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Winter break and Highway One

B

Bruce_H

Guest
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Winter break and Highway One, January 26th, 2012

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Many parts of the country have been locked in the death grip of winter and here has been no exception. We had snow a couple of the days followed by hundred mile per hour winds, five inches of rain in a twenty four hour period with more following over the next several days and then last week, a break. At least on Friday...

Friday was looking like the best day and rain was to be back on Sunday. Thursday I came to work, didn't see anything that needed to be done 'right this minute" so... loaded my bike and was off. I had made arrangements to stay with Tank in Brookings but because of the early start wound up with daylight to spare so continued onto Eureka. The next morning I was up early, breakfast first on the agenda. Still dark, it was so foggy that I could only see three lines in front of the bike and nothing on the edges of the road. As soon as the sun comes up this would lift, should be a nice day.


breakfast at the Cookhouse...

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Making my way south I detoured thru the Redwoods, no one here and I have the road to myself. It is not all that warm but I am geared for it so comfortable. Today's forecast was for sixty eight degrees in Fort Bragg, we'll see... I stop in this pull out to take a few photos and loose my pant liners. It isn't all that warm but I will be more comfortable without the bulk, the sun is out and I am hopeful.

Highway One, California...

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The fog is lifting as the sun makes its way thru the trees. A few more cars than I would have thought for a Friday. I only come here during the winter, can't imagine what it would be like on a busy summers day.


The fog is lifting...

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I ride thru Fort Bragg, it's not sixty eight degrees but it is fifty plus. I like this part of California and find flowers blooming along the road in places, incredible... I meander southward stopping at leisure, no place to be at any particular time. A beautiful road, the sun and blue sea, VERY NICE! There are a few roads leading inland and I will take one of them as the afternoon ends. I will need a place to stay for the evening and most likely it will be in Ukiah. As I exit the beach and pass into the central valley near Santa Rosa, finally, that sixty eight degrees that was forecast appeared. Didn't happen on the beach but did before the days end. EVEN IN JANUARY! I meander thru the back roads following my GPS and get dumped onto the main highway just as the evenings rush hour traffic from San Francisco dissipates. Smooth sailing all the way to Ukiah.

flowers in January?...

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above Bodega Bay...

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I stay in Ukiah because I can find a motel for forty five bucks, on the beach it would have been eighty. Cheap I am... The evening news says there will be no fog in the morning, that will be nice. Why won't there be any fog? Well, because the temperature will drop. Twenty eight degrees as I ride out in the morning. While there isn't any fog everything IS frosty white along the edges of the highway. I decide to stay on the main road as opposed to some of the side tracks possible, ice isn't a favorite. There isn't much traffic anyway so guess that four lanes don't matter. Somewhere in the distance I will find breakfast.

frosty morning...

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the "school house"...

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Today I will head for home, don't have to make it but will ride in the rain if I am out on Sunday. I detour thru some of the Redwoods, could go thru the Lost Coast but how much time will that take? I find several other interesting places to stop and then back thru Eureka. I stop at the school house for some photos, the elk are grazing on the front lawn. Doesn't seem all that warm to me but they are laying in the shade, go figurer...

favorite boat...

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My favorite part of the Oregon coast is between Brooking and Port Orford. There is plenty of time so stop for some coffee and a muffin. I am too early for sunset at "the boat" but stop anyway. You can see the front of the house has collapsed, winter weather hasn't been kind. I have a car and trailer in Port Orford so can stay out for the last of the light and drive home in the dark. I want to watch the sun set as I ride north along the beach.

a lone fishing boat seeks her way home...

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the sun is gone as I turn and head for my car, in a moment those grey clouds to the north will turn crimson red
a fitting end to a very nice ride...

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My weekend will be just under eight hundred and fifty miles on the bike and another three hundred in the car. I left Thursday mid morning and will be home
Saturday, late evening. How nice is that for a winter's ride? Sunday morning it is raining like a cow pissing on a flat rock...



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Thanks for riding along...
Bruce

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Very nice report nice pictures I sure would like to ride out in this part of the country someday!
:)
 
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