First of all, let me say the two-day ride to Columbia and the Tour was everything I expected and more. Finally getting over Mt Hamilton was a good thing, and I am convinced that Donny Axtell is either a Cyborg or Angel. Most likely he is a mixture of both.

The night before the Two Day Cora Haselbeck and I were kindly invited to stay at Kim Carr's place in San Jose and she made dinner for us. We had a fine meal of meaty pasta with zucchini and Kim made biscuits which were all eaten. Cora and I had the pleasure of meeting Kim's fine felines, resplendent in their new haircuts. The cats reminded me of meerkats and several times in the night I saw their silhouettes in the moonlight. It was a fun stay at Kim's and she was very gracious. And considering how much work she had to do for the Tour, we consider ourselves very lucky to have been there.

Friday June 17 - San Jose to Patterson

Early the next day, around 6:30 am, we were all ready to go to Starbucks and meet the gang for the ride over Hamilton to Patterson. It was me, Cora, Donny, Kim, Fran and Jeff Bryan, Heather Lashbrook, Debbie Wade, Colleen Seyfert, Holly and Jeff Orum, Leo Jed, and Marvin Laurence. After some good coffee and a snack we headed out. The skies were dark and cloudy and it was chilly- The rain came right when we approached the road to Hamilton- We took cover under a friendly oak tree for about ten minutes. Seemingly at Donny's command the rain stopped.

Donny, Kim, Heather, Cora - at Lick Observatory

We got started again and everyone had their own pace. Donny and I perfected the "bungee on the fly" maneuver and we cruised at about 6 mph up the hill. We got up in 3:20. Once atop the mountain it was very cold and foggy- We took shelter inside. Kim turned back at the summit, as she still had lots of shopping to do for the Tour.

The downhill behind Mt. Hamilton was fun but freezing cold. I had new brakes on my bike and I really used them. I forgot full finger gloves so once at the bottom I was numb and stinging. Someone suggested placing my fingers on my red hot rims, I did and it helped. Jeff teased me about whining and we had a fun exchange over whiners in general and whose whining was worse.

Donny and April - at The Junction Cafe

The backside of Mt. Hamilton was pretty and green. We made it to the Junction and had our lunch. At that point we ran into the other 2 Day Riders who had left from Fremont and had come up Mines Road. John Dickens and Ken Goldman had smiling faces and plates of food. Soon, Cora, Donny and I had our cheeseburgers too. That is an interesting place. We had fun but it was time to go down Del Puerto Canyon, so we took off.

Donny and Cora - at The Cave

Del Puerto Canyon was a long downhill for the most part. We saw horses and cattle, longhorns - we saw a fox with babies, we saw some road kill too. The wildflowers were blooming. We found a cave alongside the road. I got to practice pace line riding for a while. Cora busted a move on us near the end and flew out in the rollers as we approached Patterson and our hotel. When I arrived, Cora was laying on the grass outside of our hotel. I went to AM-PM market and bought her a pint of Haagen Daz. That ice cream did not go uneaten.

After we got our room assigned, Donny, Cora and I went there and dropped off our bikes and got cleaned up. The sad part was that the hot tub wasn't open (busted pipe). We all went to the dining room and had a good dinner. Cora and I treated Donny to his dinner as a small token of gratitude for putting all of this together and especially for helping me up and over Hamilton.

Patti Hartinian joined us in Patterson, after her 95 mile solo headwind ride from Folsom. It was good to see her and get some birding education as well.

Saturday June 18 - Patterson to Columbia

Cora and John Dickens - looking fashionable

The next day we were up early and went for breakfast. Waffles, fruit, coffee and juice. We headed to farm country. Cora mentioned that she was looking for a tree to pee, and soon after we came across a nice clean portapottie, seemingly put there just for us. We stopped for snacks in Ripon and then again at a store where we crossed Hwy 120. I stayed in Donny's back pocket nearly the whole time . I think I was the least experienced of all the riders. I know I was. Donny really watched out for me and that was very much appreciated.

Kim, Donny, Jeff, Heather, Colleen - Lunch at Knights Ferry

Donny and Cora - Swimming at Knights Ferry

At the Hwy 120 store, we met Kim and Harold LeGore, driving the small truck up for the tour. Leo and I decided to take the sag option, being satisfied with my 50 miles for today. We caught a ride with Harold in the luggage truck, while Kim got out her bike to ride the rest of the way to Columbia. We got my Atlantis in the back and I rode with them to Knights Ferry. Cora and Donny took a swim before completing the final leg of the journey- Leo, Harold and I had fun. Donny, Cora and the others muscled their way to Jamestown and then on to Columbia. Leo and Harold were trying to locate a hardware store to make key copies for the lock on the truck.

We finally got to camp just an hour before the Donny Crew did. I had a chance to help out some, and I helped Casey Hogan unload the truck. I had not met Casey before- In fact, I didn't know a soul there. Casey seemed to appreciate my help and I was bowling the bags to him and he was catching. We got the truck unloaded and I went to work setting up mine and Cora's tent. At that point I met Phil Weiss , the Wrench, who gave me a beer. It was good. I also got to meet Tom O'Rourke.

April, Cora, Donny - working on a jigsaw puzzle

Cora and Donny finally rolled in and we got registered for the tour. Cora and I walked around seeing who was who, listened to Miguel Aznar's talk and we all had dinner together. By sundown the puzzle was being puzzled and Cora and Donny had a battle of the Hula Hoops, which was fun to watch. Donny and Cora can be pretty aggressive with those things.

Tom helping Cora and April with their air mattress

Tom was able to blow up our air mattress from a converter on the "Yellow Truck" and we are still very grateful for him doing that. Tom was great the entire time. He had to talk to the converter to get it to work. Sweet talk would turn to tough talk, and eventually the thing would crank over, thank you Tom. Our backs and necks were saved.

Soon the darkness won out and we went to sleep- the next day was the official start of tour.

Sunday June 19 - Columbia to Jackson

On Sunday the Tour began in earnest. It was an amazing experience to ride out of camp. The downhill to Parrots Ferry bridge was thrilling, even for a chicken like me. I watched wild-eyed as my friends whizzed past me at lightning speeds. We met up on the bridge and took group pictures. Donny helped me up the longest climb so I wouldn't be too far behind everyone else. We chugged up like a choo choo train, and he set me free after that. At Murphy's we got our coffee. It was well worth the effort.

Group picture at Parrots Ferry bridge

April and Cora - taking a break at Murphys

Theresa, Phil, Kim, Miguel, Peggy - at Murphys

Cora and Toni Rango - along Dogtown Road

Coming out of Murphy's there were a couple of steep climbs I surprised myself on. After that there was amazing rollers and gorgeous country road. Dogtown road was fun …my hardy steel lugged frame could take it. Toni Rango and Harold rode with us. We had lunch in San Andreas at Subway. Headed north on 49, we were Jackson bound. Mokelume Hill was challenging, and we stopped at the rest stop and after that we stopped at the river for a bit. I had that Johnny Cash song "Jackson" in my head the whole day. The climb to Jackson was uneventful, and we landed at St Sava Mission unscathed. Cafeteria style dinner , showers, and more socializing followed.

At St. Sava Mission, we got set up by the Mission sign. Soft grass was a good change from the gravel we camped on at Columbia. I was wiped out and not too sure what to do. It was my first time. It was all new. There was mention of a bell tour, and later I saw Cora and some others walking down the road to town. They returned in different groups, some opting out to go to the store instead. Cora got us cold water.

Monday June 20 - Jackson to Folsom

We were awakened by Donny's gentle voice asking if we were awake. We were. We got up and began the tent down process and the packing up- Everything was wet. We did our best but lost that battle and had to pack a wet tent and sleeping bags, and a few earwigs that found us. We had Folsom to ride to that day. Cora chose to ride out with the faster riders that day to do the Volcano option. Donny and I rode with the moderates on the short , or as I like to call it, "suckers route". We climbed way up high and then went down past Pardee Reservoir, a place I used to go with my son when he was a wee fisherman. I had never seen it from that high up.

Pardee Reservoir

Donny and April - somewhere before Ione

Ione

We rode with Toni, Harold and Joe Walton and we had many long, leisurely stops. On the bucolic country roads we passed streams and a river, and at one point saw some pollywogs near Ione that were huge. We later saw the nuclear power plant but we are not sure if the two are related. We lunched at Ione with Toni, Donny, Joe, and Harold. Lunch took a very long time and it was 1 1/2 hours before we could leave Ione. Donny and I then decided to haul booty because we were to meet Peggy Zagelow, Phil, and Cora at the swim spot. Donny and I explored the wonders of Irish Hills Road together. It was hot and unprotected.

At the snack stop we met up with others who had enjoyed the wonders of Irish Hills Road as well. One lady we met, Meradith Cherbo, was so grateful to hear that there was a swimming hole, that she gave Donny a kiss! It was sweet and spontaneous and unexpected by Donny! Ah the power of water on a hot day. Donny played it cool. We made it to the Consumes River by 2:20. We had promised to meet Peggy, Phil, and Cora there at 2:00. They were there. Cora stayed with us while Peggy and Phil soon took off. Robin Ross and Teresa Sickmiller also joined us, along with some other riders.

Donny, Theresa, Robin - swimming in the Consumes River

Suddenly it was swim party. Happy, shiny people everywhere. Teresa tricked us with a golden nugget she had bought in Volcano, but pretended to have found swimming. We are very gullible. Swimming was rewarded with a long, hot climb up from the river. The road was treacherous with a lot of traffic and turns , cars and trucks taking chances with the bicyclists. We picked up a rider, David Stihler, who joined us for the trudge to Folsom, with a short stop at Mc Donalds for a healthy snack of fries, ice cream and soda. We eventually arrived at the Folsom Middle School (which had the best showers of the whole tour!). We put up our tents and had fajitas for dinner that night sitting on the grass.

Tuesday June 21 - Folsom to Lake Solano

Group picture at a stop along the American River bike trail - Cora, Phil, Steve, April, Kim, Theresa, Patti, Peggy, Donny

Up early as usual, and packed and ready to go. Breakfast with Phil, Peggy, Cora, Robin, Teresa, at the Golden Griddle. Donny was with Kim at camp. We met up with them after breakfast. The flat ride on the trail along the American River was fun. Much singing and silliness ensued. At one point Robin flew off the trail on a turn only to fly back on unhurt and unruffled. Steve Sloan also joined the pack. It was a brisk ride to Old Sacramento. Once there, Cora and I locked our bikes and shopped in the joke shops and bought a few silly things like a Marge Simpson mini PEZ dispenser and a little pig keychain. We also picked up some Kazoos. We split our sandwiches with Donny when we met him in the Coffee House. We learned the candy shop has free samples. Sushi lunch in Davis that day and Cora and I did the rest of the ride on our own.

The Davis bike trail was long and windy but the farm roads were beautiful with many birds and trees and a good vibe overall. The little climb to the campground was surprisingly hard. Cora pounded it out of the saddle the whole time. I twiddled behind but made it as well. Once at Lake Solano I heard the peacocks calling and Kim Carr did a mean impersonation of the call. That night we had a yummy barbecue across the road. Cora and I watched the sun go down by the lake. Many fish were jumping and a peacock up on the hill was calling MEOW MEOW to us as we sat there laughing at it.

Wednesday June 22 - Lake Solano to Harbin Hot Springs

We got up and packed for Harbin- Everyone else was heading to Calistoga. Cora carried Donny's teddy bear on her bike along with other heavy things. Donny's bike was packed and piled high with thermarests and sleeping bags as well. My bike was minimal for the trip. We saw the Zony on the way out. I learned that this is what you look and feel like if you complain about anything on the Tour. (*Zony's rear end)

Ziggy - half zebra, half pony

Peggy and her kazoo - at Muskowitz Store

Peggy and Kim - swimming in Lake Perryessa

The climb up to Monticello Dam was long but not as long as the one up Cardiac Hill. Donny helped me up with the bungee on both climbs. We stopped at the Muskowitz Store on the way to Lake Berryessa. We enjoyed a nice swim at the lake with Peggy, Phil, Teresa, Cora, Kim, Donny, Leo, and me. We also had our lunch there. Kim and Peggy did a little synchronized swimming for us all. They were really cool.

Adding ice to our waterbottles - Donny, Theresa, Kim, Leo, Phil, Peggy

We had a long climb out of Berryessa and then enjoyed a shady stop at the Pope Valley Store- we all sat outside on the pavement in the shade and split up a bag of ice Donny got us. Most of the riders soon left go go up over Ink Grade and on to Calistoga.

Leo lingered as he was a bit tired. There was a Tour sign near the store, and Donny told Leo that he could go wait near the sign as a SAG would need to come by to pick it up. Soon after, a SAG did arrive and Leo hitched a ride. Leo made sure to take along Kim's two waterbottles which she had forgotten, but in his haste, he forgot to take his own water bottles. Donny added them to his load and carried them along. Cora , Donny and I split off on our own at that point and began our journey to Middletown on Butts Canyon Road.

The road was long and Cora and I were both sort of tired. There wasn't a whole lot of traffic, so that was good. It was just hot and Donny kept us cooler by surprising us with ice cold splashes of water on our helmets and our backs. Once we finally got to Middletown we stopped at Hardester's for snacks, hit the ATM, and checked our cell phone messages. It was just a few miles up to Harbin. I managed to get up the steep short climb that once had stopped me. Once we arrived at the Harbin kiosk to register, I decided I had ridden enough that day. Donny and I walked the next little bit that was steep but short , Cora rode ahead, ready for a shower.

That night we had a great dinner at Harbin's restaurant, soaked a bit and went to sleep under the stars. We all woke up around 11 when the moon was rising and we could hear group chanting going on. Must be for the Summer Solstice.

Thursday June 23 - Harbin Hot Springs to Duncans Mills

I woke up at 5:30 and Donny was awake. When I returned to my sleeping bag, he was gone on his hike. Cora and I slept in until 7:30 and went and got coffee. We then found Donny and we all had breakfast outside. We left Harbin at 10:15 and headed for Duncan's Mills Casini Ranch. Cora had two Little Joe bags on her bike loaded like panniers, plus Teddy, plus shoes, plus her sleeping bag and thermarest. Donny's bike was also loaded up.

Donny's bike

April's bike

Cora's bike

After a brief flat ride out of Middletown, we turned right onto Western Mine Road. This road is steep with gravel. This road is reason to train harder on climbs this year if I want to go to Harbin next tour. I do not ever want to walk this again, even though I push my bike at the same rate I climb right now. Cora utilized her WOMBAT expertise and used her load to her advantage, quite impressive. Donny as well seemed to climb this without any effort except to get me up there. I have some dirt skills as well, and knew how to turn and how to keep the front of the bike in control while not sweating the tail, just the same I ended up walking it. Donny even hooked his bungee to my bike so the walk turned more march. I alternated walking with riding and we finally got up. We met Cora at the summit and we had snacks in the shade.

Afterwards, we rode the ridge a while and then had a fun downhill on Ida Canyon Road, coming out into the wine country of Alexander Valley. The view was amazing.

Donny entering wine country

Cora entering wine country

April - standing at the Alexander Valley sign

Donny and Cora - at Jimtown Store

We arrived at Jimtown Store at around 2 pm. We had a good lunch there and began our trek towards Healdsburg. We rode the rollers on Westside Road and I kept up pretty good this time. Cora told me several times she was pretty impressed with that, I guess it is true because it was easier at that point to stay closer in. We got to River Road and then a stop at Safeway for wine. We arrived in time for Cora to deliver the wine , ate some cheese, set up camp and we even got a shower before dinner.

That night we were woken up by loud snoring like sounds that seemed to be coming from Phil's tent- Steve Sloan also heard this strange noise. Cora tried to wake Phil up but he was out like a light- We all decided to move our tents away and we did. We moved to the other side of the sag, and we later learned that Kim Carr slept in the truck as well. Sorry Phil!

Friday June 24 - Duncans Mills to Olema

We were headed to Occidental and then on to Olema. Donny and Phil didn't know quite what they were going to do that day so I decided to ride with Steve Sloan and his sharp Rivendell bike. Steve and I took a nice pace and rode to breakfast at Howards Station where we found Donny's group. We all sort of had breakfast together and then split up again, only to see each other yet again at the snack stop in Tomales Bay and then again at lunch in Marshall at Tony's, where I got to meet Phil's wife Jean, and Peggy's husband George.

Peggy's Sponge Bob socks - at Tomales Bay

Donny and April - at Tony's restaurant at Marshall

April, Steve, Cora - with their Rivendells

Phil had to leave the tour after lunch. The rest of us headed to Olema. Steve Sloan and I were about 20 minutes behind Donny's group whom we sent on ahead. We were just enjoying our low pressure pace that day and didn't want to give it up. It was good getting to know Steve, we had more in common than just cool Riv bikes, and we got to talk shop about photography as well. It was time well spent. We visited Peggy and George in their room at the Inn near by camp. Then later they joined the Tour group for dinner in camp.

Saturday June 25 - Olema to San Francisco to San Jose

I woke up nervous. It was the last day of tour. While most people were riding 40 miles to SF, we were to do 100, my longest ride ever. Plus the Golden Gate Bridge, Sausalito, and other harrowing climbs were ahead and I wanted so badly to do a good job on them all. Mostly I wanted to finish strong and happy. When we finally got started, my first obstacle was Sir Francis Drake Blvd- all of this was new to me and mystery just kills me. I surprised myself again. SFD wasn't so tough after all. It was long but it was do-able. No bungee required. We then caught the trail through Samuel P Taylor park , and after a coffee stop in Lagunitas, we headed for Fairfax. I was happy to see Fairfax. Familiar territory to me and to Cora. We stopped at Charlie Cunningham's but he wasn't home. We had a short break and headed out of town.

Camino Alto Road is one steep hill. As usual Cora flew right up. Donny handed me the bungee, but it wasn't hooked up since we didn't use it yet that day. We stopped on the hill,and I dropped my chain for the first time on the whole tour. We finally got hooked up and Donny helped me up and over- thank goodness. We unhooked at the top and I did my careful downhill trying to remember all the things that Cora and Donny had cautioned me on this week. "Don't swing out"," hold the line"," give enough room on the shoulder" …it was cold and wet as we went down.

Heading for the bridge, I saw Cherry City Cyclists in the other direction heading for their Mt Tam ride. They didn't see us. We had to keep going because we wanted to stay on schedule.

We got to Sausalito for a potty stop and I saw SF after we made the two short steep climbs. I convinced my riding pals to stop for corny pictures. It was my first time on the GG Bridge by bike. I have lived here all of my life , so it was about time. After Donny got me up the twisty turny steep part with the anti-terror barricades, we started across. We saw some Kayakers down there heading out of Horseshoe Cove in the wind and choppy waters. Mid span we stopped for the view and Peggy and Kim caught us there. That was neat to turn around and see Peggy's smiling face.

Cora and April - with San Francisco

Cora and April - with Golden Gate Bridge

April, Peggy, Kim, Cora - at middle of Golden Gate Bridge

We were soon on our way again, and crossed the bridge with no collisions, which was what I was most cautioned about the day before. It was beautiful crossing the bridge. A few minutes later we arrived at the finish at Stow Lake in Golden Gate Park. Lunch was ready and riders were already milling about, eating and talking. People were packing up bikes and talking about how tired they were. Cora ate and took a nap on a log, I ate and called home to let them know what were about to do that day and give an approximate homecoming time. I stashed some cookies for our ride home.

We said our goodbyes and set off for South San Jose with Guy Neenan, Kim and Holly Orum joining us. We rode through San Francisco . Donny told me we had to ride like bike messengers. I wasn't so sure, I used to know a few messengers and they are pretty aggressive and fearless…..I pretended to be fearless while we rode . Donny kept me company while Cora , Guy and the others rode on ahead.

The climb out of Daly City was a bit unnerving for me. I had never ridden there with so much fast traffic. I dropped my chain on a mis-shift. Donny mercifully hooked me up and got me out of there much faster than I would have been able to do on my own. Daly City, to me, is the least attractive area in the whole country, so I was very glad to get out of town. We stopped at the Chevron in Burlingame for our first official break 15 miles later.

After a short break we got on Hwy 280, another new adventure and more sensory overload after the quiet country roads we had been on all week. It is weird riding on the freeway! " If they can do it, I can do it," was my thought. It was true. Donny and I had earlier discussed how I was sort of like the Tin Man, I had it in me all along, I just didn't see it for myself. I can see that now. Kim and Holly blasted off and we thought we would not see them again.

Riding the Skyline rollers was challenging. I was tired but I wasn't the only one that was. The headwinds made it harder, but we all got through pretty well. By the time we got to Canada Road I wasn't sure I was going to make it. My left knee was killing me, and my legs felt like they were full of sand . I knew the next break was Robert's Store in Woodside so I hung in there and did the best I could to trek on through. Cora was tired and sore as well. Donny watched out for both of us with gentle pushes and a calm presence.

When we got to Roberts, Kim and Holly were there. We all had a leisurely snack or two and relaxed a bit. Soon Bud Adams arrived. Bud had ridden out to SF from SJ that morning to meet us, but somehow he missed us in SF. Bud was now very happy he found us. We were happy too. Still unsure of my energy level, but wanting to do well, I told myself this was it, the last leg and that I could do this. After about 30 minutes I found myself with new energy and a happy mood. I am not sure if it was delirium or the KABOOM we drank- whichever, it worked.

We had one last stop at the Chevron at Homestead and Foothill. Guy, Kim, and Holly had gone on ahead so we didn't see them again. Donny, Cora , Bud and I sat on the grass there and relaxed. Bud gave both Cora and I a knee treatment, praying over each of our knees to send away the pain. It must have worked, as after that, I actually led the group , "winning" the sprints for Campbell and San Jose, much to the surprise and delight of my riding partners.

In Campbell, Donny took us by his wife, Diana's, shop. It was closed but we looked in the window at all of the cool things she sells in there. We looked in the shop next door as well. We ran into another Tour rider, Dick Caron, who started out behind us. Afterwards we headed to Donny's. When we arrived we had 102 miles for the day and the sun was still out.

We said goodbye to Bud, and we got in Donny's van to go to Fletch Dobbs' house to get our bags. It was strange being in a van after so many days on a bike. We then went to Kim's to get Cora's car, load our bikes and bags. After hugs and goodbyes, Cora and I headed to her house in San Juan Bautista. On the way we stopped in Gilroy and got some tacos. Once home we were greeted by Cora's orange and white cat, Taxi. Taxi was glad we got home safe, and we were glad as well. It was a wonderful first tour experience. My best tour ever!