Saturday, Aug 6, 2011
After an in camp breakfast the group of 5 break camp. With bikes loaded the group splits up to head in three different directions. Dave and Carl headed back toward highway 1 then on to 101 where Dave headed south to go home and Carl headed north to our Saturday evening camp site. Tom, Randy and Marc continued north on Usal Road. Somewhere after the short patch of pavement at the Briceland Thorn intersection Usal Road turns into Chemise Mountain Rd. That road meets Shelter Cove road where we took a wrong turn. Our error was discovered within a mile on that bit of pavement. After backtracking we took Kings Peak road.
Tom had already zigged once when he should have zagged, leaving the front tire of his GS in some soft stuff resulting in a short nap for the GS. On Kings Peak Road he was well in front of us as I’d stopped to wait for Randy who’d stopped to answer the call of nature. Apparently Tom was going a bit too fast when he hit a wet spot with a short, steep bank and tumbled over the handlebars, dropping the bike for the second time this ride. Total damage: a broken front turn indicator. I was perhaps doing the opposite, going a bit too slow when I hit the same patch. The rear tire stepped out on me, leaving me and the GS on the ground. Total damage: a dent in my cook set and a bent luggage loop on a pannier lid. link
The rest of the ride was uneventful. The lost coast was beautiful (and windy) as alway. We met Carl at the Eel River Brewing Co at 3 PM for a late lunch (early dinner?) before riding the final 30 miles to the campground for an enjoyable evening. Pictures and video from the second day follow.
nap time
Time to lift
Leaving Honeydew
Lost coast
Lost coast residents
More lost coast
Fog ahead
Into the fog
video: rough road ahead
