Well I got home at 8:30 this morning, and for those of you who couldn’t make it, you missed out on a GREAT weekend!
The accommodations were spectacular. We got more than half off the price on of one of the finest hotels.
Upon arrival we relaxed in the veranda area waiting for the ladies to return from shopping.
We were joined by our hosts who gave us boxes of home made photo cards and home made oatmeal squares to snack on. I really can’t think of a time I went on a bike trip and got party favors of any kind, let alone home made ones like these! We chatted until happy hour where we took advantage of the half price menu in the bar and made that our dinner. Then we strolled across the road to watch the sunset over the bay and eat ice cream.
Saturday we had kickstands up at 7am (one person was late, but we won’t mention him and we didn’t leave him either), and then off to an excellent breakfast. Then we made our way out to the coast, up the coast, had lunch at Arena Point, and continued on to Fort Bragg, Willits and back home. Great views the whole way. The weather was nice, cool along the coast, and warmer inland. Traffic, for the most part was pretty light all day, except for the return trip from Willits where we had to battle the congestion in the construction zones. Back at Tiburon, dinner included an excellent view of the bay, good Mexican food, the introduction of the “Lumber Jack”, and some “Creative Awards.”. I was tuckered out and slept soundly that night.
Sunday we had kick stands up at 8am and breakfast in Sausalito. The view of the bay under clear sunny skies was a killer.....
,….And so was the waitress, but someone else will have to share that one.
Then off to spectacular views of the Golden Gate Bridge, from under it,
And over it.
We also saw the cold war era Nike Missile Base, and a ride to the top of Mt. Tamalpais.
When we said goodbye after Sunday lunch, I felt like one of the luckiest people in the world to have known everyone and to have shared in the great weekend. I didn't take that many pictures this trip, mostly because the whole weekend was an existentialistic event for me and I just wanted to live in, and appreciate each and every moment of it.
From a personal stand point, my iPod seemed to play appropriate music most of the time. Listening to Bob Seeger sing “Against The Wind” was perfect for the ride up the on the 5 Fwy as the gusty headwinds made my mpgs fall into the low 30s. That effect made Jackson Browns “Running On Empty” all the more real as my 5 gallon tank seemed to get smaller as the miles went by. On the ride from Ft. Bragg to Willits, Sheryl Crowes “Every Day Is A Winding Road” could not have been more perfect. The Allman Brothers “Midnight Rider” was on as I was pulling into Buellton at 11:30pm to find a room. When I hit the starter button at 4:30am today Willie Nelson was singing “On The Road Again”. It was Randy Newman’s “I Love LA”, as I rolled into the San Fernando Valley. The ride ended with Seeger’s “Roll Me Away” as I came into my neighborhood. And I wanted to do just that, turn around and head back out.
Good people and good times. One could not ask for better.
Anne, Chris, Melanie and Roger, thanks for putting together a GREAT WEEKEND!
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Topic: California's Mendocino Coast (Read 16347 times)