[Guest bloggers Lily Abood, Ben Jervey, Adam Taylor and friends are writing from the road while biking 350 miles to raise awareness of climate change issues. This post is the sixth in the Mother Jones Ride350 Dispatch series.]
Our second to last day on the journey went something like this:
Wake up in Salt Point State Park, consume an inordinate amount of breakfast foods while simultaneously packing lunch foods. Morning mist gives way to coastal sunshine. Pedal out of the park and follow Highway 1 through its many sweeps and curves south toward Jenner. South not being the same as downhill, climb out of a couple memorable river canyons, eyes stinging with sweat. Extensive downhill to the coastal hamlet of Jenner. Apply sunscreen, drink chai. Eat a muffin, or three. Pedal inland along the the Russian River to Monte Rio, “Vacation Wonderland”. Eat a local sausage. Continue south up a considerable rise, questioning the logic of said sausage consumption. Arrive in Occidental. Drink a liter of electrolyte water and wash it down with a few handfuls of trail mix. Visit the local “Arts and Ecology” center, relax in the shade of an apple tree. Ride on.
Lunch (lunch?) in the quaint valley enclave of Freestone. Eat a tuna fish sandwich, two dill pickle spears, and a small mountain of Maui sweet onion potato chips. Swill a Tecate.
Time to ride on! Back in the saddle for approximately 1/4 of a mile. Stop at the phenomenal Freestone Bakery. There’s no room for more food, but manage to put down some freshly baked warm goat cheese and rosemary bread and a swig of coffee for the last haul of our 74 miles. The team rolls out as a mass, sun pouring down through the green hills onto the breathtaking Tomales Bay.
We make a short stop at Hog Island Oyster Co. in Marshall to pick up two bags of oysters to enjoy over the campfire. Ride on. A quick 9 miles of rolling hills brings us to Point Reyes Station where we’re welcomed by banners and flyers announcing 350.org climate day actions taking place October 24. After ice cream is consumed we set up camp in Olema, 2 miles down the road.
Over beers and oysters, we spend our last evening reflecting on our incredible journey together. Knowing that 350.org was started with just five friends in Vermont one Sunday night and now, four years later, has inspired over 4,000 climate action events around the world reminds us all that we are a part of something much larger. No matter your background or where you live, this is all our cause. One group of dedicated friends at a time, we will fight for it together.—Julie Dery
Adam Taylor is a green building consultant in San Francisco. While a bicycle enthusiast, he has never done anything like Ride350 before in his life—you can tell by looking at his legs. Ben Jervey is a journalist, activist, world traveler, great wedding dancer, and looks great in spandex. Lily Abood has worked with nonprofits in the Bay Area for 10 years (including her current role as Mother Jones’ Major Gifts Officer). She plans to hug a lot of CA redwoods while she’s on this adventure. For more information about the entire Ride350 team, check out the rider profiles here.
