At the BMW Airhead campout, I ran into some great local characters, some of whom invited me to visit as I passed through.  I took Mike up on his offer of a place to stay in his shop loft and cruised to Geyserville at 8am for my first day of help on his tree service business.  I've been fortunate enough to be Mike's guest now through the week, assisting with the daily business work as well as projects around the house.  The hospitality of his family and friends has been unexpectedly phenomenal, similar to the quality of the conversation.  Good vibes in wine country.  I could stay a while but the road soon calls...

Turning inland on Hwy 116, I rode up the Russian River Valley, stopping in Monte Rio and discovering a place I once stealth camped 4 years ago. The day warmed up and the sun shone bright on my faded pink Stitch'.

I rode south down Hwy 1 taking in the amazing curves and precipitous drops to the dark crashing surf below. The vegetation is changing to a more arid and scattered landscape along the coast.

Fort Ross sits high above the crashing surf on a wide grassy head. This was the southernmost Russian settlement during the 1812-1842 imperialism. "Ross" is a poetic name for Russia in the Russian language. Established as an agricultural base in the south, it could transport and exchange produce and goods from California. It was also site of California's first windmills and shipbuilding.