Visiting Spike in his new digs

[Falcon]

I was able to break away from the baby for a couple of days and visit Spike up in the wine country.   WOW. What a location!  First of all thanks to Spike and Michelle for entertaining me and my friend Chuck up there.   We had a great couple of days even though we didnt get a chance to get out on the water. 

Saturday was an epic 'hang with the buds' day where I spent the morning mountain biking right out of Spike's front door and 14 miles down Willow Creek Cyn to the beach and Goat Rock.  For you mountain bikers out there, the terrain is awesome and we had a great shuttle ride down from Spikes place to the beach in a couple of hours.  From single track, to knuckle-whitening downhills at 25mph+++, to redwood groves to wide open meadows, the terrain up there is endless. 

The afternoon was spent playing 27 holes of golf at Northwoods golf club, a nice 9 hole layout among the beautiful redwoods.  I wont mention my score but we had a blast!

Michelle took care of us well at the Union Restaraunt with the tastiest Chicken Pot Pie I have ever had in my life.  And I love Chicken Pot Pies!

Sunday morning I was lucky enough to be the special guest on Spike's radio show on local FM.  I wont spill any more beans on this one, but I expect this is another avenue for Spike to share his wealth of knowledge and reach a whole new audience.   Thanks man!

Unfortunately I had to head back to SoCal on Sunday but not after one last hang out and a stop by Guayaki's new cafe in Sebastapol for a fresh yerba mate drink.  Those of you who have joined me at the Ranch in the past probably have seen me drinking tea every day from what looks like a nice water pipe.  But I assure you its a green tea from South America that gives you a kick with caffeine and some clarity of mind.   I recommend you hard core coffee drinkers out there to give it a shot....shameless plug for my friends company...check it out at www.guayaki.com and you can find it at Whole Foods Market.

If you havent been up to the area near Santa Rosa, I recommend you all check it out...its really nice up there.

Falcon

A couple of pics....one at the top of the trail just out of Spikes place...and the other at the bottom at the Goat Rock State park, just north of Bodega.





 

[Sea Weed]

What are the call letters of that radio station. Maybe we can listen in on internet radio.
Jeff

[Spike]

It's KOWS 107.3 FM (LP).  LP means "low power" with the range of a good cannon shot from Occidental right now.  "KOWS=is the theme of the station since the half of West County that ain't fishing or forest is sweet California dairy land.  We jokingly broqadcast from the barn.  The LP thing is fairly new format from the FCC.  KOWS is a community radio station set up by a local non-profit and a real blast.  Shows with mostly GREAT tunes and a fair # of talk shows.  It's a fishy region around here with a long fishing history.  There's no advertising on community radio so besides public announcements, we talk a lot of fishing for the hour.  This week I have a past president of Trout Unlimited to talk about the local fishery ecosystem and water management impact.  Many issues we never have to think about in areas without salmon and dams.

As Falcon aluded to, I'm looking to break some good news if/when the station goes online and will post it promptly.