Sept. 14 - A sidetrip to Russia

Stillwater Cove Park to Bodega Bay

Tuesday - September 14
The alarm clock this morning was a raven cawing above our tent in the fog. We took our time packing while we waited for the fog to lighten up just a little bit. Really didn't see much ocean between the campground and Fort Ross but this totem pole stood out.

We reached Fort Ross, a historic Russian settlement, about 15 minutes before the visitor center opened for the day.

So we headed for the fort without being "introduced".

This area to the right of the path is a garden that is cared for by local  school children.

The fort looked very sturdy from outside.

It looked very sturdy from the inside too!

We think that we prefer our Thermarest mattresses.

This house is actually the only original structure left in the fort. All the other buildings have been recreated based on plans left behind. The last administrator for the Fort Ross settlement, Alexander Rotchev, lived here with his wife and three children. "Accounts indicate that the home was a refined and properly furnished residence. The library, French wines, and piano forte, as well as the hospitality of the Rotchev's were highly regarded." (excerpt from interpretive sign below)

The outside of the Rotchev House.

The view from one of the corner parapets. Overall this was a very impressive place to tour. The craftsmanship was impressive and the interpretation was very well done. There were only about 10 other visitors there so it was easy to see everything.

Back at the visitor center.

That was quite the dock!

We left Fort Ross about 11:30 and should have eaten something before we left because the hills going south used up a few calories. We climbed right into the clouds on one of them. 

It was a nice ride down with wide sweeping turns as we came out of the fog.

Looking back up the hill.........the downhill goes by so fast we have to stop and look at it sometimes just to appreciate how far we've come.

It's 1:30 and this is just what the stomach was begging for about an hour now. We are in the town of Jenner.

And the sun came out just at the right moment too!

This is Lisa, an architecture student at the University of Washington. She also works at a bike shop. She did Seattle to San Francisco last year with friends but this year she is doing Seattle to San Diego solo. She is doing 80-100 miles a day. We left as she was starting her second helping of lunch. She passed us later with a huge grin on her face saying, "This is why I love cycling!", as she left us in her dust. We really enjoyed our visit with her.

A beach for Donna and her relatives. A high fog had rolled back in just south of Jenner. We stopped and watched some surfers just north of Bodega Bay. We reached the Bodega Harbor Inn about 4:00. Our room had a deck facing the bay but we couldn't see a thing including the sunset. Oh well.........the fish and chips for dinner tasted just fine anyway!

Today's miles = 26.9
Total miles = 370.8