Alea Iacta Est

Day 7 Motorcycle adventure. I started today having breakfast in a local coffee shop in the small town of Bandon Oregon. it was nice to just sit and relax to start the day off. Then away I went toward the border. I finally hit California. After a short final blast down the Oregon coast, I crossed into California. There is something about knowing I'm in California that just put a smile on my face. The 101 here has a lot more sections that are freeway style rather than two lane byway style, which makes things a little less scenic, but also made the miles go much faster.

I saw a ton of condor in California, which was awesome, I don't think I have seen them in the wild before. Come to think of it I have seen a ton of all sorts of birds of prey on this trip. So probably one of the quickest  legs of the trip. Small towns, fast speed limits, coast, forest, mountains, repeat.

Then I hit the Avenue of the Giants, it's a 37 mile section of old 101 that goes through a giant redwood grove. It was just stunning to ride through. The trees are just SO big. Riding through this section really feels timeless. You get the sense that time just runs slower around these ancient trees. I felt like it could have been any era when I exited the forest. Even the small towns along the route seem frozen in time.

So riding through the redwoods was beautiful, but because I spent a long time in the morning at the coffee shop and got a late start, the sun was starting to get a little low in the sky for me, and I wanted to find a place to settle down for the night before it got dark. I didn't really want to do any night riding on this trip because its less scenic, and more dangerous especially on twisty roads.

My original plan was to stay on 101 until highway 20 and cut across California that way. But looking at the map late in the day, I decided that I couldn't leave California without seeing the coast one last time. So a last second decision and a right turn onto California highway 1, and a somewhat scary ride began. It was the end of the day so I was tired, and the highway was some of the tightest turniest road that I've ever been on, I was impatient to be at the campsite for the night and was riding a little too fast. 

I had a couple of scary corners, and then on top of everything the sun went down and I was riding in the dark. But I was pretty well committed to the route, and so continued somewhat impatiently towards Fort Bragg, where I had decided to stay for the night. The coast was beautiful though and it was worth it to be a little frustrated with my route for a time. It was however foggy and cold at 9:30 at night, and I didn't want to be cold all night so I decided to get a hotel instead. I checked into the Ocean Side Inn so here I am.

The sunset was really awesome to witness. I was riding when it went down, so didn't get any pictures of it but the sun was bright red for whatever reason, and even after when I got to the coast the red hue still lingered on the horizon.

Mileage Day 7 - 362

Cumulative Mileage - 2336

Song I sang most in my helmet - Sail by AWOLNATION

Continental Divide Counter - 8