2010 July 2nd:
Mark:
I woke up way before Niko and started to get ready to leave. I woke up Niko and started to pack up the bike. Everybody was awake by the time we were ready to leave. I had called Dale and he came over to say goodbye. We took a couple of pictures and then we departed.
We stopped and grabbed a bite to eat and then we hit the road. We headed south and when we got to the turn for the Avenue of the Giants, we took it. It was a beautiful drive through the redwood forest. We stopped several times to check out some of the incredible trees. It was a little humbling to be with trees that were over 2000 years old. A very spiritual calmness had come over Niko and me as we walked through the forest to visit the Founders Tree. We hardly spoke to each other.
We stopped at the Chandelier Tree and parked the bikes in the tunnel and took some pictures. We also met up with a guy riding that was from London England. He had taken his bike through Mexico and was on his way north to Alaska. He told us that he had covered most of Europe and some of northern Africa. I wish you well on your travels, sir and I hope that someday I can say that I have traveled as much as you.
When we left the Chandelier Tree we turned and got on Highway 1. This road almost immediately started twisting and turning. It went on for miles and there were a couple of times that I felt like I was in motorcycle heaven and I had become one with the machine. I was only interrupted by my mother hen instinct watching the mirrors to make sure that Niko was still behind me. I think that it was the spiritual emotions of being with the trees that helped me reach this state of nirvana, if only briefly. Little did I know that most of the day I would be riding on undulating twisted roads like this.
Most of the drivers that we encountered were very courteous and would use the pullouts and let us go by. We were able to maintain the speed limit while we negotiated through those corners when most cars couldn’t. Of course there had to be that one individual who thought that he held the title to that section of road and felt that he should hold up the rest of the world because he could only do 35 MPH when the limit was 55MPH. We had to follow this clown for nearly 20 miles before we found a way to get around him.
When we arrived at the Bay area, we encountered rush hour traffic going over the Golden Gate Bridge. I think that Niko was a little shocked at how large the bridge actually was. Once we were over the bridge we got off of the 101 and drove through town. We turned and headed for the beach side of town so that we could head south some more. We stopped in Half Moon Bay California for the night. We ordered up a pizza and then worked on the blog. We covered 342 miles today and both of us are quite spent. Highway 1 was a real workout. Thank you for Reading and Good Night.

Niko:
We woke this morning before anyone else, but they woke before we left. We packed up and gathered our things. Dale was there to say goodbye, and the girls (though sleepy) were anxious to see us ride off. We ate breakfast burritos at Carl’s Junior to fuel our day.
We got on the road and in minutes we were out of Eureka. We pulled off onto the Avenue of Giants, and stopped to look at the trees. Most of the trees larger than six inches diameter were 8 to 15 feet in diameter!
When I was there, I honestly felt connected to the trees’ lives. They felt like extremely slow, huge creatures with no contemplation. I was absorbed into their being and fell silent and my heart slowed past 80 beats per minute. I was very calm and relaxed.
We moved on and stopped at Drive-Thru Tree, but didn’t notice the word “shrine” after it. The tree was withered, alive, and thin… but still drivable. We took pictures of it, and quickly moved on, disappointed for the 8 bucks.
We rode on down the Avenue, redwood after redwood flying past. Eventually, we noticed a sign that said Drive-Thru Tree… This time with a picture of a larger tree. We paid the $5 to enter and were very pleased. The tree was immense, probably 20 odd feet in diameter.
We took some pictures, and also met a motorcyclist from London who is riding from Mexico to Prudhoe Bay, Alaska! GO, MAN!
We got back on the road at highway 1, and rode down twisty roads. Every time a car in front “owned the road” I’d get sleepy and the car would decide to use his brakes when he’s already below the speed limit by 20 mph. this event would abruptly wake me as I almost hit them.
At some points with speed, I would get into the curves and a couple times, dragged the foot peg! We finally found a saltwater taffy shop! I got an assortment to honor my mother’s tradition, and we were off again.
We arrived in San Francisco and wanted to take the Golden Gate Bridge across town. Even with rush hour traffic, it was worth it! We could’ve filtered through traffic, but with the bags, we were too nervous to try.
Before we knew it, we were out of town we stopped at a nearby gas station and I used the restroom. We moved on down the road seven miles to find a place to stay. We found a Days Inn at Half Moon Bay, California and stopped.
We ordered pizza from Straw Hat Pizza, and had it delivered. The pizza was good, and we watched “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” and blogged before bed. Dad’s already asleep, and I’m tired. Goodnight!