DAY 4
Beginning location: Oakland, CA
Day 4 destination: Fort Bragg, CA
States visited: California
Daily mileage: 209
Cumulative mileage: 3,209
After a late, late night to end our Yosemite adventure, sleeping in was in order. We decided to eat our Hilton breakfast as late as possible and then get back on the road at noon. Steve needed to replace a broken Go Pro mount, I needed a water bottle, and Elizabeth needed to see if she could get some help with a broken phone, so we had a really leisurely morning.
When we finally got going, we made our way over the Oakland Bay Bridge, then followed our route into downtown San Francisco as we tried to get to the Golden Gate Bridge. I'm not sure if I made a routing error or if you really have to go downtown to get from the Bay Bridge to the Golden Gate - but we ended up right in the middle of a traffic nightmare created by a Gay Pride parade. And it just kept getting later and later.
Finally, we made it through the traffic and followed signs to the magnificent Golden Gate Bridge. The sight merited a stop at an observation area on the north side of the bridge, where we were able to get a great view of the bridge and the bay.
Next up was a ride on Panoramic Highway, a pretty challenging road with lots of elevation changes and mild switchbacks that took us down to the Pacific Coast Highway. This route afforded us our first views of the Pacific Ocean, and we were not disappointed by the sight.
All along, the plan was for us to ride much shorter days as the ladies began their time with us. Our goal was a mere 329 miles - child's play compared to the distances we had been riding. Even so, given our late start and the traffic problems in San Francisco, I could see that we were going to come up short of our daily goal for the first time on the trip. While I knew we would not get to Humboldt Bay, CA, I was still determined to get to the Point Arena Lighthouse before finding a place to spend the night.
On our 2013 Northeast ride, we were able to visit a lighthouse on the coast of Maine. Visiting a lighthouse on the west coast seemed like a good idea, providing some sort of balance to the overall 48-state challenge. So this became the new goal for the day: at least get to the lighthouse. But first, we were to soak in the beauty of the PCH.
I was not at all prepared for the Highway 1 experience. I expected the entire road to take us along the coast. Instead, we found the road making its way inland at times where we encountered rolling pastures and cattle. And then we would be back to the coast. It was all quite interesting. And challenging enough technically to hold our attention, for sure!
After a late lunch at a place called Farm House Restaurant somewhere near Stinson Beach, we continued north, making some stops to take in the beauty of the coast. Realizing the sun was beginning to drop, we started counting down miles to the lighthouse, trying to get there in time to see the sun set. The lateness of the hour made it necessary to pick up the pace a bit - and the result was some real riding excitement on the PCH. Fun times, for sure - and yes, we made it to the Point Arena Lighthouse in time to see a beautiful west coast sunset.
While the sunset was absolutely beautiful, we were unable to go into the lighthouse, as it was closed for the day. Another complication was that once the sun set, the cool crisp air turned COLD - cold enough that Annette and I got some of our cold-weather gear out for the ride in search of a place to stay.
Finding lodging took a while - but we finally located a brand-new Holiday Inn Express in Fort Bragg, CA. We only covered 209 miles on this day. Even so, with the late start, shopping, traffic, and time spent enjoying the sights, we didn't land at our hotel until after 10 PM. Another long day, but we were thrilled to experience so much on Day 4.
DAY 5
Beginning location: Fort Bragg, CA
States visited: California
Daily mileage: 209
Cumulative mileage: 3,209
After a late, late night to end our Yosemite adventure, sleeping in was in order. We decided to eat our Hilton breakfast as late as possible and then get back on the road at noon. Steve needed to replace a broken Go Pro mount, I needed a water bottle, and Elizabeth needed to see if she could get some help with a broken phone, so we had a really leisurely morning.
When we finally got going, we made our way over the Oakland Bay Bridge, then followed our route into downtown San Francisco as we tried to get to the Golden Gate Bridge. I'm not sure if I made a routing error or if you really have to go downtown to get from the Bay Bridge to the Golden Gate - but we ended up right in the middle of a traffic nightmare created by a Gay Pride parade. And it just kept getting later and later.
Finally, we made it through the traffic and followed signs to the magnificent Golden Gate Bridge. The sight merited a stop at an observation area on the north side of the bridge, where we were able to get a great view of the bridge and the bay.
Next up was a ride on Panoramic Highway, a pretty challenging road with lots of elevation changes and mild switchbacks that took us down to the Pacific Coast Highway. This route afforded us our first views of the Pacific Ocean, and we were not disappointed by the sight.
All along, the plan was for us to ride much shorter days as the ladies began their time with us. Our goal was a mere 329 miles - child's play compared to the distances we had been riding. Even so, given our late start and the traffic problems in San Francisco, I could see that we were going to come up short of our daily goal for the first time on the trip. While I knew we would not get to Humboldt Bay, CA, I was still determined to get to the Point Arena Lighthouse before finding a place to spend the night.
On our 2013 Northeast ride, we were able to visit a lighthouse on the coast of Maine. Visiting a lighthouse on the west coast seemed like a good idea, providing some sort of balance to the overall 48-state challenge. So this became the new goal for the day: at least get to the lighthouse. But first, we were to soak in the beauty of the PCH.
I was not at all prepared for the Highway 1 experience. I expected the entire road to take us along the coast. Instead, we found the road making its way inland at times where we encountered rolling pastures and cattle. And then we would be back to the coast. It was all quite interesting. And challenging enough technically to hold our attention, for sure!
After a late lunch at a place called Farm House Restaurant somewhere near Stinson Beach, we continued north, making some stops to take in the beauty of the coast. Realizing the sun was beginning to drop, we started counting down miles to the lighthouse, trying to get there in time to see the sun set. The lateness of the hour made it necessary to pick up the pace a bit - and the result was some real riding excitement on the PCH. Fun times, for sure - and yes, we made it to the Point Arena Lighthouse in time to see a beautiful west coast sunset.
While the sunset was absolutely beautiful, we were unable to go into the lighthouse, as it was closed for the day. Another complication was that once the sun set, the cool crisp air turned COLD - cold enough that Annette and I got some of our cold-weather gear out for the ride in search of a place to stay.
Finding lodging took a while - but we finally located a brand-new Holiday Inn Express in Fort Bragg, CA. We only covered 209 miles on this day. Even so, with the late start, shopping, traffic, and time spent enjoying the sights, we didn't land at our hotel until after 10 PM. Another long day, but we were thrilled to experience so much on Day 4.
DAY 5
Beginning location: Fort Bragg, CA
Day 5 destination: Grants Pass, OR
States visited: California, (11) Oregon
Daily mileage: 313
Cumulative mileage: 3,522
I haven't mentioned weather. After the rain on Day 0 followed by the threat of rain riding through central Louisiana, we had GREAT weather. It was hot at times - but one of my daughters gave me a Cool Vest for my birthday, and it works. As a matter of fact, I learned that it was a bad idea to soak the vest early in the day because I would actually get cold. Day 5 was another beautiful day - cool in the morning before warming up to hot later in the day - but dry and clear.
We left our hotel just after 7 AM, made our way back to the PCH, and continued north. Our first point of interest was the Chandelier Tree. This attraction required our getting off of the asphalt - definitely not my favorite thing to do. The road was well-maintained, though, and the experience was worth it. This location was a sort of gateway to our ride through the famous redwoods. We made our way north on the Avenue of the Giants and through the Humboldt Redwood State Park, amazed by the grandeur of the towering redwoods. My only regret is that we did not stop to walk among these giant trees in order to more fully appreciate how magnificent they really are.
From here it was back to the coast. We decided to stop for lunch in Eureka, CA, near Humboldt Bay. We used Yelp to find what we thought was a highly-recommended seafood restaurant. At some point in time, however, Bayfront One became a Japanese restaurant. Not at all what we expected, but the waterfront setting was quite nice, so we stayed and enjoyed a great lunch before pressing north into Redwood National Park. Those trees are impressive!
In the original ride plan, I routed us north on the PCH all the way into Washington. By midday, I faced the realization that we had no chance of staying on schedule at the speeds we were able to travel on the Highway 101. Oh, it's beautiful, for sure - but the road is not built for speed - especially when you find yourself behind slow-moving traffic. During our lunch stop we agreed that we should leave the coast and head inland, get to I-5, and make up some time.
We chose CA 199 through the Smith River National Recreation Area - and what a great choice this was. 199 is a beautifully-wooded route characterized by long sweepers and frequent elevation changes. We were having an absolutely wonderful time - until we encountered a man named Bob. Here is what happened:
We rounded a curve on a long uphill sweeper to find a motorcycle on it's side in the middle of the southbound lane. Of course, we came to an abrupt stop, quickly surveyed the scene, and realized the rider must have been thrown over the guardrail and down the side of the mountain. Elizabeth, who is a medical professional, was searching diligently for the rider in order to render whatever assistance she could. Unable to find him, other members of our party started finding personal items - cell phone, knife, and flashlight - along the road, and realized he had gone over the guardrail well north of where we found the bike. Finally, Elizabeth found Bob, scrambled down the 40-foot embankment, and began to try to provide assistance.
So much happened in the next 90 minutes or so. Elizabeth and Randall assessed Bob's injuries - a badly-broken leg, multiple contusions, and disoriented. I answered Bob's phone when it rang, trying to explain to the caller that I was not joking, and that Bob had really been involved in a serious accident. A paramedic on vacation arrived on the scene. He had his trauma kit with him and quickly took charge of the situation. Finally, local rescue teams arrived, did their best to stabilize Bob, hauled him up the embankment, transported him down the mountain, and had him airlifted to a hospital.
This was certainly a sobering part of our journey, and we left the scene with a fresh awareness of the risk inherent in this activity we enjoy so much. We were confident, though, that Bob would be okay, only to find a newspaper account a couple of days later that informed us Bob had died from his injuries.
Read a brief news account about Robert Gatlin's death here:
http://www.triplicate.com/News/Local-News/Driver-of-Harley-dies-from-crash-off-199
Physically and emotionally spent from the experiences of this day, we made our way to the intersection of CA 199 and I-5 and stopped for the night in Grants Pass, OR. We were inland from our original route and still behind schedule, but I was somewhat confident we could use the interstate to get us back on schedule by the end of Day 6.
States visited: California, (11) Oregon
Daily mileage: 313
Cumulative mileage: 3,522
I haven't mentioned weather. After the rain on Day 0 followed by the threat of rain riding through central Louisiana, we had GREAT weather. It was hot at times - but one of my daughters gave me a Cool Vest for my birthday, and it works. As a matter of fact, I learned that it was a bad idea to soak the vest early in the day because I would actually get cold. Day 5 was another beautiful day - cool in the morning before warming up to hot later in the day - but dry and clear.
We left our hotel just after 7 AM, made our way back to the PCH, and continued north. Our first point of interest was the Chandelier Tree. This attraction required our getting off of the asphalt - definitely not my favorite thing to do. The road was well-maintained, though, and the experience was worth it. This location was a sort of gateway to our ride through the famous redwoods. We made our way north on the Avenue of the Giants and through the Humboldt Redwood State Park, amazed by the grandeur of the towering redwoods. My only regret is that we did not stop to walk among these giant trees in order to more fully appreciate how magnificent they really are.
From here it was back to the coast. We decided to stop for lunch in Eureka, CA, near Humboldt Bay. We used Yelp to find what we thought was a highly-recommended seafood restaurant. At some point in time, however, Bayfront One became a Japanese restaurant. Not at all what we expected, but the waterfront setting was quite nice, so we stayed and enjoyed a great lunch before pressing north into Redwood National Park. Those trees are impressive!
In the original ride plan, I routed us north on the PCH all the way into Washington. By midday, I faced the realization that we had no chance of staying on schedule at the speeds we were able to travel on the Highway 101. Oh, it's beautiful, for sure - but the road is not built for speed - especially when you find yourself behind slow-moving traffic. During our lunch stop we agreed that we should leave the coast and head inland, get to I-5, and make up some time.
We chose CA 199 through the Smith River National Recreation Area - and what a great choice this was. 199 is a beautifully-wooded route characterized by long sweepers and frequent elevation changes. We were having an absolutely wonderful time - until we encountered a man named Bob. Here is what happened:
We rounded a curve on a long uphill sweeper to find a motorcycle on it's side in the middle of the southbound lane. Of course, we came to an abrupt stop, quickly surveyed the scene, and realized the rider must have been thrown over the guardrail and down the side of the mountain. Elizabeth, who is a medical professional, was searching diligently for the rider in order to render whatever assistance she could. Unable to find him, other members of our party started finding personal items - cell phone, knife, and flashlight - along the road, and realized he had gone over the guardrail well north of where we found the bike. Finally, Elizabeth found Bob, scrambled down the 40-foot embankment, and began to try to provide assistance.
So much happened in the next 90 minutes or so. Elizabeth and Randall assessed Bob's injuries - a badly-broken leg, multiple contusions, and disoriented. I answered Bob's phone when it rang, trying to explain to the caller that I was not joking, and that Bob had really been involved in a serious accident. A paramedic on vacation arrived on the scene. He had his trauma kit with him and quickly took charge of the situation. Finally, local rescue teams arrived, did their best to stabilize Bob, hauled him up the embankment, transported him down the mountain, and had him airlifted to a hospital.
This was certainly a sobering part of our journey, and we left the scene with a fresh awareness of the risk inherent in this activity we enjoy so much. We were confident, though, that Bob would be okay, only to find a newspaper account a couple of days later that informed us Bob had died from his injuries.
Read a brief news account about Robert Gatlin's death here:
http://www.triplicate.com/News/Local-News/Driver-of-Harley-dies-from-crash-off-199
Physically and emotionally spent from the experiences of this day, we made our way to the intersection of CA 199 and I-5 and stopped for the night in Grants Pass, OR. We were inland from our original route and still behind schedule, but I was somewhat confident we could use the interstate to get us back on schedule by the end of Day 6.
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