Picture 1 is a neat rock outcropping somewhere north of Jenner, CA. Picture 2 and 3 are a coupe of really unusual trees in someone's yard. Picture 4, Do I look happy or what? Picture 5 is another rock outcropping just south of Fort Bragg. Picture 6 is the harbor at Fort Bragg.
This morning I was in San Jose and would be heading north through San Francisco and then over to Bodega Bay to ride along the coast again on CA-1 up to Fort Bragg. The weather at San Jose was pretty nice, but as I approached San Francisco I could see a big cloud bank over the city and the temperature began to drop significantly and there was a dampness in the air making it feel even cooler. I was riding CA-101 into downtown San Francisco toward the Golden Gate Bridge. I could hardly see the bridge because of the clouds that shrouded its towers, but a quick glance over my right shoulder allowed me a glimpse of Alcatraz. Once over the bridge and up the hills in Sausalito, the haze began to burn off and the temperature began to rise again. Once I started to get near the ocean again you could feel the temperature begin to drop. One major difference today, however, is that the sun stayed out all day so it was not nearly as cold as it was yesterday. During the later afternoon, however, the wind did kick up again and it blew relentlessly as I rode to the north.
One section of road just north of Jenner, CA was really twisty. It was up hill with numerous switchbacks. A quick glance at my GPS unit showed a hodgepodge of road just twisting back and forth as it wound its way up the hill. This section of coast north of San Francisco was different than the section south of SF. For one thing the hills and mountains were generally not as high or as rough. A second difference is that it seemed more populated with small towns and homes along most of the way. There were more trees including some really nice sections of redwood trees, but the major redwood sections are still ahead of me. One of the things that I particularly liked about this section of road was that the rivers often created neat little ports that supported small fishing villages. This was especially true at Fort Bragg. There was a wonderful wharf area that was home to a pretty good size fishery and numerous restaurants that sell the catches of the day. They also have whale watching excursions, however this is not the season for that so I guess I would go whale watching.
I met a couple of bikers at the motel today that just rode in from the north. They both highly recommended riding on the “Avenue of the Giants” north or Eureka. They said it is well worth the extra time. They both also recommended that I take Highway 20 north of Seattle. This highway eventually connects with US-2 at the eastern end of Washington which is the road I planned to take back to Michigan anyway, so the Highway 20 looks like a good option to me.
One section of road just north of Jenner, CA was really twisty. It was up hill with numerous switchbacks. A quick glance at my GPS unit showed a hodgepodge of road just twisting back and forth as it wound its way up the hill. This section of coast north of San Francisco was different than the section south of SF. For one thing the hills and mountains were generally not as high or as rough. A second difference is that it seemed more populated with small towns and homes along most of the way. There were more trees including some really nice sections of redwood trees, but the major redwood sections are still ahead of me. One of the things that I particularly liked about this section of road was that the rivers often created neat little ports that supported small fishing villages. This was especially true at Fort Bragg. There was a wonderful wharf area that was home to a pretty good size fishery and numerous restaurants that sell the catches of the day. They also have whale watching excursions, however this is not the season for that so I guess I would go whale watching.
I met a couple of bikers at the motel today that just rode in from the north. They both highly recommended riding on the “Avenue of the Giants” north or Eureka. They said it is well worth the extra time. They both also recommended that I take Highway 20 north of Seattle. This highway eventually connects with US-2 at the eastern end of Washington which is the road I planned to take back to Michigan anyway, so the Highway 20 looks like a good option to me.
