Congratulations to Levi Leipheimer for his third place finish in this year’s Tour de France. Levi’s a home town guy and we’re all proud of his tremendous effort and success in the world’s toughest race. It turns out that Levi rides twice a week on Pine Flat Road east of Healdsburg. Pine Flat runs from near the Jimtown store in the Alexander Valley all the way to the ridge that overlooks the Geyser’s geothermal fields. This riding article compares the climb up Pine Flat Road to Col de la Pierre Saint-Martin, Stage 16, July 25 (8.9 miles, 2,414-foot vertical, 5.2% average). I have never tried a ride like that, so I couldn’t say anything about the difficulty. I could, however, comment on the beautiful views from the top of the mountains near the geysers, and the beautiful scenes in Mayacamas Mountains Audubon Sanctuary, a 1,400 acre preserve.
If you are interested in country property and decide to follow Levi’s path up the hill, there are a couple of interesting parcels that Eric Drew from Healdsburg Sotheby’s Inernational Realty has available today.
5745 Pine Flat Rd is just a few minutes from Jim Town Store near the beginning of Pine Flat Road. It is a 52 ac home site for $1.45M (with water and perc) with a storage/workshop and an abandoned olive orchard. For a big photo gallery, please go to http://picasaweb.google.com/ericdrew/5745PineFlatRd (update: Sold)
The second intriguing land value is just under a square mile of property near the end of Levi’s training ride. It’s 620 acres on Pine Flat Rd about 25 minutes from Jim Town Store and about 30 min to Healdsburg. This very large parcel made up of seven separate AP numbers is priced at $1,595,000. It includes a hunting cabin, good springs, and electricity supplied by the Geysers. I’ve got a nice 4 MB pdf file about this property that I’m happy to send if you drop me an email. The thing to keep in mind about this land is the spectacular views and privacy. It takes a good half an hour to get here, but the road is paved all the way. This is remote, but not inaccessible.
I also want to let you know that for Healdsburg’s 150th birthday celebration a few weeks ago, Daniel Drew reprinted a historic book about a trip to the Geysers in around 1870. It’s a fascinating account of the times and the Geysers when they were one of the natural wonders of the world. I’ll be happy to send you a copy if you ask for one.