I got a lot of work done (out of necessity) while we packed up. The whole day pretty much centered around Devin so he's going to take the blog reins:
So my day started out pretty good. It was a little chilly, but Erin thought it was arctic. If it is 99 instead of 100 degrees out, she gets a sweater. Anyways, I was packing up things while she worked and I accomplished this:
That is a perfectly rolled tent. The amount of material was evenly distributed throughout the length of it and I got all the air out and it was so amazing I thought I would share my glory with you. Aside from the birds, the day started out good. We packed up easily and left at a decent hour. We didn't really research the campground much before we reserved the site, so we ended up in the middle of nowhere. It was about a 15 mile ride into Fort Bragg, CA where we stopped at a Safeway to get some donuts for breakfast. We were just going to get a couple each, but they ended up being $1.19 each or a dozen for $6.something less than 50. (We got the dozen, which was a hassle later on). So we got our donuts and went across the street for gas and coffee.
About the gas pumps in CA.... They all have a vapor recovery thingy on the nozzle that has to be pressed down when you put the nozzle in the tank or it won't pump. It would be great for cars, it is just a hassle on a bike. I haven't been able to get a full tank of gas since we have been in this state....
So we went down the road wanting to find a small pulloff or scenic area to eat breakfast and we tried a few places that ended up not being good for stopping (unpaved, no place to park with the trailer, etc.) when we found a small beach with some good logs. We went out and sat and it didn't take long for the birds to see the bright sprinkles and crowd around us. Erin, being the wildlife ambassador she is, picked up a small rock and tossed it towards the birds and hit one! That did the trick and we ate in peace. We got on the road again and started on towards San Fransisco. The road was amazing for riding. The corners just kept coming and coming. After about 100 miles, my hands were worn out from all the clutching and braking I was doing. I bet I shifted the bike close to 1000 times today, it was insane. I got some (bad) coffee and Erin got hot chocolate. I filled up the bike and we sat on the curb and took a break.
I almost forgot, before we stopped for gas, we pulled off on an overlook and saw a few seals playing in the water. They were a lot of fun to watch, but with the distance and clouds, it was impossible to get a picture.
Although the day was very entertaining for me, it must have been a bit boring for Erin. You can only see so much coastline and curves before it gets tiring. I could tell she was falling asleep because every once in while, her head would fall forward and her helmet would hit the back of mine. She would also lean up and ask where we were and how long she had been asleep from time to time.
We FINALLY made it to the Golden Gate Bridge and got ready to go across. I stayed in the far right lane, staying out of the way of the speed demons. It was really cool. There were some clouds over the top, so we couldn't see the whole thing at once, it just appeared a bit at a time as we rode along.
I didn't get to look around as much as I would have liked, I had to stay in my lane and keep a steady speed... But I did catch a glimpse of Alcatraz and that was pretty neat. When we were coming up to the bridge, a sign said the toll was $6 for autos, not too bad. Well we got across the bridge and pulled up to the toll booth. The lady inside looked at us, then peered out the window and looked at the trailer, then looked at us again. She then said "You have three axles, I have to charge you $18." I tried to argue that the trailer hardly weighed anything, but she wasn't hearing any of it. I voiced my displeasure with the loud pipes and a very loud (but not very fast, that trailer really drags us down) takeoff.
I was pretty ticked off, but Erin jumped online on her phone and checked the bridge website and sure enough, three axles was 18 bucks....... I guess it counts, even though its only 4 wheels total! So the traffic in the city was pretty heavy and I was a bit nervous about it at first. The other drivers were giving me plenty of space, and I calmed down a lot. The only thing I couldn't get used to is the motorcycles splitting lanes. I guess in California it is legal for motorcycles to cut between the lanes of traffic during traffic jams and keep on going. If I tried that with the trailer, there would be some very unhappy people! So we made it out of the city and right back into more twisty roads. By now, they were more exhausting than entertaining. Luckily it was only about 10 miles or so of them before it turned back into a freeway.
Erin was searching around on the Internet for a good place to eat and found one near where we were, so I got off of the freeway and headed into a town, but I can't remember the name. Both sides of the road on the way in were strawberry fields as far as we could see, which wasn't very far because it was almost dark but you get the point. It smelled amazing all the way into town. The town started out nice, with some upscale car dealers and other nice businesses, then went downhill from there. We got to the restaurant and just didn't feel safe being in the area, so I circled around a block and we got back on the freeway. A short way down the road brought us to a place called The Whole Enchilada. It was a seafood/mexican restaurant that looked nice. Erin had handmade lobster ravioli with prawns, and I had grilled snapper fish tacos. Both dishes were excellent.
By this time it was dark and getting colder. I think we were maybe about 15 miles out from the hotel, so we hightailed it there and got checked in. We stayed at a travelodge in Monterey, and it ended up being extremely nice, especially for how cheap it was for the night. It was nice to have a hot shower, warm bed,our own bathroom, carpet, a heater, hard walls, a lamp, a door, etc, etc.........
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