The route to Mendocino

San Francisco to Mendocino. 275 km


Well, I thought we were leaving behind the life of the rich and famous to pitch our tent at a campsite. After a 5-hr drive along a seriously winding coastal road from Sausalito to Mendocino Peter drew up in front of the MacCallum House Hotel, the most beautiful inn in Mendocino! And here we are again enjoying a  lovely room with a private garden and its own hot tub (Peter recalls the town as 'hot tub central' in the 80's when everyone came here for communal hot tubbing!) as well as fireplace. 
But to go back to the road, it was the most eye-popping scenery from the minute we hit the coast, with tight  turns, rugged rocks and big waves, sweeping views over coastal headlands - although Peter drove skillfully, my knuckles were white from end to end. It's often the cars you have to worry about, sluggishly meandering along and never pulling over. The temperature ranged from 24 degrees in Sausalito to 15 degrees as we encountered a little fog closer to Mendocino. Stopped to add a fleece and were serenaded by a hippy-looking guy playing guitar and singing beside his Jesus truck decorated with T- shirts and posters advertising Jesus - and accompanied by his dog. There is always a dog. 

Last night was a lot of fun: serendipity played a starring role. Cycling back to 'our' houseboat we came across a band playing Credence Clearwater Revisited songs in a gazebo on Sausalito waterfront - part of an oyster festival - with lots of 'oldies' dancing on the grass. stopped for a while to join in, then cycled on and came across a salsa night at the local 'Seahorse' musica caffe right by the houseboat. It was hopping like a downtown bar and everyone was dancing salsa or cha  cha cha and coming out to mop their brow as the heat built up.  We ate some excellent pasta with a glass of Italian wine, then joined right in (shorts and all), and salsa-ed  like the best.

We wish our bike pals, Christie and Stu, were with us, but are raising a glass to them at every stop and hoping their golf swings are noticeably improving instead!