Season 3 Episode 12 (10/15) Motherly Love

Season 3 Episode 12 (10/15) Motherly Love – 

10/15 Inverness to Corte Madera, CA. 39 miles 2952’ climb.

In bidding farewell to Zach, instead of saying goodbye, we deliberately used the French expression “a la prochaine” meaning “until the next time”, which is so much better. 

Based on Zach’s advice, we changed our route to stick to the coast, although it doubled our climbing to our destination.

But we got to ride next to perhaps the calmest body of water I’ve ever seen for such a large size - Bolinas Lagoon.

And we were amply rewarded with views of Stinson Beach. 

After a challenging ride up from the coast through Muir Woods, we climbed up to our true reward of the day - arriving at our hosts Phyllis and Hank. Phyllis was Heather’s boss and the person who recruited her 30 years ago after they met at a seminar. We hadn’t seen them in several years until visiting them in their previous home in Connecticut just two years ago. They’d since relocated to Corte Madera to be closer to family, and it was so great to see them again. We can only hope to age as well as they have!

When Heather first contacted Phyllis to say we’d be cycling through their town and wanted to see them- maybe meet for a meal - Phyllis insisted we stay with them and that she cook dinner for us. Her lasagna was delicious - I enjoyed thirds! 

We enjoyed fresh figs that Phyllis and Heather picked right off the tree from the yard. 

Phyllis is an avid birder and was delighted to share her backyard vista with us and the many avian visitors. She enthusiastically explained how this “phalanx of pelicans worked together to get the fish”, and only came by if the water levels were low enough for them to scoop up their meal. 

Hank shared a few bits of wisdom with me that comes naturally to a man about to turn 99 years old: (1)  Happiness is knowing what’s enough. (2) Luck is a big part of life. He drew the latter lesson from his reflections that in 1945 when he was in the navy on a carrier in the Pacific and heading towards Japan, there had been a team of Japanese kamikazes ready to target them, but the war ended in time. 

This was no “warm showers” stay, this was “hot shower” hospitality. Aside from the actual shower that was far beyond my 3 criteria of excellence (temperature, pressure, and aim), from the moment we arrived until our departure, Phyllis treated us like we were her own kids visiting. When saying goodbye, Phyllis jokingly asked us: “You don’t mind if I join you every 2 days to feed you?” We thought she was joking, but just in case not, we replied of course we don’t mind. 

As we rode off, Heather and I both felt like we’d just stayed with her parents. 

Some of you may actually already know Phyllis too! She played Anna Wolek from 1978-1982 on the show One Life to Live. Which incidentally those exact words One Life to Live are such a big part of our philosophy and why we are seizing the moment of our good health and opportunity to ride these adventures. 

© Copyright Mark Segal 2023