Short Way Down...Day 2

We woke, packed and fueled the bike and rode 16 miles South to the Trees of Mystery Park before all the ankle biting, screaming, sandwich grabbers arrived on scene. The reason we take vacation in early June and late September is to avoid the hoards of kids. One, two, maybe even four well behaved brats at one time is fine, a park full of the wretched, snot nosed, petri dishes drive me insane. So it was nice to be there early to get pictures of Paul and Babe and tour the trees in quiet, peaceful, bliss.




We hugged some trees...



and rode up the Sky Trail which is a very nice addition to the park and making the tour worth the price of admission.



After the tour we heard Paul welcome visitors with a "good afternoon" and had to find a clock to confirm time had slipped by us again. We suited up and headed to Eureka.

Unfortunately, the State of California thought it best to 4 lane Highway 101 and 'Scenic Bypass' most of the coast. Where were the twisty roads full of motor homes and VW vans I remembered as a child? We did discover and enjoyed the ride through Newton B. Drury Parkway albeit a short ride.

It wasn't long before we discovered that touring on a motorcycle and sightseeing on a motorcycle were two different things. We had hoped to stop at numerous locations along the coast but every stop was an ordeal. Dismount, remove the gear, find the camera, lock up our gear, take a picture and then all over again in reverse order. We made it to Eureka, rode through smelly Old Town, turned 180º and headed back to Oregon. We decided to head toward 199 up to Grass Pants and somewhere along the way I twisted the throttle and Brandy knew we were headed home.

We cut the trip short a day, I know we didn't go far enough south to enjoy Highway 1 and I don't regret making the trip at all. We had a great time, but it wasn't the right trip on a motorcycle. Sometimes it is the destination and the unexpected stops that make the journey.