Member Contributer michaelf3 Posted August 10, 2009 Member Contributer Share Posted August 10, 2009 July 17-20, 2009 Trip A. Start in Orange County, Ca on July 17th. B. First night in Mill Valley, just north of San Francisco C. Second night in Marysville D. Third night in Fresno E. Back home Total Mile on the Zumo stated 1,444 miles. Full Size The weather was good leading up to our trip. Just as the departure date was approaching the weather turned really hot. We knew heading to Northern California was going to be great as we'll be taking the coast all the way from Orange County to Fort Bragg. Last year, we took the central route going up and returned along the coast. This year we thought I would be great to reverse our route. Our day started at 7:30am. Along the Pacific Cost Highway after Morro Bay, we ran into coastal fog all the way to Monterey. The temperature along the coast range between 55 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit. This is a great stretch of road for about 200 miles. Traffic was light and the views were awesome. We did get stuck in traffic for about an hour just past Monterey heading into Santa Cruz. About thirty minutes past Santa Cruz, one of my buddies went down. He was on a VTX 1300 and his right foot board got caught on the road on a turn and low sided. He had full gear, except he was wearing jeans. Because he always wears knee pads under his jeans, that saved his left knee as the knee area of the jeans is torn and had big holes. He twisted his ankle and had a dime size rash on left foot. His bike has some road rashes, but nothing was broken. After checking him and the bike over, we continued on our trip. Luckily we had no further mishaps as far as riders going down. We got to Mill Valley around 6:30 pm and had a nice India dinner before calling it a day. The next morning (7/18/09) we start off at 7:30am and headed toward Fort Bragg. While riding West Ridgecrest Blvd, Jeff hit a deep pothole and dented both his front and rear wheels. Luckily, there was no air leak and no handle bar vibration while riding. Smelling fresh seafood, we stopped at Bodega Bay for fish and chips for lunch. Got to Fort Bragg and gassed up and headed towards Marysville. The further we got inland the hotter the weather was getting. When we arrived at Willets, the temp was already about 90. When we got to Williams, the temp was 103. We stopped in Colusa for dinner at an Indian Casino. While waiting for dinner to arrive, I decided to try my luck at Ultimate Texas Hold'em. I played for a total of 16 minutes and walked away ahead by $157. I had told the guys that if I win I would buy lunch the next day, well I ended up buying breakfast the next day instead of lunch because we had an unexpected departure of one member of the group (more on this later). We arrived at our hotel in Marrysville around 10:00pm. A couple of blocks from the hotel, Marrysville was having their annual Peach festival. We were all too tire and decided to turn in instead of having some fun with the locals. On the 19th, we headed toward Lake Tahoe. When we got to Nevada City and the temp was already getting pretty hot. We stopped to gassed up and Jeff got an unexpected call from the military. His son, who was serving in Afghanistan, was injured in a vehicle roll-over. After some discussions, we decided to have breakfast and after breakfast we would decide our next course of action. After breakfast, Jeff decided that he would return home and wait for further words from the military. Jeff encouraged us to continue on the trip as there were a few of us that felt we should end the trip and return as a group with Jeff. After Jeff's departure, our group now down to four riders, decided not to go to Lake Tahoe and head down Highway 49 to Fresno. Some stretches of the 49 are the best rides I've been on if not for the hot temperature. As soon as we hit the 49, the temperatures were between 100 and 109 for 5-6 hours of riding. Everyone was suffering from the heat, at one point Matt's (R1 rider) riding shoes came apart due to the heat melting the glue holding the shoes together. As great as the highway was, the extreme heat totally ruined any enjoyment the road had to offer. We arrived in Fresno around 6:30pm and were so happy to be in an air conditioned room. That was probably the best cold shower I had in a long while. The next day, knowing that we'll be riding in 100 degree temp again we all just wanted to get home as fast as we could. We rode 250 miles in about 3.5 hours to get home. This will be one trip I'll remember for a long while mostly because of the heat. Here are some pictures of the trip. Left to right (Jeff, Michael, Matt and Chad) Morro Bay Mill Valley (hotel) Bodega Bay Ridgecrest Left to Right (Chad, Jeff and Gerry) Fort Bragg Nevada City Somewhere on Highway 49 This can happen to the best of us when riding in 105 degree weather for 5 hours. We all wished we in the water. I won't go into details, but if anyone wants to know more about Jeff's son you can read about it in his daughter's blog http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/mattswanson. I will say that Jeff (NVR28L) is a member on this board and he will need all the support and comfort we can offer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer alwaysaware Posted August 10, 2009 Member Contributer Share Posted August 10, 2009 Nice report Michael. I think I might have spotted you in Fort Bragg on Hwy 1 headed S/B. We took Hwy 1 all the way up to the Redwoods in NorCal. Lots of greats roads and awesome sights. Sorry to hear about Jeff's son. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Spike Posted August 10, 2009 Member Contributer Share Posted August 10, 2009 My thoughts and sympathies go out to Jeff and his family. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer vfrcapn Posted August 10, 2009 Member Contributer Share Posted August 10, 2009 My sympathies to Jeff and the family also. The trip looks like it could have been nice with better weather. There's a reason my bike has basically been parked the past month and a half, riding in these temps just isn't much fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V4 Rosso Posted August 11, 2009 Share Posted August 11, 2009 I don't think i've ever ridden in 100F+ temps but have come very close and I didn't enjoy it to much either :biggrin: Very sorry to read about Jeff's son Matt, my condolences to Jeff and his family. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer tyrroneous Posted August 11, 2009 Member Contributer Share Posted August 11, 2009 My thoughts and prayers are with Jeff and his family. I am very grateful for his son's sacrifice while protecting my freedoms. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer ki-speed Posted August 11, 2009 Member Contributer Share Posted August 11, 2009 So sorry to read about Jeff's son. I have three boy's and I can't imagine what Jeff and his family are going through. His son and our troops defend the things we take for granted everyday. It's not fair and at times I feel guilty for the (trivial) things I worry about. May he rest in peace and his family be strong knowing he was great person. Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer vfr661 Posted August 13, 2009 Member Contributer Share Posted August 13, 2009 Awesome trip! Nice write up on the trip. Wish I could of rode with you guys. 100+ degrees is a bit toasty though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer VFR Capt.Bob Posted August 15, 2009 Member Contributer Share Posted August 15, 2009 That just floors me about Jeff's son. I could tell he was the pride and joy of his father. His son and every man and women in action in Afganistan are my heros. Jeff if you read this I hope you can find comfort in the love of your family and in God's love as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Frogfoot Posted August 16, 2009 Member Contributer Share Posted August 16, 2009 Jeff, my condolences to you and your family. I might fight under a different flag, but my friends and workmates are in Afghanistan in harm's way alongside the US forces and they are never far from my thoughts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
superfunkomatic Posted August 21, 2009 Share Posted August 21, 2009 Thanx for the ride report. I've been on that highway from Ft. Bragg to Colusa - it just gets hotter, and hotter, until it is sickly hot. Condolences on your loss. Words can't explain the type of feelings people have in that type of situation. All the best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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