Mendocino ride... yeah!

Just got back from a 2 day ride - 101 up to 128 to Mendocino, then 1 up to
101 (the "ride through the giant tree" thing), then back down, taking a
detour via the Silverado trail (reverse, coming in through 128E, a tad
tricky to get there sign wise), Napa, stop in san Francisco, and then back
home. I stayed in what seemed to be the last bed available in a B&B in
downtown Mendocino.

I was amazed that I hardly saw any bikes from 101 to the coast on 128 -
beautiful ride, and then again that last strip from Fort Bragg to Leggett,
which other than patches of gravel is a stunning motorcycle road. I saw *no*
bikes on 128 going to the coast, and just one earlier on Hwy 1 around Fort
Bragg (passing a car that was doing 65 over the yellow line, too, nice
move), and then nothing. I saw bunches of bikes on 101 and then on the
Silverado trail.

It was my first multi-hundred mile trip since my hand is back to 80%. I had
a blast, and my hand only cramped on occasion. I am officially asddicted to
that part of our collective (literally) woods. Next time up I am heading
down from Mendocino to Bodega Bay through 1, which I hear is a 6 hour ride
(on a competently ridden Harley). Maybe in 2 weeks.

Oh - a word of advice: cars and trucks that are driven decently ahead of us
at passable speeds are excellent deer ploughs around there. I had one or the
other Bambi moment when I happened to be riding by myself... Having some of
those faster cars ahead eased my mind, even though of course one still needs
to watch out.

It was a *beautiful* ride. My hand's sore as I type this, but hey, only one
way to get it to adapt!


....pablo

pablo wrote:
> Just got back from a 2 day ride - 101 up to 128 to Mendocino, then 1 up to
> 101 (the "ride through the giant tree" thing), then back down, taking a
> detour via the Silverado trail (reverse, coming in through 128E, a tad
> tricky to get there sign wise), Napa, stop in san Francisco, and then back
> home. I stayed in what seemed to be the last bed available in a B&B in
> downtown Mendocino.
>
> I was amazed that I hardly saw any bikes from 101 to the coast on 128 -
> beautiful ride, and then again that last strip from Fort Bragg to Leggett,
> which other than patches of gravel is a stunning motorcycle road. I saw *no*
> bikes on 128 going to the coast, and just one earlier on Hwy 1 around Fort
> Bragg (passing a car that was doing 65 over the yellow line, too, nice
> move), and then nothing. I saw bunches of bikes on 101 and then on the
> Silverado trail.
>
> It was my first multi-hundred mile trip since my hand is back to 80%. I had
> a blast, and my hand only cramped on occasion. I am officially asddicted to
> that part of our collective (literally) woods. Next time up I am heading
> down from Mendocino to Bodega Bay through 1, which I hear is a 6 hour ride
> (on a competently ridden Harley). Maybe in 2 weeks.
>
> Oh - a word of advice: cars and trucks that are driven decently ahead of us
> at passable speeds are excellent deer ploughs around there. I had one or the
> other Bambi moment when I happened to be riding by myself... Having some of
> those faster cars ahead eased my mind, even though of course one still needs
> to watch out.
>
> It was a *beautiful* ride. My hand's sore as I type this, but hey, only one
> way to get it to adapt!
>
>
> ...pablo
>
>

Great to hear you're back in the saddle! I remember a post-frontal day,
delivering a package from the city to Ft. Bragg. It being a spring
weekday, I was the only person on the road most of the way. It was
breathtaking. Like being in a Honda commercial. A most memorable ride,
that was!

--
--
Barb
Chaplain, ARSCC
http://members.cox.net/bwarr1/index.htm

"Comparing Scientology to a motorcycle gang is a gross, unpardonable
insult to bikers everywhere. Even at our worst, we are never as bad as
Scientology."
-ex-member, Thunderclouds motorcycle "club"