March 21st, 2009

I met Jason and Liz at the Lodge at Sonoma. Rain was predicted so we didn’t know what to expect that day. We had planned a nice tasting route in and around Sonoma and were at the mercy of the rain Gods. Morning was bright but large clouds were all around. When I got to the lodge Jason was watching the NCAA basketball tourney. He is an assistant coach at Santa Clara University and had coached the year before at UCLA. Before we got started cycling he wanted to catch the start of the UCLA game. It didn’t take long for the Bruins to get blown out so our ride wasn’t delayed much. Liz also works at Santa Clara as the sports department fundraiser. We had a great time discussing actions and I volunteered to be the auctioneer at one of her upcoming events. The tour was great, the rain held off until the late afternoon and we got in some nice riding mixed with great wine. Lunch was a bit windy on the hill at Bartholomew Park, but the spectacular scenery and setting under a 300 year old oak made up for the chill in the air. Raindrops gently kissed our faces on the ride back to town and a good time was had by all.