Day 12 - June 12, 2014

 

Doug is still smiling.  We were/are still on The Pacific Coast Highway,

headed north.

 

This is a photo at one of the stops along the way.  We were

high above the beach and water below.  The winds were very strong, and

what appears to be a peaceful scene was very cool, with strong gusty winds.

 

After awhile this morning we again left the shoreline and rode inland.

The mountains were rugged and appeared endless.

 

Then as we approached our evening's destination we begin to see the

evergreens, the cedars, pines, and of course some of the redwoods.

 

 

Day twelve.  All is well.  Overnight in Eureka, California.

 

Our day began in Santa Rosa, California.  It was 57 degrees when we at last loaded our bikes, and began our trip for a new day.  Most of the day kept us along or near the coast and the temperature did not rise above 63 degrees, and was mostly below 60 with gusty winds.

 

The coastline and the road was much the same as yesterday, but as we travelled farther north we began to see evergreen trees, particularly pines and cedars.  These were most apparent in the areas where the highway pulled away from the shoreline to allow us to navigate the very mountainous terrain during this stretch.  The smells of the evergreens were all around us as we rode north through the dark tree-lined road.  It was a smell like the mountain areas of Montana, or the areas around Flagstaff, Arizona or Durango, Colorado, smells that I recall from another time.  The smell was a blend of the leaves, the bark, and the dryness of the ground all around.

 

The scenery along the ocean front, or in the forested highway was amazingly beautiful.  The road surfaces were generally good, but still perplexing in that it is apparent that during construction no thought was given to the moving traffic that would follow.  Most of the road surfaces in the curves are flat, and some curves have an outward banking, making the curves more difficult than they should be.  This has been continuous since the beginning of our ride on this road, so we rode accordingly.

 

In most instances California Highway One is the Pacific Coast Highway, and in places Highway One and US Highway 101 share the same road.  Today we were on Highway One most of the day, but near Fort Bragg we took California Highway Twenty east where we picked up US 101 (which is also called "The Redwood Highway" in this area, and followed that to our destination, Eureka, California (Pop. 27,000).

 

Eureka is 100 miles south of the Oregon border, and is 270 miles north of San Francisco.  Eureka is the largest city of a population of 25,000 or more between San Francisco and Portland, and has hundreds of Victorian homes located in the Old Town District of the city.  Tomorrow.

 

The Redwood Highway / US 101 was well populated with motorcycle traffic, which is something we have not seen much of at any point along our route, going back to day one.  But, 101 was different, at least for our time on it this afternoon, beginning in Willits, California.  We saw large groups of motorcyclist, many of whom had bedrolls, and yet others had baggage of some kind, both indicative of a future or past overnight stay.

 

Our trip continued uninfluenced and on course.

 

Another good day.