This ride stood out from the list of 'Ten Great Sonoma County Rides' shown on Santa Rosa Bicycle Club's website.
This 55-mile loop with 4,500' of climb is considered one of the most beautiful, fulfilling bike rides in the world. Once into the hills, there are no services and only one likely spot for water. Be prepared, fit, and self-sufficient.
A few days beforehand I'd asked cyclists at the Jimtown Store how they rated the King Ridge ride.
The Jimtown cyclists couldn't agree on the best ride in Sonoma County ... let alone the World.
I started the loop on the Pacific coast at Jenner ... so that the final miles would be downhill.
Jenner sits on Highway 1 at the mouth of Russian River. A massive sandbank almost closes the river mouth and is a favourite summer breeding ground for harbour seals.
From Jenner I headed south on Highway 1 and then turned onto Highway 116 to follow Russian River inland.
After a few miles I reached the small riverside hamlet of Duncans Mills. I then realised that apostrophes are not popular in these parts.
The area was developed to produce timber for the construction of San Francisco some 80 miles south.
Redwood lumber mills were operated by the Duncan brothers in the late 19th Century ... and in 1877 the North Pacific Gauge Railroad reached the town.
The railroad ran from Sausalito ... which I'd visited two days before ... via Duncans Mills to Cazadero ... which was where I was headed next.
I turned off Highway 116 to follow Austin Creek northward.
Two roads follow the creek ... one is laid on the now disused track of the former North Pacific Gauge Railroad.
After passing a noisy quarry ... the road winds its way through the redwoods .. slowly climbing.
I was a little disturbed to realise that ... although I'd cycled nearly 15 miles I'd only climbed about 100'. Given that the trip promised 4,500' of climbing ... that left quite a lot more to do.
Hidden among the trees were dozens of empty houses ... weekend retreats for the city dwellers further south.
I also passed the Cazadero Performing Arts Camp where ... 'in these beautiful surroundings, lives are changed forever through music making, recreation and friendship'.
The town of Cazadero was just on ahead.
At this point I have to make an admission ... I missed a café!
Just down the road ... unfortunately the other road alongside the creek ... is Raymond's Bakery which is known for serving a variety of focaccia, French and artisan breads, cakes, tarts, scones, cookies, and assorted other pastries ... and I missed it!
Luckily for me I did notice Cazadero's General Store.
The store contains an unimaginable selection of merchandise from jelly beans to vintage wines and rock candy to organic chicken ... fortunately for me they also had English tea.
The friendly owners Heidi and Dale quizzed me about life in England ... while I asked them about the road ahead ... I was reassured that I would soon find the hills.
Cazadero .. like Duncans Mills ... was originally established on the back of the timber industry. The railroad ... as well as providing a route out for timber ... allowed tourism to develop. The area became ... and still is ... a popular place to escape to from San Francisco.
One of the early developers who encouraged tourism was Francis Drake Trosper who established a resort hotel at Cazadero. His resort attracted many of San Francisco's notables such as the author Jack London.
On the road out of Cazadero I passed a memorial to Trosper ... and immediately after the road kicked up and the climb started.
I wonder how many of Trosper's guests cycled up King Ridge?
The memorial is sited at a cross roads with Fort Ross Road and the Old Cazadero Road ... the former I was to meet again later ... and the later is now impassible to vehicular traffic.
At first the road continues to follow Austin Creek ... but soon climbs up the valley side around a series of hairpin bends.
Ahead was a ridge which was called The Butcherknife on the map ... I must admit I wouldn't have recognised it from its name.
Many other features had been given imaginative names ... I assume that a goat had been seen once on Goat Rock ... but I was a little worried about Bearpen Creek.
Most of the initial ascent is amongst the trees ... so you only get intermittent views.
After about 1,500' of climbing I reached the ridge line and the trees began to thin ... revealing the countryside around.
A weather system was headed inland from the Pacific ...
... and rain was forecast for later in the day ... so I was keen to complete the ridge before the weather closed in. Unfortunately cloud and mist ahead of the system was limiting visibility.
Once you've completed the initial climb the road undulates along the ridge line for some 10 miles ... twisting this way and that.
This is the part of the ridge than most cyclists look forward to ... swooping down a series of slopes and climbing up the subsequent rises.
This section felt very remote. I passed a few abandoned farm buildings and some turn-offs that seemed to have seen little traffic recently.
The only company was a few cattle which were sauntering across the road.
After passing a high point of around 1,670' a light drizzle began ... and I decided to stop briefly for some refreshments.
Near Wild Hog Vineyard I stopped under the shelter of some trees. As I was unwrapping a muselli bar ... I heard a distant grunting from the wood ... was it a wild hog or a bear?
Discretion being the better part of valour ... I decided to press on to a less secluded spot.
From the high point King Ridge Road descends past a number of vineyards to the junction with Tin Barn Road.
Along Tin Barn Road is a Buddhist Monastery and a well regarded Syrah vineyard called Coryelle Fields.
I decided to forego a trip to the monastery and descended down Hauser Bridge Road. After the exposed King Ridge this road winds its way through giant redwoods.
The Hauser Bridge Road bridge is a three-span structure over the south fork of the Gualala River in northwestern Sonoma County. The original bridge was constructed in 1947 and consisted of a 19' girder span on the west side connected to a 100' truss span over the river to the easterly abutment. The truss span consists of twin prefabricated steel box truss sections (probably U.S. Army surplus) with metal decking. The bridge has a width of 12.5'.
Work was planned on the bridge for 'earthquake upgrades' ... as the bridge was only a few miles from the San Andreas Fault ... I decided not to hang around on the bridge investigating what these might be.
The descent to the bridge had to be paid for.
A couple of steep climbs led up through woods to the small settlement of Timber Cove which boasts a well equipped voluntary fire department.
Somewhere round here the road changes its name to Seaview Road ... but it was hard to tell whether I could see the ocean or just mist and fog.
As I pressed on there were more signs of life.
The area supports a school ... Fort Ross School ... but it seemed to be remarkably quiet when I cycled by.
Beyond the school is the small settlement of Seaview which supports an artists studio ... with a number of sculptures in its grounds.
Many of the farms were still displaying pumpkins from Halloween ... the night before.
The trail also passes an exclusive resort called Timberhill where clients arrive by helicopter ... I wonder why they don't come by bike?
Timberhill is currently undergoing refurbishment ... so trucks, diggers and workmen were far more numerous than helicopters and film stars.
After Seaview I met Fort Ross Road ... the other end of which I'd passed in Cazadero some hours earlier.
This road continues westward to Fort Ross itself which sits on the Pacific shore.
Beyond Seaview the ridge is still some 1,500' above sea level and the ocean views become more frequent.
Seaview Road at this point is over 1,500' above the sea ... and then changes its name to Meyers Grade.
Mayers Grade then descends steeply down towards the coast and Highway 1.
I freewheeled down for several miles ... and in no time at all found myself at the junction with the Pacific Coast Highway.
At the junction the Pacific Coast Highway is 600' above the ocean.
Travelling south the road enters a dramatic series of loops ... as it descends into ... and then climbs out of Russian Gulch.
The road continues down the coast passing empty sandy beaches and dramatic rock formations.
Unfortunately this section of Highway 1 only has narrow shoulders and the presence of trucks and RVs make for rather uncomfortable cycling.
I carefully made my way back to journey's end at Jenner.
As I arrived the rain began to settle in ...
... I'd ridden King Ridge and Meyers Grade and managed to stay dry ... just.
Kirby James
