Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Day 7

Final location: Wright's Beach State Park; Final odometer: 19896; Total this trip: 3571.8


Took it slow getting ready as I "thought" I had plenty of time to get over to San Francisco and up the coast. Maybe even to Shelter Bay where Don, Skid and Sandy were going to stay. I chatted once again with Andy from Wichita and we headed our separate ways.


The ride up to Yosemite was nice. All the overcast had cleared up. Here is the drive up toward the park and a shot looking back on the road just traveled.

Tioga Pass into Yosemite is at 9945 feet and you realize fast how high you are. Any activity leaves you breathless. In one of the Visitor Centers in the park, I talked about this to one of the ladies and she said she has been there for a long time and sometimes even she still feels the affect from it.

Someday, my backyard will look like this...

Some great riding through the park and I didn't get to see it all. But riding in nice weather, wherever you are with scenery surrounding you, the smells of the outdoors, the wind in your face, you throw your head back and close your eyes, soaking it all in and embossing it into your memor--- HEY! Open your eyes - you're still riding!


[Update: Panorama improved with Microsoft ICE.] A crude patchwork panorama of Tenaya Lake. Going through untouched landscape does stimulate all your senses. The panorama is far superior to the view you get from a car (or camera), the sensation of wind of different temperatures hitting your face from different directions, the smells that come from many sources - the plants, the road, the rain and yes, the rocks. As I drove by a rock face on my right with the sun on my left, I could feel the reflected heat as well as smell the rocks as the warmed in the sun. Yes, rocks smell. As I went throught the desert and the forests, I could smell various plants whether they be sagebrush, sandalwood, cypress, pine - I don't know but it smelled nice. Then I reallized it was just my sunscreen. But the landscape CAN smell darn nice sometimes, OK?

Somewhere west of Yosemite, I think almost at Moccasin, this road wrapped right around a valley. I stopped for gas in Big Oak Flat, CA looking for gas and ice. Their ice box wasn't keeping the ice frozen but the nice girl there took pity on me and let me fill my cooler with ice from the machine in the back of the store - free! Thank you!

This was the third wind farm I had seen this trip. I was located in Altamonte Pass and there were literally hundreds of windmills of all shapes and sizes.

Along I580, a good citizen beeped at me, indicating I had something loose. It was just a bungy cord which was quickly snapped back into place. Kudos to you, citizen, for lending a helping hand!

I crossed the Bay Bridge, snapping a couple of pictures but nothing worthy of posting. I took a wrong turn somewhere and ended up on Geary, heading west. I figured as long as I went north and west I would end up near the Golden Gate Bridge anyway. I stopped for gas in the city as I was below half and knew I'd be up on Route 1, plus it seemed cheaper in the city than not. I asked for directions and as I was at Geary and Park Presidio, I was right where I needed to be. I headed up PP, waving at Carsten's house as I went by.

The temperature had dropped significantly as I approached the city. I put on my jacket at the gas station, thankfully as it was pretty cool, breezy and foggy crossing the bridge.

As you can see, a bit foggy.

I stopped at the Visitor Center at the north end of the bridge. In the second picture, that's Alcatraz just out of the fog.

I like to scope out the marks, er, fellow tourists and find a couple taking each other's pictures. I then offer to take their picture together and then ask them to take mine. They hate it when I turn their camera around and take a picture of myself. (JK)

I also chatted with a young fellow who was hanging around my bike. He had ridden the Honda (VTX 1300, I think) from Virginia and was nearing the end of his three week journey. Fare thee well, intrepid young traveler!



We made it to the coast!! Right after the bridge, I followed Route 1 to the Muir Woods cutoff. Tricky little road but ended up at the park and it was packed. I would have had to park in another lot and I didn't feel like walking all that much in my biker garb so I headed back out the way I came in, not knowing that if I had continued on, it would have rejoined Route 1. That's OK, this way, I haven't missed any of it.





Just north of Bodega Bay, I stopped at Salmon Creek state campground (part of the Sonoma Coast State Beach) but they were booked. The nice young lady there gave me a brochure on sites but told me that the next one up, Wright's Beach (also part of the Sonoma Coast State Beach and labeled one of the most dangerous beaches in California due to riptides) just had a cancelation. I tried there, having doubts, looked at the spot and decided to stay even though it was only about 6:30 or so. I'm glad I did, it was a very pleasant spot, spot 13 if you're ever here. Upon the recomendation of the lady at the gate, I took off for some dinner at an Indian restaurant (well, ALL the lifeguards eat there) after I set up the tent.


The Sizzling Tandori (9960 Highway 1, Jenner, CA) was 5 miles up the coast and quite busy for being so remote (must be good then, right?. Someone was building a pretty nice hous up there. I had lamb vindaloo, washed down with a 26oz bottle of Flying Horse Royal Lager from India. The lamb was good, not very spicy even though I had ordered it so.


I then came back to the tent, finished setting up and relaxed for the evening.

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