As a teenager growing up sturdy in the Fens of England, bike riding a mere 10 miles and back into town was a necessity of which to relieve the occasional bouts of boredom with slow-paced life in a small village.
I thought nothing of a 20 mile round trip in a pair of coveted, grey suede 'tucker' boots, flowing blouse and leggings (Remember the new romantic, 80's era?).
It strikes me as such an oddity nowadays when out of city limits on two wheels that I might as well be an alien landed on the narrow lanes of Sonoma County, such are the stares of complete bewilderment and dismay by passing road cyclists, speeding along like a flash of neon light, encompassed head to toe in extreme road biking accoutrements.
And yet, even I had to admit that a 16 mile round-trip pedalathon around super-stunning, scenic Dry Creek Valley this week might have looked a little bit silly considering the rigorous challenges of undulating backroads in winter on a borrowed roadster, while sporting a sequin sweater and not all that sensible a pair of shoes.
Needless to say, the last leg of this pastoral adventure was made considerably merrier with a restorative, heavily caffeineted pit-stop at the Dry Creek General Store (though a bit too early for the bar!).
The Italian Husband had somewhat tricked me into this extended route, having pre-sold me on the merits of an early'ish morning four mile ride around the flatter vineyard loops of Dry Creek. Even he hadn't quite bargained for the road less traveled and several episodes of roadside greasy chain repairs.
As a three-day's early wedding anniversary get-away trip, we'd treated ourselves to a one night winter package at the super cool, sustainably green H2 Hotel just a stone's throw down from the square in Healdsburg and a delicious dinner at cozy and convivial Bistro Ralph.
The hotel's white washed, spartan, yet comfortably stylish room was just the ticket after the heavily decorated festive surrounds of family Christmas at home and I found the minimalist, yet luxe approach to room basics to be in keeping with the hotel's appeal to connect with its creek side, natural environment preservation campaign.
Pottering around bookstores, boutiques and copious tasting rooms on the square wasn't too much on my personal agenda, this time, following the Christmas rush, but the general buzz of commerce, tourism and community that encapsulates downtown Healdsburg as a premium wine country hub clearly benefits from the boost of a steady flow of visitors staying at H2 and its big sister up the block, Hotel Healdsburg.
Dry Creek and its unbeatable wines keeps me coming back as my most favored wine country region, our own wild and as yet largely untamed Petaluma Gap, aside. This week's unplanned 16 miler on wheels proved the most intimate, private tour of Dry Creek's less ridden backroads, proof in the pudding that you don't have to go full throttle with limos or $3,000 road bikes to get the best out of a wine country foray.
