Resources and Reflections

I’m cross-posting this directly from the Mendo Community BB Yahoo group because I think y’all should know. The location is Emandal Ranch where I had the absolutely BEST PIZZA EVER last year, made with fresh heirloom tomatoes from their own garden and prepared by a beaming bevy of Chef Bettys in the very impressive outdoor beehive pizza oven. I give this place 5 thumbs up and the event gets five stars. Be there and be square. Original post follows, and the location is shown on the map at the bottom of the page. If you’re coming in from out of town, I’ll be posting a route map as well and you can download the GPX file for your own navigation device by clicking the link below the map. The road is pretty, ah, challenging in spots so be prepared for a long bumpy drive, but I can guarantee you’ll not be disappointed.

On Saturday evening, October 10, Emandal will be hosting the 3rd
almost annual Willits Cowboy Poetry Gathering. This time, dinner
will be served at 6pm, on the Pizza Deck at Emandal. Kashaya Adams,
of “Kashaya’s Pizza” fame, will be heading up the team of amazing
chefs who will be serving up some exquisite culinary delights.

At 7:30, the concert begins…. in the old barn built in 1917 by Al
Byrnes, the “Al” part of “Em” and “Al.” The Emandal Chorale will
start the show, followed by Dave Stamey and Susan Parker.
Reservations ($30 for dinner and show) are essential, and still
available by calling Tamara Adams (459-9252) or emailing
cowboypoetry@emandal.com

“We like to think of this music as a celebration of shared heritage,
an appreciation of the West as both a place, and a state of mind.”
Driving directions starting at Hwy 101 and Commercial St. in Willits

Willits to Emandal

Dave Stamey has been bucked off and stomped by many horses. He has
been stepped on by mules and dragged around branding pens by cattle
of many sizes. He’s ridden in the rain, in the snow, in the rain
some more, in pretty nasty heat, and in feedlot pens where the air
was thick and decidedly fragrant. He’s even wrangled dudes.

He is an entertainer now, and makes his living inflicting himself
upon innocent people at music festivals, agricultural banquets and
backyard barbecues. He finds he prefers this. He has been voted
Entertainer of the Year, Male Performer of the Year and Songwriter
of the Year by the Western Music Association, and Male Vocalist of
the Year by the Academy of Western Artists.

Dave Stamey is one of the best Western songwriters alive today. His
melodies blend perfectly with his lyrics to the point where you can
almost feel the wind against your face and smell the soft scent of
the sage. He never fails to engage his audience and take them on a
rewarding journey through the panorama of the West.”

–Mike Fleming, Director, Santa Clarita, CA Cowboy Festival

Born with a cowboy soul, Susan Parker grew up with a love for horses,
cowboys, rodeos, and all things Western. She rode stick ponies and
played with plastic horses while her friends played with dolls.

Susan began writing contemporary poetry and prose in 1995. Her
passion for cowboy poetry was sparked in 2003, after attending the
Monterey Cowboy Poetry and Music Festival. It burst into full flame
shortly thereafter.

Intrigued by pioneering women of the West, Susan has become a student
of their writings: “I hear their voices as they pour out loneliness
and frustration onto the page. Their courage and determination beg me
to share their work, to appreciate the freedoms I enjoy as a result
of their perseverance and sacrifice.”

Susan resides in Benicia, California.

Popularity: 12% [?]

Since it would seem that any route north out Redwood Valley, other than Tomki Rd.,  is currently unavailable behind locked gates, upon the advice of locals, I’ve mapped the route below. Starting at Hoppers Corner in Potter Valley, I’ll be heading due north to the Eel River and the road of the same name that leads through some very interesting looking country and eventually to Hearst-Willits Road and, perhaps some refreshment at Shanachie. The return to Redwood Valley via 101 should clock in at nearly 50 miles. I’m out the door by 4, camera in hand and the route uploaded to the GPS. Temp is about 85 and sunny with a stiff breeze from the west; perfect. The hammock, night clothes and sleeping bag are loaded and I may just camp out up on the high point, who knows?

Route as Planned

Potter Valley to Willits back country cruising
I’ll post the route below as ridden. Here’s hoping for no locked gates.

July 24, ,09; Back to Redwood Valley, and more or less recovered. Total distance 59 mi., total ascent 7000′, ride time about 7 hrs. And one hulluva ride too I might add. 2 miles from the start point at Hopper’s Corners,there’s a nice warmup climb coming north out of Potter Valley, gaining 800′ in two miles. The road surface is quite good, with clean, if narrow shoulders, until you cross the Russian River. Taking a left on Eel River Road, the pavement narrows and surface conditions fade to quilted asphalt as you head north by northeast along the east bank of the main fork of the Eel River. 12 miles from the start point you cross the Eel at an elevation of 1400′ and then commence a three mile climb up loose dusty gravel to the summit at an elevation of 2850′. there are two stretches with slopes exceeding 40%. There are also a number of gates between the bridge and the eventual outlet at Hearst-Willits Rd. After talking at length with the folks at Hopper’s Corners in Potter Valley, as well as with all the people I met along the way, the consensus was to leave the gate the way you found it, pass through without leaving the road, and announce your presence as you move. So I did. More »

Popularity: 22% [?]

This is a 35 mile loop with two significant climbs. The GPX file mapped below was hand made in Google Earth and will be uploaded to the Garmin for navigation purposes,

Cave Creek to Potter Valley
July 09; Planning on riding the route this afternoon, wondering about conditions at Cave Creek Rd.; did I get the route right, are there locked gates (the satellite photos were dicey at the crest)? SHould be an interesting ride. The camera and GPS are charged and ready to go, and the navigation route (shown above) is loaded and ready to go. Sunscreen, water and carbs and I should be out the door by 1:30.
Ok, finally out the door at 4:30.

Popularity: 14% [?]

Tomki Road to the north of Redwood Valley, as the county signs repeatedly make clear, is  ”not maintained in winter”. Well, its not much maintained in summer either. Rocky rough when you get up into the canyon, with the added attraction of seven water crossings, Tomki Road is always an entertaining and challenging ride.

Approaching from the south you ride through the rolling vineyards of Redwood Valley over a series of gradually rising steps heading north on either East or West Road, take your pick because both meet ath a three-way intersection with Tomki Road, at the north end of the Valley. About four miles in from the intersection, things begin to get interesting as the road starts to climb at about 12% for two and a half miles, rising almost a thousand feet from that point to the crest at 1935′. Along the way you’ll pass one buddist and one greek orthodox monastery as the narrow but reasonably clean asphalt rises in a series of about ten tight, winding ’s’ curves through thick forests of california oak, white fir and even the occaisonal redwood, all second and third growth.

Oh yes, and don’t forget the poison oak, its thick as lobbyists on congress. I’m a big advocate of Hawaiian philosophy as applied to cycling; eat when hungry, rest when tired, ride when ready, drink whenevah. But when resting along the road in northern California, beware, unpleasant surprises can lurk in the grass. Poison oak is chifest among these, but the very prickly and uncomfortable Goat’s Head is a thing to be reckoned with as well. To barrel through the copuntryside as if the devil is on your heels, without stopping to take in the scenery seems a waste to me, so, by all means,  stop to take it in, but choose your perch carefully in these parts.

Feast your eyes upon the details, recorded July 3rd on a cooling late afternoon.

Tomki Road

Popularity: unranked [?]