Day 8: Mendocino, CA to Boonville, CA
June 7, 2014

We slept in so we could have the complimentary breakfast, which consisted of egg puffs, fruit salad, and shots of yogurt. Then we had an absolutely glorious ride down the coast. It was our first clear morning (right from the start). We met a few guys on longer tours before we turned inland on 128 and just flew through Navarro State Park. We had a early lunch at the Navarro General Store before a HOT approach to Boonville on a really torn up road.

In Boonville we said hi to Karen, ate some ice cream while sitting outside, and then met up with Gail and Steve and Karen at Rookie Too. We loaded the bikes in the car and went to Karen’s for a tasty dinner and good night’s sleep.

  • Start: Mendocino
  • End: Boonville
  • Slept: Karen’s house
  • Miles: 41
  • Avg.: 11.0

We learned a lot of lessons on our cross-country bike trip in 2011 but this shorter trip taught us some valuable things. Life is so much better if you:

  • Shower every day
  • Don’t have to carry a tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, or lots of food supplies
  • Can sleep indoors, at a reasonable temperature, or even in a bed
  • Can ride in reasonable temperatures (not oppressively hot)
  • Bring as little with you as possible
  • Don’t ride through Appalachia