The Golden Gate

Tuesday May 8

Got up this morning and was out on the road around 10:30AM or so. The weather started out very nice with temperatures in the low 60s. It didn't take long before the sunshine was consumed with fog. At first it appeared as waves coming off the ocean with breaks here and there. Finally it became complete with low visibility and cooler temperatures. I can only assume the scenery was awesome, but I couldn't see a thing other than the road in front of me.

All Fogged Up

On down the road, there were minor breaks in the fog and on one of my stops for a picture, a couple of Asian ladies, seeing the Pacific coast for the first time, wanted to pose with my motorcycle. I made them pose with me for the honor and they seemed more than happy to oblige.

It wasn't until I got past the Golden Gate Bridge did the fog break completely. After that, the skies became clear and the riding was most excellent.

Golden Gate Bridge Shrouded in Fog

The roads north of San Francisco on Highway-1 are very entertaining. They are a mixture of coastal sections that turn inland to adapt to the geography. After a while, they were getting predictable but never boring. After 3500 miles, my tires had developed a bit of a flat profile due to the constant straight line cruising I've been doing. Finally, I got to play a little navigating all the extreme curves on this leg of the highway. After a full day of intense banking for all those sometimes extreme curves, the flatness has appeared to smooth a bit and the low speed wobble that had developed is almost imperceptible. I must say it was most exhilarating.

From the Cockpit

One interesting observation while zipping around the coastal highway was a herd of cattle grazing on the side of a cliff. I didn't see the caution sign for this and was a bit surprised exiting a corner at a brisk pace to see cows beside the road. I was a more cautious from that point forward.

Cliff Grazing Cattle

What can I say, the country side is beautiful in coastal northern California. The landscape has changed to dense redwood forests intermixed with ocean vistas scaling along narrow cliff hanging roadways. The ride requires much concentration to avoid any mishaps.

I'm getting hungry so I decide to stop at one of the quaint restaurants along the way and have lunch. It's nice and as usual, I meet some interesting folks. Sorry I didn't get pictures, but they drove away before I could make my pitch.

Restaurant of Forgotten Name

It's getting later in the day and the roads are sparsely populated so I'm starting to look for a place to stop for the night. I'm toying with the idea of camping since I am seeing multiple opportunities with the state parks and private enterprises. After riding a bit, I see a sign for Gualala Point State Park campground and turn in. There are multiple sites available so I pick one and set up for the night. The site is on the river in a grove of Redwood trees. How cool is that.

Big Trees

It's so easy to make friends when camping. My neighbors were a young couple recently graduated from school in Florida who now reside in Squaw Valley. They were out exploring and apparently having a great time. They were kind enough to invite me over for food and drink and we sat around the campfire having a very pleasant time. Matt, Monica and Ricky their dog were the perfect hosts and I hopefully was an agreeable guest.

Monica, Matt and Ricky the Dog

I need to get more padding and a better sleeping bag or I'm going to get a bad vibe about camping. It was cold again and my bag just isn't keeping me warm and I never feel rested after the experience. Oh well, the campfires are nice.

Wednesday May 9

Packing up the tent and equipment is so much fun. NOT!

I get on the road about 10:30AM determined to make a few more miles today. I only did about 200 yesterday and I would like to be in Beaverton, OR on Thursday.

Today is much like the latter part of yesterday. The northern section of Highway-1 is arguably as beautiful as the southern section with the bonus of more exciting roads. I'm again burdened by the desire to stop and take pictures around every bend, but have to resist if I'm going to get anywhere today. I did manage to snap a few photos.

While enjoying the ride, I came up behind an Audi who's driver was determined to show me his racing credentials. I must say it was a spirited ride, but I had to bail when I came to a spot in the road that I couldn't resist stopping for a picture.

Northern California Coast

After a full day of the twisties and coastal vistas, I'm physically and mentally exhausted. While the roads are fun, they are also dangerous as they are narrow with traffic, cliffs, trees and boulders to ruin your day.

I stop in Crescent City at America's Best Value and set up to update the blog when I discover my netbook has been exposed to a little water that has leaked from my cooler. The wireless has stopped working. I'll have to get a USB dongle when I get to Beaverton.

Thursday May 10

I'm determined to get to Beaverton today before 5:00PM so I decide to bail on Highway-1 and take a more direct route to Beaverton. I take highway 199 to I-5 to Beaverton. Highway 199 is a beautiful route with many redwoods and scenic views. The roads are at times very entertaining through the redwood forests and mountainous terrain.

Miles and Miles of Redwoods

Back on the interstate, I can make some miles. The drivers in Oregon seem not give one hoot about the right-of-way for motorcycles. Three incidents of drivers willfully coming into my lane on the interstate caused me to brake severely or take to the emergency lane. So far, my journey had been incident free of this sort of recklessness. I'm offended.

I arrive in Beaverton at 4:00PM just in time to take care of some business. After that, I get a hotel room and try the netbook again. No luck; the wireless is completely non-functional. I head to BestBuy to get a USB dongle for wireless. When I get back to the room, I realize the driver for the dongle is on a CD for which my netbook doesn't have a drive. Dang.

Tomorrow I'll go to the library and copy the CD to a memory stick.

Bedtime.

Photos:   https://plus.google.com/photos/117227791501639555776/albums/5741545957265686273?authkey=CPnwmbfgnYP_Eg