26 September 1997 (hot inland; cool coast; windy!!! head wind inland; tail
wind coast; mileage = 61; Olema RV Park) -- X - We got up very early and
packed. We rode down to the ice cream place and met Robert and Heidi. The
Swiss had breakfast. Afterward, we said good-bye to the Healdsburgites and
headed south. Next issue was a flat rear tire on my bike. HP found it to be
a bad patch (those foil-backed kind *Picture-patch). So I ditched the tube.
Then we stopped at the park for a pit stop. Then we got to the camping
store. I bought a pack towel and Susan bought a new (non-stick) fry pan.
They didn't have the Swiss tent pole (theirs broke) or their MSR ??? The
Swiss were pretty disgusted with the lameness of the place. They can't wait
to show me the much better camping store in die Schweiz that is about 1/10 the
size with 10 times as much good stuff. So onto store #2. We had a hard time
finding it, and we stopped in a geek shack. HP got a battery for his bike
computer and for his camera. Then we went in camping store #2 which was
lame. We planned a new route, since we were so far south. We rode a long
time and the wind was very strong in our faces. We were really anxious to
eat lunch when HP had the BAD idea to eat at a church we saw. It seemed OK.
Then I had the horrible idea to eat in the shade in the graveyard (seemed
OK). We had a fine lunch, but then I noticed I had a flat from a sticker
burr. I then found about 20 burrs. My other wheel was flat. I fixed one
while HP found Susan's front flat and did that. My other was flat, too. HP
helped with that. He found 6 HOLES in the tube before I told him to just
ditch it. He thought he was OK, since he has new tire liners (the thick,
red kind). Wrong. He had a flat, too, through the liner! I carried my bike
out! Finally, we got going and it was windy. HP and I took turns pulling,
until we got to Tomales. Wow! Tough winds. But, as promised, at the Bay it
was tail winds. We rode to the town with the bend in the road and stopped
in for some fresh groceries. I got whole milk yogurt! Yea! The Swiss were
jealous. We rode down to Olema and set up camp at the RV Park. The site is
not bad. There were some strangely curious chickens here. I had grilled
cheese with mushrooms and an ear of corn and my yogurt. The Swiss had
cucumber salad (they carry full-sized bottles of vinegar and oil) and Knorr
pasta. We chatted as wrote in our Tagesbuchen. The wind has died. It is
cool and the stars are nice.
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