Saturday–Monday, 20–22 May 2017
Marc Writes:
Saturday
Sunrise
I was on the road before 6 AM to meet Tom and Carl for breakfast at Marvin’s in Novato. The sun was barely peaking over the mountains in the east. I got to Novato a bit early and stopped at a gas station. Tom was there, also filling up for the trek north. We rode to Marvin’s. Carl arrived just as we were getting off our bikes.
Marvin’s is normally quite busy. Not today. The “closed for vacation” sign on the door explained why. Oh well. We can go to the place that used to be the Golden Omelet. It’s only a couple blocks down the streen. Except it was not only closed, the building is empty sporting a for lease sign. There is a coffee house across the street that had pre made breakfast sandwiches and burritos that they heat and serve. It will do. Tom added a Scuffin (cross between a scone and a muffin) which he shared with me.
On the road
Carl leading
Ave of the Giants
Good-bye blue sky
After breakfast we hit the road. Today’s trek was going to be 101 all the way. Well, almost all the way. We had time to take the Avenue of the Giants. 101 is still recovering from the spring storms with several places limited to one way traffic. There was also a 10 or 15 minute delay behind a crew putting Botts’ Dots on the road at about 1/2 mile per hour.
Lunch was at the Eel River Brewery. After lunch we rode around Eureka to Patricks Point and set up camp. Once camp was set up I rode into Trinidad for some more firewood (we bought some in camp) and beer. We drank beer, told lies, cooked dinner, started a nice fire, and other typical camping activities. We also took a walk to the bluffs overlooking the Pacific. By 9 PM we were ready to retire. Tomorrow Tom has a special ride planned.
Beer time
Three tents
Green and grey
Patricks Point
Looking west
Sunday
Bikes ready
Back on 101
We had breakfast in camp and got ready to hit the road for points north. The plan was to ride to Crescent City then take US 199 into Southern Oregon where we’d pick up Happy Camp Rd AKA Grayback Rd over Grayback to Happy Camp in Northern California and Lunch. Nice plan. We were on the road before 9 AM.
Find the elk
US 199
We stopped to admire some Elk near Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park. We may camp there some year. It’s 15-20 miles north of Patricks Point. We took 199 into Oregon and stopped at O’Brien to remove some layers. O’Brien Rd takes us to Waldo Rd which takes us to – a sign saying road closed due to snow 12 miles ahead.
Snow? This late in the season. Maybe we can get through, anyway. I don’t know if it was 12 miles, but a couple of hundred feet below the summit Tom and I were riding around downed trees and half a roadway covered with snow to eventually get to the spot where the entire roadway was covered in snow that soon looked to be a foot or more deep. We turned around. Carl had already decided that weaving around downed trees was not his thing. He’d stopped about 1/2 mile below.
We’d better turn around
About a foot deep
Lunch Stop
Change of plans. Back down the mountain and into Cave Junction, Or. for lunch. Which we did. Carlos serves OK Mexican food in large servings. We broke out the maps while waiting for lunch to look for alternate routes back to camp. None found. We’ll have to backtrack down US 199.
We made it back to camp in time for Tom and Carl to take a nap before heading into Trinidad for dinner at the Seascape. I sat back in my Kermit chair and finished a magazine I’d been reading. After dinner we went back to camp and tried our best to use up the firewood before going to bed. About 9:30 PM I was the last one standing. I stirred the fire to knock down the flames before going to my tent. There were still 4 or 5 chunks of wood that had never seen flame. The next camper can use them.
Sunday
We broke camp early the next morning and hit the road about 7:30 AM. Breakfast was in T’s Cafe in Arcata. Good breakfast, too. After breakfast we got back on 101 with stops in Laytonville for gas and Cloverdale for a milkshake. The temperature in Cloverdale was about 92°. The temperature going over the Golden Gate bridge an hour and a half later was 56°. I was still geared up for 92°. Brrrr.
I got home about 3:30. Great trip in spite of the obstacles to our plans.
Pictures from Carl
