California Through New Eyes

[flying_hun]

Day 7

After breakfast at that little cafe in Weaverville,

we topped the tanks and headed up 3 where the climb to Scott Mountain Summit was probably my favorite bit of riding since the tour began.

Of course, since we hadn't been to the Sierra, this was the high point of the trip to date.

We topped up again in Fort Jones, then got on to a personal fave, Scott River Road to connect to 3. Scott River Road is one of those roads that gives you lots to do. Dom took a brief cellphone video.


One still from the bridge over the Scott River.

And then we were on 96. I must admit that I ride 96 so seldom that I probably underestimate what a great road it is. This road blew them away, particularly Peter. He just couldn't get enough of those rising and falling linked turns with absolutely no traffic. Dom said he'd thought that at one point we had traveled at least 20 miles without seeing a single other vehicle on the road. From Scotts Bar to almost Hoopa, we didn't get held up at all. In fact, we saw more CalTrans road crews than we did other vehicles. Plus, the scenery is stunning.

We stopped to grab lunch (and look at sasquatch) in Happy Camp. Peter, ever a patron of the arts, titling this one, "Yo Dawg, I heard you like chainsaws in your chainsaw sculptures."

At lunch, I called the Super 8 in Fortuna, and reserved us three rooms across the parking lot from Eel River Brewing.

Rambling down 96 towards Willow Creek, we got some interesting road advice from the CalTrans flagger who asked us if we'd ridden 169. We answered, "No.", and she gave us the 411. We didn't have time, but now I need to go back to check it out.

Coming out of Willow Creek, Peter's headlight went dark, so we stopped and changed it in an auto parts store parking lot in Eureka before making our way to Fortuna. Great room in Fortuna. Probably the best we stayed in out on the road - at least to that point, and the bar was right there.

Speaking of the bar, try a hamburger they make there called The Mabel. OMG! And washed down with a California Blonde Ale. Oh yeah, it's worth it.

Day 7

 

[Tally Whacker]

I try to hit the Eel River Brewery every May.

 

[DucatiHoney]

Subscribed! Not that I don't think a lot about having a bike again on these beautiful sunny days, but seeing this ride write-up literally makes my heart ache again for two wheels. I must know how this story ends! Looking forward to the next entry.

 

[flying_hun]

Day 8

We had rounded the clubhouse turn of this tour, and were in the stretch, so the only thing to do was head to the Lost Coast. Like riding 96, the Lost Coast is one of those places you'd be forgiven for forgetting that California is the most populous state in the union. Not many folks out there. Not many Californians have even heard of it, much less visited it. The climb out of Ferndale was very foggy, but we eventually broke through into the sunshine, and yes, GAJ, gobsmacked would be an accurate description of their reactions.

Dom took another cellphone vid.

Pretty fair view.

Lots of shots along the beach.

Idiots abroad.

We continued through Petrolia, Honeydew, Ettersburg, and Briceland before rejoining 101 at Redway. From there is was lots and lots of slab until we got to Ukiah and 253. arty Ooh, almost forgot! Wild irises in bloom on the Lost Coast. I love wild irises!

We stopped to get something cool to drink in Boonville before joining Mountain View to get out to Point Arena and Zen House. This was another place that gobsmacked them. While in Boonville I did a Google search for lodging in Monte Rio, and while I didn't know it at the time, scored big. Casa Secoya was everyone's favorite lodging (other than Chris & Gail's)

Peter posing with three very exotic Italians. The Goose is a Daytona, the legendary Dr. John replica. The Mondials, are, well, Mondials.

Peter was kind of like the guy in the Fiat 500 Abarth commercial.
[youtube]65D6r3F9Ejc[/youtube]

Check out the front suspension on that furthest Mondial. Quite similar to the suspension on my long-ago 1995 Pro-Flex mountain bike.

There was still a ways to go to get to Monte Rio. I figured that we would get pushed up into the hills by traffic, and that wouldn't have been a bad thing. After all, we hadn't ridden King Ridge yet, but in an unexpected turn of events, we were hardly held up at all until almost Jenner. Of course, Dom had to take another cellphone vid.

The motel doesn't staff their office 24/7 so we made arrangements in advance to check in, and it all went smoothly. This place was delightful, comfortable, quiet, and (relatively) cheap. Do recommend.

Another day in the books.

Day 8

 

[mjj]

I've been to most of those places and definitely didn't have as much fun as you guys. You've got lucky friends!

 

[Tally Whacker]

I love me some Lost Coast.

 

[N4teTheGreat]

Solid riding right here, your buddy is a lucky person!

 

[flying_hun]

Subscribed! Not that I don't think a lot about having a bike again on these beautiful sunny days, but seeing this ride write-up literally makes my heart ache again for two wheels. I must know how this story ends! Looking forward to the next entry.

Thanks, Heather! It's hard for me to imagine you without a motorcycle.

I've been to most of those places and definitely didn't have as much fun as you guys. You've got lucky friends!

Thanks! We're all lucky. Dom has been looking after my bike over there for years.

I love me some Lost Coast.

Looks like we stopped at the same spot, right by that little bridge.

Solid riding right here, your buddy is a lucky person!

Buddies! One English, the other Dutch. It's a long story, but both of them were key contributors to my finishing the Centopassi the year we met.

 

[Tally Whacker]

Looks like we stopped at the same spot, right by that little bridge.

And used the same camera, on the very same day, at that!
(that was your photo...)


I would post pics of my own from more or less the same spot, but my desktop computer is in the shop right now...

 

[budman]

Still enjoying the journey!!!

 

[flying_hun]

Day 9

Our planned overnight was back to Chris & Gail's, and from Monte Rio that's not a long way to go. This day would be our lowest mileage day, so it was important to stretch it out and make it interesting. Challenge accepted!

The first requirement was to find coffee. Peter wandered across the parking lot and found a very entertaining bakery.

He tried to charm the owner, but I'm not sure that's going to work out for him.

Our route took us towards Occidental on the Bohemian Hwy, which is a lovely road, but not that much fun when stuck in nose-to-tail construction traffic, so once in Occidental we turned towards Joy Road, which is much bumpier, but had no traffic. Then it was back to Valley Ford, then to Middle Road to zig-zag some of the roads between Dillon Beach and Tomales, pulling up short to catch Fallon-Two Rock to go around Tomales and take us to Chileno Valley. From Chileno Valley, it was Wilson Hill, Hicks Valley, then Pt. Reyes - Petaluma to get us to the Bovine Bakery, where we encountered another BARFer, xintern, on his cherry R65LS. I love the look of Hans Muth in the morning, it's the look of exotic.

After our caffeine and pastry break, we headed out to Drake's Beach where the guys were excited to see actual surfers. This is where the fun began as we headed back to 1, then south to BoFax, only having to bully a few laggards out of the way. BoFax was as it always is, with the distinction of getting overtaken by a two-smoke KTM with a plate on it. At the top, we turned south on Ridgecrest to snag some views.

Still lots of wildflowers in evidence, and even this Scottish invader.

Then I got a "brilliant" idea to have lunch at the Pelican Inn. You know, like carrying coals to Newcastle. The ride down Pan-Toll to Panoramic was mostly unimpeded, and some drivers eventually got out of our way on Panoramic. It was turning down towards Muir Woods that got frustrating.

*Rant Warning*

Shortly after getting on the road to Muir Woods we caught up a line of traffic (that got much longer) all being led by someone in a Porsche SUV. Every tight turn was first gear and slipping the clutch as this Porsche crawled around corners, and even then not managing to keep it between the painted lines. A below average driver in a 20 year old Hyundai would have been quicker. Spending a fortune on a performance car without making any attempt to improve as a driver is an exercise in status, just like doing the same with bikes. /rant

There were lots of tables available, and a delightful lunch was enjoyed by all.
Peter was the sensible one.

Dom wanted to be reminded of home.

I hadn't had any fish & chips the whole trip, but they need to work on their mushy peas!

I warned the guys that the climb over to Tam Junction would likely be slowed by frightened car drivers, but we were only held up a few times before we joined a long line near the bottom. Then we made our way across the bridge, picking up surface streets in Richmond and El Cerrito, since the fuel lights were lit on Peter's bike and mine.

One of the things they boys needed to experience was banh mi sandwiches, so we stopped by my go-to plan in Albany, Kim's, but they were closed mid-afternoon. The only thing to do was to head over the hill by climbing Marin, but the two block back up approaching the traffic circle convinced me to get off Marin and cut through Kensington to get up to Tilden, then Grizzly Peak, then down El Toyonal into Orinda. Dinner was from my favorite taco truck in El Sobrante.

Day 9, part 1

Day 9, part 2

Day 9, part 3

Another day, our shortest day, in the books. One day left, so it would need to be a long one.

 

[GAJ]

My guess is that they couldn't have a better ride if they had paid a "professional" moto guide!

One of the best BARF moto threads of the last decade!

BTW, hopefully you have found some great BBQ for the boys.

 

[budman]

*Rant Warning*

Shortly after getting on the road to Muir Woods we caught up a line of traffic (that got much longer) all being led by someone in a Porsche SUV. Every tight turn was first gear and slipping the clutch as this Porsche crawled around corners, and even then not managing to keep it between the painted lines. A below average driver in a 20 year old Hyundai would have been quicker. Spending a fortune on a performance car without making any attempt to improve as a driver is an exercise in status, just like doing the same with bikes. /rant

@ the "A below average driver in a 20 year old Hyundai would have been quicker".

 

[CDONA]

Just about all the "Good Stuff" for a whirlwind tour of Ca.

Lucky Blokes, & arty & done

 

[flying_hun]

My guess is that they couldn't have a better ride if they had paid a "professional" moto guide!

One of the best BARF moto threads of the last decade!

BTW, hopefully you have found some great BBQ for the boys.

Thank you! Maybe there's a reason for that.

 

[flying_hun]

Day 10 - Last Day Riding

I had built a little slack into the schedule just in case the guys wanted to do some conventional sightseeing. Dom had been to California a couple of times, but never ridden here. Peter had never been here before, so I thought maybe he'd want to do so SF touristy stuff. Their response? "No, we ride."

All through the tour I'd been talking about snow in the Sierra, and about slabbing across the valley. If we were going to do it, this would be the day.

If the passes were open, this would have been the day to do a Mountain View BBQ run, crossing Ebbetts, Monitor, and Sonora passes, but since those weren't available to us, I remembered that the store in Volcano usually has pretty good BBQ on weekends. Volcano for lunch then.

Over the course of the past few days, another BARFer, Kluts, had been reaching out about joining us. This would be the day. Not a ton of stops this day. We were on a mission.

After working our way through Walnut Creek to get out to Clayton, we abused Marsh Creek Road to get to the delta and Hwy 4. Crossing the delta, Peter was suddenly homesick as we rode on top of a dike with the water to our left higher than the farm fields to our right. We made short work of Stockton, then headed towards Valley Springs on 26, then up to Moke Hill to rendezvous with Kluts (Jim), who may have been surprised when he pulled up, and I yelled, "Keep your helmet on, we're leaving!" Although anyone who's done a group ride that I've led shouldn't be all that surprised.

Just up 26 from Moke Hill is the turn for Jesus Maria. It's been repaved in the past couple of years, and it's just a riot now. We had to stop to look around. Dom's reaction was, "Could you have at least stopped somewhere with a view?"

From Jesus Maria we turned left on Railroad Flat. If you haven't ridden it, the surface is kind of beat up compared to JM, but it is also a hilariously technical road that connects back to 26 and that took us to 88 where we almost immediately turned off for Volcano.

All through the foothills of the Sierra you can find lots of touristy gold rush towns, but Volcano stands out. It's not all that touristy like Jackson or Nevada City, but boy is it well preserved and authentic, and the store there would be a unique experience for our European visitors.

Pretty arty shot.

Bikes lined up out front.

Watching the world go by.

Sadly, there was no BBQ that day, however the burgers and shakes were great! Then it was time to go to the snow.

I had been up here a few weeks prior to their arrival to see if North-South Road would be open. It runs north from Cook's Station on 88 towards Mormon Emigrant trail, and when I had visited it the snow blocked us a quarter mile in, so I crossed it off the list.

From Volcano, we left on Rams Horn Grade to get on Shake Ridge Road which would take us higher, rejoining 88 bound for Kirkwood. On this day we were above 6000' before we even saw snow in the woods, but it was nice when we did see it.

And some of the melted stuff too.

Next stop would be Kirkwood. This would be a good place to see a US ski resort. The standing joke of the ten days was, "Everything is bigger in America except pints, quarts, and gallons (compared to the Imperial standards)." This was a chance to show that compared to Alpine ski resorts, ski resorts are smaller in America too.

Looking up the hill.

Group shot including Kluts.

From here, it was a long ride back. We stopped to refuel and hydrate in Valley Springs. Here's another place where I got too clever for our own good. Rather than just recross the valley on 4, I got the bright idea to cross on 12 as far as Rio Vista, picking up 160 to 4. We would have been better off on 4 from Stockton.

I had warned the guys that the section of 4 that runs from Antioch back towards 680 could get a little nuts, and when we got there, right on cue, I heard to the roar of a modified F250 diesel hard on the throttle in the number one lane being overtaken by some goober in a Challenger passing on the shoulder. It's comforting to know there are things you can depend on in these uncertain times.

We continued on 4 to Martinez to pick up Reliez Valley Road to Alhambra to Bear Creek to Orinda to give them a little bit of twisty stuff at the end. We dropped the bikes at my house, then I took the guys back to Chris & Gail's to change clothes, then we headed for the Fourth Bore for a celebratory dinner.

I always forget to look at my odo at the beginning of a tour, so I never know how far we've gone. Mapping the stuff in Google later usually understates the total mileage because it leaves out my getting lost and riding around in circles, but even that conservative estimate sums up to a respectable number. I come up with 2697 miles over ten days on mostly pretty entertaining roads. Day 9 was the shortest at 156, and Day 10 was the longest at 372, so roughly 270 miles/day for ten consecutive days. No rest days.

How did the guys like it? Dom kept repeating two things: "Tell me again why you come to England to ride motorcycles.", and, "I'm kicking myself for not taking you up on the invitation earlier (I've been inviting him for years)." Peter just smiled a lot. They're already making plans to come back. Dom is also searching for a Versys 650! Ha! I told ya! As did Zach Courts and Ari Henning.

I told them that we probably haven't ridden much more than 10% of the great roads in California, and they're eager to try more. Maybe next year just a little later in the season to get the passes.

Day 10, part 1

Day 10, part 2

Day 10, part 3

 

[budman]

Awesome.

Glad you and your blokes had a great ride

 

[Frisco]

Excellent report, my friend. You really know how to entertain visitors!

 

[SFMCjohn]

After breakfast at that little cafe in Weaverville,

we topped the tanks and headed up 3 where the climb to Scott Mountain Summit was probably my favorite bit of riding since the tour began.

awesome seeing you guys in Morro Bay, and what a fantastic ride you had after that! love this pic, because it's getting me psyched for the BARF HoHo Rally later this season ...

hope to see you again in Weaverville ...

 

[flying_hun]

Awesome.

Glad you and your blokes had a great ride

Excellent report, my friend. You really know how to entertain visitors!

awesome seeing you guys in Morro Bay, and what a fantastic ride you had after that! love this pic, because it's getting me psyched for the BARF HoHo Rally later this season ...

hope to see you again in Weaverville ...

Thanks, guys! We had a great time.