Day 42 - Fort Bragg to Manchester Beach

Day 42 (June 15)

Fort Bragg to Manchester Beach

I spent most of the morning drinking coffee and updating the blog.

In the Super 8 lobby, I was amused to hear “Hotel California” on the sound system – I wouldn’t think that was quite the image that they want to convey – “you can check out any time you like, but you can never leave”

Then, when making calls and plans for when I hit the Bay Area, I found out that my favorite massage therapist and all-around great person Ravenlight has metastatic pancreatic cancer, and isn't expected to live long.  She's doing everything that she can to beat it

While getting coffee, I saw Ike + Christa in the lobby, which really surprised me, as I expected them to be 40 miles further down the road.  Ike hadn’t been feeling well the day before and decided to stop in Fort Bragg for the night.

When I finally rode out, I just wanted to put some miles on.

Nice little views just kept popping up the whole day:

A really cool peek-a-boo view

A pretty little cove

I saw a pair of some sort of wild weasel (or other muscarene) just before getting to the bridge over Salmon creek.  A pair of them ran out into the road, saw me, and dashed back to their burrow in the hillside.  These guys were tiny - they had to be less than a pound apiece. 

I also saw a new (to me) brand of WWII era BMW knockoff - (this isn't a Ural or any of the other brands I'm familiar with)

This reminds me that I still want to get a hack (motorcycle with sidecar) 

And another picturesque cove:

I was just arriving in Mendocino (the town) when I heard the tink tink of a broken spoke.  I pulled off to the side of the road and called my father - I told him that I'd broken two spokes, and that if I broke another, I didn't want to ride off - would he be available to give me a ride if that happened.  He said that yes, that would certainly be possible.  So I loaded up again and headed back out on the road.

In Elk, I saw a little pub and decided that stopping for a pint would be good

I had a nice porter and spoke with the Chinese woman tending bar.  She said that she'd been there for about 3 years.  She'd arrived one weekend and basically never left.

About an hour and a half I reached Manchester beach, looked over the state campground, and decided that I'd go to the KOA again.  Hot showers, you know.  Well, it turned out that this KOA had even more amenities, like a kitchen space and a hot tub, both of which I took advantage of.

There were four other cyclists there - three guys heading south quickly, turning centuries, and one guy heading north slowly, going to Seattle and then turning east - all the way to the east coast.  You go Carlos - have a blast along the way.

Music:

Rick James – Street Songs (2^nd ½)

Robert Earl Keen – Walking Distance

Roberta Flack – Softly with these songs

Rolling Stones – Sticky Fingers

Roomful of Blues – watch you when you go

Scissor Sisters – Take Your Mama (CD single)

Sheryl Crow – Tuesday Night Music Club

Distance 41.8 miles

Max 45 mph

Average ~9 mph