NorCal Midwinter Ride

On a weekend (January 17, 2004) during which most of the rest of the country was freezing to death, or being rained on in quantities which guaranteed the necessity of water wings as a means of survival, a small part of these United States remained unencumbered by the vicissitudes of winter. A few (hardly) brave souls saddled up on Saturday the 17th of January and withstood temperatures which would give fainter souls pause….in the low 50's….and enjoyed a day on the back roads of the San Francisco Bay Area. Although it was overcast, there was no threat of precipitation.

Gathering the run

Actually, the run started out as an idea of three Coggers, Jeremy Graham, Jim Morris and Bob Burns. Thanks to the COG forum in getting the news out, it quickly escalated to over 25 participants. We had an ample sampling of Connies as well as Beemers, Hondas, and even a Harley owner showed up! The turnout was a pleasant surprise and gave hope to this writer that the run might be an annual affair. We'll see!

We started out at California Sport Touring in Martinez, CA, and headed north on Hwy 680 to Suisun Valley Rd. at Cordelia Junction then on to Lake Berryessa. This part of the run presented some interesting twisties, and the more adventuresome in the group quickly made themselves known. So the group spread out quickly, the speedsters in front and the rest, intent on actually enjoying the scenery, to the rearward. We regrouped at Muscowite Corner, where 121 and 128 intersect, and continued on to Lake Berryessa on the Berryessa-Knoxville Rd.

The lake, formed 50 odd years ago to impound irrigation water, is one of the state's larger lakes. When the dam creating the lake was built, it was named Monticello Dam, after the small town which was inundated and now lies buried beneath the lake’s waters. Though the creeks feeding the lake were swollen from recent rains, the road along the lakeshore was clear and dry, allowing for great riding. We paused again to re-gather at the Putah Creek bridge and now headed up Pope Canyon.

Regrouping at Muscowite Corners

Once together again, we found ourselves motoring among the vineyards of Pope Valley and Napa county, devoid of foliage, in their winter slumber. Best of all, the roads were likewise totally devoid of tourists in their Winnebagos, buses, and other encumbrances to spirited riding on the black roads of the wine country.

Pope Valley itself is rather interesting in that before the wine industry was the wine industry, this little valley, tucked between the more renowned Napa Valley and the Berryessa Valley, was mostly cattle country and one or two small vineyards. The two singular points of interest for folks coming through the valley was the Hubcap Ranch and Aetna Hot Springs.

The hubcap ranch was started in 1935 when a local yokel, Litto Dimonte, began to collecting castoff hubcaps which reputedly spun off of passing cars negotiating a turn as they passed by his house. Mr. Dimonte passed away in 1985 at 93 years of age and his heirs continued his hobby. Today there are over 5,000 hubcaps festooning fences, barn doors, watering troughs, and anything else able to stand upright and he ranch is actually a registered California Historical Landmark.

The author gets directions

Aetna Hot Springs, which was not on riding itinerary but which was nearby, was a very popular vacationing spot for the wealthy of San Francisco for 50 years after its construction in 1887. It boasted, of course, a hot spring and “taking the waters” was a popular way to spend a few days. Its buildings were designed by the famous California architect, Bernard Maybeck. As Aetna Springs passed into disfavor, the buildings slipped into abandonment and ruin. For a while the of the Universal Life Church (aka “the Moonies”) owned the property but they have since gone on to wherever religious fervor leads these days.

We departed Pope Valley and scooted up Butts Canyon Rd for a few miles until we got to Middletown in Lake County. On the way there we passed the famous Guenoc winery. No one except this writer was interested in stopping and a sipping few of their best...a majority of one! In Middletown, we stopped to have an excellent lunch at the Mt. St. Helena brew pub. We descended on this restaurant like a plague of locusts. The staff were simply caught flat-footed when about 25 hungry motorcyclists walked into an empty restaurant, but they were also very good sports and did a more than adequate job of feeding us and we passed a good deal of time yukking it up with one another, swapping yarns, ideas, tips, etc. and generally enjoying the moment.

Lunch! We overwhelm the staff.

Middletown used to be a sleepy little burg nestled beneath the north slope of Mt. St. Helena but alas, the discovery of the town by wine tourists has led to a lot of gentrification of the downtown area and even some high end development in nearby Hidden Valley.

“So here I was: up on one wheel, and the cop was…”

Yeah, right! Listening with rapt attention.

Lunch done, we all saddled up and headed south on Hwy 29, on the road to the famous Napa Valley. This portion of the highway winds along Mt. St. Helena, an ancient volcanic and heavily pine forested mountain which overlooks the entire region is literally surrounded by Robert Louis Stevenson State Park. Stevenson figures prominently in the history of the area as he once lived briefly in Calistoga and wrote The Silverado Squatters which details life in the area during the 1800's. The ride itself encompasses some of the most beautiful countryside our state has to offer, not to mention some very interesting twisties.

Getting ready to ”mount up” after lunch.

Once into the Napa Valley, we jumped off Hwy 29 in Calistoga and on to The Silverado Trail and on down to Napa. The trail winds along the east side of the Napa Valley, at the foot of the Mayacamas Mountains, and through some of the most expensive agricultural land on the planet. Every mile or two a sign proclaims the home of one famous label of wine after another. On the sides of the hills above one can see the chateaux of the New World. Pretty impressive sight. The ride ended at the city of Napa at yet another brauhaus where quite a few of us carried on in an informal “afterglow” drinking espresso, hot chocolate or perhaps something a little stronger, recapping the day's events and generally enjoying each other's company.

What a great day! What a great ride