The Potter Schoolhouse

Ever since a stage of the Tour of California passed us at blinding speed in Sebastopol a few years ago, OilMan has wanted to drive over Coleman Valley Road from whence they came It is one of the few roads from the West County to the coast we've never taken. Today seemed like a good day for it.

The sky was a cloudless cerulean as we drove toward Sebastopol. Not one to loiter or wander aimlessly, OilMan headed straight through town and out the Bodega Highway as thoughts of a coffee at The Barlow receded with the road out of town. Although we could see the grey tattered bank of fog in the distance, the village of Bodega is just enough inland that it often escapes the mist and damp.

The old Potter Schoolhouse (built in 1873) was the setting for the famous schoolhouse scene in Alfred Hitchcock's 1963 movie "The Birds". We saw "The Birds" on our honeymoon, and it scared the heck out of me! However, it seemed benign enough in the sun today. No screaming children running down the road, just a few tourists with cameras.

As we continued on the seven miles to the coast, we had a brief discussion, occasioned by the fact that the former owners of our house moved to Bodega Bay, which prompted me to say that rather than considering living in Bodega Bay, I might just have to shoot myself would never live in Bodega Bay. The coastline is beautiful, but rarely sees the sunshine essential to my mental health. True to form, the picturesque little harbor was shrouded in mist today, and we didn't linger at Casino Bar and Grill, a pool hall and tavern with great food in Bodega, or any of the excellent wharf clam chowder places in Bodega Bay.

Just north of Bodega Bay we found Coleman Valley Road, favored by bike riders from all over. Like most Sonoma County roads, it is just a few steps removed from reverting to dirt--potholed, patched and bumpy. A fat tired mountain bike would probably fare better than the skinny road bikes favored by several queues of riders we passed, all decked out in Lycra.* The road climbs from the coast to a flat open ridge with great views, then plunges down through dark redwood forest to the town of Occidental, home to the all-you-can-eat family style Italian restaurants. We used to go there with the kids before camping overnight on the Russian River. We always had enough spaghetti and meatballs left over for breakfast….Untempted by meatballs or even a pub featuring craft beers, OilMan whizzed home to his garden.

*Jon Carroll, a columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle always said these lycra clad riders reminded him of "European candy bars". Our son Tim, never one for anything trendy, favors shorts and a t-shirt.