Resources and Reflections

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

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