The Reds and the Whites

Napa Valley. The valley sure has its beauty. There are so many vineyards and wineries, that you can't imagine that people living in this area aren't all wine connoisseurs. We rode into the valley with the aim to taste a lot of different wine. And that we did. Judd's Hill winery, was a local vineyard along our route. Our host presented us with an array of different wines to taste. I have never previously had the ability to differentiate different flavors in wines. They are either bitter or fruity. That's it. But during the tasting, I could gather certain aromas highlighted by each wine. We spent a good hour sitting and talking to the host, who took the time to answer all of our questions on the production and taste of wine. In exchange, we shared some of our stories bicycling across the country.

Why oh why Fentons?

Since my last update plenty of things have happened. We have moved through two entire states, encountered more flats in 2 days than over the past 2 months and met a handful of amazing people. Each event is worth a blog entry itself, and yet I have found very little opportunity to write about each in its entirety, the way they deserve to be.

That said, I will try to backtrace some stories, starting with the most recent and working my way back until I get tired of writing for the day. 

Where are we now? We are in Berkeley, California. Yes, my dear friends and family, we made it to sunny California, the last of 10 states to be covered on this great adventure. Berkeley was not originally on our itinerary. However, after telling my fellow riding companion so much about the great food, and especially the notorious Fentons, an ice cream restaurant infamous for its ice cream challenge, we decided to make a little detour. The Fentons challenge is to finish a whole jug of ice cream (we are talking half a gallon or more) in 10 minutes. One person, in one sitting. If you succeed you earn yourself a Fentons t-shirt and of course, my respect.

Throughout this trip, we have been challenging ourselves with such contests. Frequently we would  enter a grocery store, head straight toward the freezer isle, and pick the biggest tub of ice cream we could find. Minutes later we would sit outside the store, pull out our spoons and start dipping into the tub. People passing would stare at us in bewilderment or amusement. And most of the time we were successful in finishing up the entire tub right then and there. Ice cream has been a great source of fuel for us. It has kept us cool during the hottest of days and given us that extra strength to conquer the hills ahead.

Ryan and I parked our bikes outside of Fentons. We were prepared to take on the challenge. Our stomachs were growling and ready to be filled with some cold, creamy dairy. The anticipation was high.  And just like that our server crushed our dreams. "You need a coupon to do the challenge," she said, and she wouldn't budge. Blah! I couldn't believe it. Everyone in Berkeley knows about the Fentons challenge, but nobody every mentions a stupid coupon! We were disappointed. Nonetheless we ordered a slice of pie to go with a big scoop of ice cream and headed out. 

As we were riding our bikes down Piedmont Avenue, a man started running after us. He was clearly yelling out for us, trying to get our attention. We stopped. He approached, "I saw you guys in Yosemite. Do you guys have a place to stay for the evening?" What a coincidence. Minutes later, we rolled our bikes into his drive way. His name was Bob, and he and his wife, Eleanor, have lived in Oakland, a city neighboring Berkeley for over 30 years. They happened to see us ride our bikes outside of Yosemite three days prior and Bob recognized us again as we were riding down Piedmont Avenue. It is strange how you meet people during moments, in which all that matters is timing. I have lived in Berkeley for four years and never even stepped foot on the road that Bob and Eleanor live on. But on this random day, that we decided to visit the city for a few hours, I stepped foot into their home.  I find that incredible.