Point Reyes and Armstrong Redwoods State Reserve

The following pictures are from a ride up to Point Reyes and Armstrong Redwoods State Reserver, in Marin and Sonoma Counties.

Click map to enlarge

I left my home on the San Francisco Peninsula at about 10AM on a Sunday Morning in late September, 2006. We rode north and crossed the Golden Gate Bridge on Highway 101 before turning west on Lucas Valley Road, just north of San Rafael. We then rode trough rolling hills and farm land on the way to Point Reyes. From Point Reyes we traveled north on HIghway 1 past Bodega Bay before turing inland on Highway 116 to Guerneville. We stayed the night at the Ridenhour Inn Bed and Breakfast in Guerneville (I recommend the Ridenhour Inn if you are in the area).

Point Reyes

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The road out to Point Reyes

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The road out to Point Reyes passes through a few farms and dairies

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The road to Point Reys

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Highway 1 and the California Coast near Bodega Bay

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Highway 1 and the California Coast near Bodega Bay

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On Monday morning we toured the wine country around Healdsburg and Sebastopol before heading up to the summit of Armstrong Redwoods State Reserve. Leaving Guerneville, we headed east towards Healdsburg. River Road coming east out of Guerneville is a great road for seeing the wine country and avoiding traffic. From River Road, we turned on to Westside Road for the rest of the ride to Healdsburg. From Healdsburg, we rode on backroads in and around the the town of Graton before making our way to Sebastopol. Leaving Sebastopol on Highway 12, we then turned north on the Bohemian Highway to head back to Guerneville and then up to the summit of Armstrong Redwoods State Reserve.

The road to the top of Armstrong Redwoods reserve is a 2-mile long 1-lane road up a 12 % grade. The ride up was very slow because of the many blind curves, the very steep drop to the left, and I had to watch out for a few cars coming down the mountain on the same 1-lane road. But the view from the summit is worth the ride up.

On the ride back down, I was also going very slowly. To keep from going too fast, I was using a combination of engine braking, and both the front and rear brakes. About halfway down the mountain, another car was coming up the 1-lane road and I stopped for a couple of minutes to let the car pass and take a photo or 2. When I started going after the car passed, I had no rear brake at all. I continued on for a short distance until I could find a place to stop and check the rear brake. Everything looked fine, but the brake pedal moved about 3-4 inches down and did not actuate the rear brake pads. I fiddled with the rear brake pedal and checked to make sure the brake pads were still there, they were, but could find no leaks or any other problems. I waited a few minutes, and we got on the bike and headed down the mountain with just the front brake working. As we progressed down the mountain, the rear brake started to show some resistance and by the time we got all the way down, the rear brake was working again. All I can think is the rear brake got severely over heated and boiled the brake fluid in the rear brake caliper. Going down that 12% grade at about 10 mph was just too much for the rear brake to handle.

The wine country, on River Road between Guerneville and Healdsburg

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The wine country, on River Road between Guerneville and Healdsburg

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Bishops Ranch, on River Road between Guerneville and Healdsburg

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Bishops Ranch, on River Road between Guerneville and Healdsburg

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Winery, on River Road between Guerneville and Healdsburg

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The wine country, on River Road between Guerneville and Healdsburg

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Laguna Road, southwest of Windsor

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Bohemian Highway, south of Guerneville

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The view from the summit of Armstrong Redwoods State Reserve

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'12% Grade' - The road down from the summit of Armstrong Redwoods State Reserve

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Another view from the summit of Armstrong Redwoods State Reserve

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The road down from the summit of Armstrong Redwoods State Reserve

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On Tuesday we loaded up the bike for the ride home. We took some backroads to Petaluma before turning west on Point Reyes-Petaluma Road, then we rode through Nicosio before getting on Highway 101 in San Anselmo. Crossing the Golden Gate Bridge, we turned onto Highway 1 and south out of San Francisco for an enjoyable ride home along the Pacific Coast.

The weather was a little cloudy during our 3 days in Marin and Sonoma Counties, but the temperature was perfect and there was no rain.

Ready to leaving the Ridenhour Inn Bed and Breakfast in Guerneville

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Point Reyes-Petaluma Road

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Point Reyes-Petaluma Road

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