difference was the sense of true freedom. This trip did not have a definite time table for its end. The group did not have to accommodate my work schedule as before so we were free to stay longer, go with the flow and take extra time if desired.

What I was doing was no longer just a vacation from work but a part of the way I plan to spend my daily retired life. I enjoyed everything about this trip, even the smallest of things a little more and a little deeper. I felt a sense of relaxation I had not felt during prior trips.

So if this is how retirement will be, then I think I'm going to enjoy it. So far, my transition to retirement has been more like stepping off a street side curb rather than leaping off a cliff.

The lack of a specific time table seemed to have a subtle impact on everyone's attitude and approach as well as the overall tone of this trip. The word "serendipity" was often used to describe the variety of encounters and last minute changes. Although just three of us were able to make the bike tour, we met friends and people (new friends) unexpectedly along the way.

A special "Thank You" goes to Pam, Jim & Joan, and Ed & Terrie for their generosity in letting us stay overnight in their homes. You are truly special people! In general, all the people we met were friendly and quite curious about us and our planned trip.

In the end, we decided to stop our bike tour in Los Osos rather than ride back to San Jose. Instead, Geno and I traveled with Dick in his van to the Sequoia National Park in the southern Sierras for more hiking and birding. With all the biking, hiking, birding, sightseeing and socializing, our trip lasted 21 days.

After that many days of activity, I was ready to come home and rest. Alas, my bed never felt as good as that first night back home. As Geno might say, "you have to endure the yang in order to enjoy the yin." In other words, camping and roughing truly makes you appreciate what you have at home with all of its luxuries.

With two cameras on this trip, Geno and I did a fairly complete job of capturing all the sights along our tour. I hope you enjoy the photo-journal.