Monday–Wednesday, 25–27 Jul 2016
Rob writes
Rest stop N of Clear Lake
Glenn, Sonoma coast
Sonoma Coast
2004 HD Classic and 2014 Indian "big blue Beast"
Bodega Bay
The Northern California ride scheduled for June of this year did not happen. People’s lives are busy and it never took off even though in years past it proved to be a fun and enjoyable ride. This year my brother Dave Hyman died of cancer in the first week of June and that is the reason I did not attend. People suggested I put together a replacement ride to Fort Bragg and advise the group of the departure date.
Trying to get commitments from this group is like pulling teeth out of
your own head. Very hard and painful! Keep in mind the perpetual motto
of our Sunday Morning Breakfast Club is that: “When you ride with us,
you ride alone!” Several calls, emails, and internet posts were made to
attempt to gather interested riders. The idea was quite simple. Do a
ride up the great California coast and avoid the interior summer heat.
Spend a night or two in a relatively well priced place walking distance
to dinner.
I was the only rider who attended from California. Glenn Fritz showed up and he started from Carson City, Nevada. See the photo of our bikes. Mine is the “Big Blue Beast” 2014 Indian Chieftain I just purchased a few months ago in San Diego, Ca. Glen rode his 2004 Harley Davidson Ultra Classic that he has been riding for over a year already since he sold his prior Harley once owned by Inar Christainson.
Monday
I departed SF (58 degrees) at around 6:30AM at first light leaving on a Monday on purpose. Glenn was already in Williams off I-5 in central California. I agreed to meet him there early to avoid the heat and head over the coast as soon as possible to be in the cool weather. We had breakfast at Granzellas which is thee place in town. It is a restaurant, bar, snack shop, gift shop, deli and winery all in one and they even serve gelato ice cream. www.granzellas.com
By 9:00AM it was almost 90 degrees. You have to check out their bar full of mounted animals from all over the world. A 9 foot high polar bear graces one corner of the bar. Headed west on 20 over to the north side of Clear Lake. Good ride and the north side of the lake offers great views and resting spots. When you ride with Glenn, its good to stop often. He needs to pee and smoke and not necessarily in that order. Traffic was light and we owned the road. Made it to Willits and stopped for drinks and gas before heading over the Jackson State Forest which is scenic and curvy taking you into the old lumber town of Fort Bragg.
Arrived Travelodge which is walking distance to the ocean if you want to check out the famed glass beach. Google Fort Bragg Glass Beach. Very interesting stuff.
Dinner in town was at the Mendo Bistro. Pricey! This old coastal lumber town thinks it is Carmel by the Sea! Tourism is quite down as of late and the Skunk Train is currently not working so that is a big drag on their local economy. Gas however was $2.89 for premium. Good to gas up here as it gets more expensive as you go south to Mendocino.
Tuesday
Coffee in room and waived goodbye to a group from Canada riding for over a month. Cruised south and headed to Mendocino for breakfast. Very scenic spots along the Mendocino County Coast. Continued south to Point Arena. No sense paying to enter the lighthouse as we were completely fogged in here. Glen noticing weird sounds coming from his exhaust system. Down 1 we go and into Gualala which has gas, good coffee, bathrooms and more. The sun came out and temp hovered around 70. We are wondering where the nearest Harley shop is and I know there is one near Santa Rosa. Continued south at leisure pace and stopping often to let Harley cool. Still very limited traffic and that is a very good thing. Came to my favorite spot in Sonoma County the Tides Wharf where we hung out with the sea gulls. See photo.
Joke of day from Glenn
Bill Clinton and a secret service staffer go on a jog in the morning. Staffer asks Bill what he has going on after the run. He says ”I cant wait to go upstairs at the white house and rip Hillary’s panties right off!”
Staffer asks, “feelin kind of horny today huh?
Bill responds, “No, I have to take the panties off, they are riding up high into the crack of my ass!”
One thing about Glenn, he loves to tell jokes and stories.
No cheap motels near Bodega so we headed back east and into the heat in search of Harley shop and hotel. Found both. Harley in Cotati made a quick fix of the exhaust issue. Didn’t cost a dime. Overnighted at Rodeway Inn less than one mile away and close to the Sonoma County Harley Shop on Redwood Drive.
Wednesday
Returned to the Harley shop to kick some tires and buy a t shirt. I had set up a coffee meeting with a local buddy and we rendezvoused at the nearby Peetes at the 101 116 intersection. Sat outside with about 10 noisey roosters. Glenn headed south to rendezvous with his lady friend and I rode back west Marin through Tamales, Point Reyes Station and on to Marshall for a lunch overlooking the Tamales Bay. A very nice trip ended after riding across the Golden Gate Bridge an on to my house in SF. So glad we went mid week to avoid the crowds. Some of you missed a very good ride.