Tuesday, August 9, 2016

Day 3 - Aug 8 Redwood Delight

Today we enjoyed a ride that we hoped would be the type of riding we will encounter over and over on this trip. We were on the road by 8am with a plan to make it to Crescent City, CA by day's end.  We left Windsor on 101 North and turned off on CA 128 to get us to the 1.  What a treat that road is!  We were surprised to learn it's not marked as a scenic route in the Harley atlas.  It winds it's way through vineyards and certainly provides a refresher in riding twisties.
 
After a brief break at a cool little place in Navarro, we got our first glimpse of the coast.  It was spectacular.  As we cruised along 1 towards Leggett the views were just like postcards or the movies but even better as it was live.  The weather was perfect for riding the coast.  As expected, it was a bit cooler but comfortable with a leather coat on and perfectly clear.  We did get off the bikes long enough to touch the pacific ocean and snap a few pics. 




 
At Leggett, 1 rejoins 101 and we couldn't pass up the opportunity to drive through a giant redwood tree called the Chandelier Tree.  Yes, we got pics.  Still struggling to get pics to upload to this blog, but we continue to work at it.  After lunch and fuel, we headed for Eureka.  The Redwood forests are amazing to ride through and it's surprising how you can seemingly be deep in a forest and almost simultaneously be on the coast. The smell of the forest is magnificent.  It's also fascinating to see how the trees can nearly block out the sun to provide shade and at times almost darkness in the middle of the day.



 
As we departed Eureka for Crescent City, CA we were again treated to all that one could hope the coast of California would offer.  The scenery was incredible.  It's hard to find the words to describe it and I doubt the pictures will do it justice either.  May we suggest that you make time to ride it yourself at some point. 


 
Stats for the day - Total miles today 330; Time to travel that distance: 11.5 hours. Cumulative miles = 1205
Poker hand (5 card stud) winner: Nicki with a pair of aces
1st injury: Tim got stung by a bee that got caught in the sleeve of his jacket as he took it off at lunch in Leggett.
Tomorrow we head for the Oregon coast

2 comments:

  1. Love that part of California and Oregon. It only gets better! Love the views of the coast there. I've never ridden the redwoods. Sounds great.

    Good blog! Looking forward to the pics. Shiny side up!

    Casey

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  2. So glad you got a clear day to ride that part of California. It can be a bitch in the fog! We used to live in the redwoods, they are so special and unique! As Casey said, can't wait for the pics. Stay safe and have fun! Sandi & Will (Enjoying the trip with you)

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