CA HWY 128 Cloverdale to the Coast
When you think of wine country, it’s very likely that the Napa Valley springs to your mind. Unfortunately,
it springs to a lot of other people’s minds as well. This usually means your ride will consist of
crawling up a crowded Hwy 29 behind slowly moving cagers filled with blue-rinse hairdos. So I say head somewhere less congested
and more scenic. Head to Cloverdale. It’s a quaint little town sporting eats from hamburger joints on up to 5-star Italian.
Accommodations run from a KOA campground on up to a couple of swanky Bed and Breakfast Inns. So
however you roll, you’ll probably find something you’ll be happy with there.
Coverdale is about 100 miles north of San Francisco up US 101. It’s here that CA Hwy 128 intersects
101 and that’s the real reason to head there. Just hop on 128 and head for the coast.
You’ll start out amongst the oak covered rolling hills of the Alexander Valley ascending through vineyards and
apple orchards. On up the road past Booneville you come to what is in my opinion the best part of the ride; the
coast redwood forests of Navarro River Redwoods State Park. There’s nothing like riding along amongst those giants of
the tree world. But keep in mind that the park is often close during winter months due to bad weather. Continue
along the Navarro River until you end up on the coast of Hwy 1 near Mendocino and the completion of the near 60 mile ride.
Of course Mendocino and Hwy 1 offer another spectacular ride, but that one will have to wait for another review.
I do have one
recommendation for a stop-off along the way. At about the halfway point on the ride near the town of Philo is the Goldeneye
Winery. I must confess that I don’t really know wine, so I can’t say how the wines here compare to those of the
Napa Valley but the alcohol content is the same and that’s good enough for me. What sets Goldeneye apart from other
wineries is not so much what you taste but how you taste it. No standing at a bar waiting for the next
pour here. Instead, you sit out back overlooking vineyards at your own table. All the wines you’ll
be tasting are all brought out to you on a tray where you then sit and sip at your leisure. It costs about ten bucks, which
is what everyone else charges anyway. So if you’re partial to a little vino, give Goldeneye a try.So there you have it. When you’re looking for something a little out of the way with scenery a plenty, head
to Cloverdale and on up Hwy 128 to the coast.
-Reviewed by Scott
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