Lost On The Coast For Thanksgiving

Thanks, guys Our riding season is in full swing here and once the snow melts from the early storm we had a week or so ago things should be even better At any rate, we've got a lot more riding on the way





WoodsChick

So, let's wrap this up, shall we?

We goofed around up on the ridge, checking out campgrounds and such, and came upon this out in the woods...



Looks like fun, eh? Too bad it's for bicycles only. They had a nice fancy sign, too. What's wrong with this picture?


We bombed down the twisty, rutted dirt road, riding to beat the devil to keep up with the knobbies in front of us. When we hit the paved road down into Shelter Cove, though, it was a different story. Eric and I were G-O-N-E! Even so, I was surprised at how quick Stevie was going on her 400 with shredded knobs. That girl needs a supermoto! Don't tell her dad, though...he doesn't want to hear it

We pulled into the little cafe in Shelter Cove and ordered up some hot food. They have really good clam strips, chicken strips and chili, all of it nice and hot. It was getting cold!!




We watched the fishermen cleaning their catch (ugh...) and then headed to Black Sands Beach...




Ran into a guy that used to ride the 3-mile-long hillclimbs about 300 yards down the beach when he was young. He said it got closed down when he was 12. He has a supermoto'd XR600 now.

We pulled out and headed for camp. It was cold and raining and we wanted to bomb through the dirt sections ASAP before before the creek crossings got out of control and the dirt turned into a mess. We had a blast! I got a little squirelly on one of the creek exits and plowed into the dirt embankment on the other side and twisted my knee a little but other than that we all reached the pavement without hitting the ground. We then had wet funky pavement to contend with. I'm a big believer in my front MT60. That tire makes me feel like a superhero, but the slidey rear lets me know that I'm not

We hit another dirt road right before camp that took us high above the beach. The wind was howling up there but it was fun anyway...


We got back to camp right before dark...and right before it started pouring non-stop all night.

The next day was surprisingly calm with some blue sky poking out. Hellacious downpours would rage for a few minutes, then the sun would come out. It was pretty neat! Eric and I headed north and stopped in the aptly-named Petrolia...


Hard to believe but this place is even prettier in the spring...


It got a little cold coming down into Ferndale...


I've always wanted to check this place out...


Lots of GAR members here...




This guy, a printer, was a passenger on the Chillkat when it capsized on Humboldt Bar. The Chillkat was on its way to San Francisco carrying boxes of butter, hides, shingles, lumber, condensed milk and apples. I bought Eric a pair of snow boots the day before we left. They're called Chillkats...




We headed into Eureka for a killer lunch at the Lost Coast Brewery, waited out another outrageous downpour, then got a room at my favorite Best Western. We hunkered down here for the rest of the weekend while it rained outside...



Not a bad way to spend the holiday, eh?


Thanks for coming along!




WoodsChick

And I am willing to bet that the Best Western had heat, and that it was appreciated.

Awesome report!

Thanks! Yeah, the BW had heat...and one of these...very much appreciated!

Yeah, but it wasn't a real dual sport ride. Shoot...it wasn't even a tour! It was a ton o' fun, though

Packing a lot into a short time is my MO, I guess. We all have a finite amount of heartbeats and I don't want to waste any of mine

My big knobbies are sitting in the basement right now, waiting for next spring/summer when we start bike camping and dualsporting again. It's dirt riding season here right now (too much snow and record low temps over the holiday kept us out of the mountains) so we plan on riding the 2-strokes from here on out. Eric only rode his WR once, hasn't even run a full tank through it yet. He's reserving judgement on the bike til he gets it set up properly and broken in. He had issues with the spark plug cap and that kinda made him cranky (don't blame him) but he likes the feel and size of the bike, says it fits him well and already feels like "home." I wouldn't exactly call him a Husky-lover just yet, but he rode Steve's TE610 for a bit and he really liked it compared to his KTM LC4 640e Steve said he either needs to start riding the TE more or sell it, so who knows what lies ahead...




WoodsChick

Another wonderful report.....although when I see the expression on Eric's face in some of these pictures, I want to run up to him and tickle him or something.

Naah, that V-strom wouldn't have been near as much fun on the beach! And I doubt you could have gotten it to stand up on its own, too!

Post up some photos if you got `em, Dan!




WoodsChick

Oh yeah! I forgot about this ride a few years ago...I guess you did get that V-Strom to stand up by itself









Well, Ok... you had help that one time...



OK, enough with hijacking my own thread Here are a few more...

Dan getting the lowdown from parachute guy...


Don't do it, Dan! Although, Dan was much better dressed for jumping off the cliff than parachute guy...


Dan and Steve on the beach...


Tableful of liars...Eric, Katie, Ivy, Dan, Jaine...

Katie and Jaine, the 2 beautiful little blonde angels, were the best liars of them all and I think they won the most Liars Dice games

Cookie trying to get some Worldwide Husqvarna Community action while Tippy (talk about appropriate dog names...check out her leg!) the foster dog looks on...


Eric about ready to drop my bike in the surf. He was counting off "One...Two...Three..."




That's about all I got!




WoodsChick

Hah! I know! Isn't that funny? Well, I bought a new camera before that dualsport ride, as I knew Dan was going to be riding that bike. I was going to prove to him that it was totally not a dualsport bike. Well, as so often is the case, Dan schooled me on this trip. It was pretty amazing where he rode that bike...and on street tires even! We had a great time that day













The next day we did a gnarly dualsport/trail ride and he rode a friend's XR400...with his 10-year-old daughter on the back





That was a great day, too! Seems we've had a lot of those over the years...



WoodsChick

That's true! I did say the same thing about Sandy the WonderDog and I stand by those words today She's a knockout! I love that old gal

How's the healing going, Tim? Bet you can't wait to pull on those new boots and go riding, eh? I hope you're good to go by this summer!


WoodsChick