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While that may not have been the Buddha himself people saw cycling past them down Sir Francis Drake Boulevard last weekend, it may well have been the spirit of the Buddha. On bikes decorated with multicolored prayer flags flapping in the wind, 60 riders, supported by more than 20 volunteers, came together for a unique two-day event. The third annual Buddhist Bicycle Pilgrimage took them on a 150-mile spiritual journey from Spirit Rock Meditation Center in West Marin, to the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas in Talmage, and ending at Abhayagiri Monastery in Redwood Valley.

Begun in 2002 by Dennis Crean, of Redwood Valley, the Buddhist Bicycle Pilgrimage was a way for Crean to combine his enthusiasm for cycling with his spiritual quest. A supporter of Abhayagiri Monastery, which drew him to the area, he was inspired to transform the ancient tradition of a walking pilgrimage into a modern-day bicycling equivalent. Since that first ride, a nonprofit organization known as Dharma Wheels Foundation has been formed to carry on the tradition. Unlike other organized bike events, this one requires no fees from participants, but rather relies on the spirit of dana, a Buddhist term for generosity, and the joyful contributions of dozens of volunteers.

My own pilgrimage began only a week before the event, when I encountered three future pilgrims while cycling in the redwoods. Intrigued by the idea of such an adventure, I decided to both ride and volunteer. I found a member of my local bike club to join me in trading off cycling and "sagging," or driving a support vehicle, as it's said in cycling circles. Karen and I met for the first time at 5:30 a.m. on Saturday and consequently spent many hours of the weekend side by side, not only in my car but also in my tent. have been on dozens of organized bike rides, and this, by far, was the best one ever. My rating scale includes food, scenery and the friendliness factor. The food was out of this world! Traveling pit stops were never without snacks and beverages, including all sorts of tempting goodies like Tootsie Rolls and peppermint patties, all donated by riders and supporters. Volunteer chefs Amy and Jim cooked up a feast for Saturday's dinner and Sunday's breakfast at the KOA campground, turbocharging all the weary riders' glutes above and beyond any of my expectations.

The second factor is scenery. One rider put it so well: "Where else can you get such a variety of scenic landscapes from the pastures of Marin to the Bohemian vineyards of Sonoma to the redwoods of Mendocino?" Truly stunning, and from what I gathered from veteran participants, the temperature this year was much more forgiving than last year's 100-plus degrees. I rode the second half of Saturday and the first half of Sunday, bearing witness to both the late afternoon sun glistening off the multicolored grapevines as well as the early morning fog unveiling the sleepy awakenings along the crooked rural roads.

In terms of the friendliness factor, the ratio of "hammerheads" (those cyclists who ride so fast they don't see the road upon which they travel) to Sunday-afternoon cyclists was at a desirable quotient for this rider. And the incredible slew of volunteers truly raised the kindness level to an all-time high with their warm and gracious encouragement at every pit stop. Karen was thrilled when Dave, a veteran cyclist with more than 30,000 miles logged on two wheels, took the time to slow down to chat rather than rush to beat some invisible clock.

Perhaps it was the spirit of the pilgrimage, the simple but profound words of the monks lingering in the back of the mind, or the bucolic scenery and divine weather that created such a spirit of camaraderie. Reverend Heng Sure of the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas, where we were treated to lunch on day two of our journey, said it quite eloquently: "The experience of the pilgrimage is in the doing. It's the cattle guards, the fences, the uphill, the downhill, the trees." And then, as he muffled the sounds of huffing and puffing into the microphone, we all laughed at the image conjured up; the sheer grit and suffering visible in the breath, as we "go, go, go, mile after mile after mile. Is it emptiness in between? Not really. It is a fullness."

The weekend seemed to be a web of connections between people and places. I met Melissa as we were climbing up a hill together. A Redwood Valley native, she had come on this ride with her sister, Cindy; her brother-in-law, Jim; and her nephew, Trevor, a seventh-grader at the local Waldorf School. Later that day, I met Trevor in person. Standing tall and wide at 5' 10", he wears braces and rides a mountain bike: "I ride wherever my parents drag me along."

Another father-and-son duo were on this pilgrimage as well. Tim, a three-year veteran of the Dharma Wheels ride, is now planning a longer bicycle pilgrimage in India with his son. They plan to go where the spirit of dana will take them: no itinerary and no direction. He came across this local pilgrimage through a random Google search three years ago.

The Buddhist Way is to allow others to find their own way. Many joined this pilgrimage for the physical challenge, some for the unique combination of cycling and a spiritual quest, and others for the spirit of community and to make new friends. For myself, I made new friends with many compassionate, caring and thoughtful people; cycled more miles than my out-of-shape body was used to; ate a few too many pieces of homemade gingerbread; learned a thing or two about Buddhism (such as the fact that Northern California is home to the largest number of Buddhist traditions of any region or country in the world); and took my cycling to a higher meditative level. Would I do it again? Absolutely.

For more information on the Buddhist Bicycle Pilgrimage, visit www.dharmawheels.org.