After passing through Stinson Beach in Marin county, you'll come upon an inlet. The road travels along this body of water for awhile as you ride toward Inverness. A very appropriate name as the surrounding terrain reminded me very much of Scotland.

Shortly after passing into Sonoma county we stopped for a great lunch. The road wanders inland from time to time. We welcomed this as it was cool along the coast and we brought mainly summer riding gear. It was along this section that I began to notice some of the trees. There is a type of evergreen tree that appears to have no bark, bleached wood and foliage only near the top. What caught my attention was the almost tortured look these trees take on. The trunks are twisted, bent and tortured. They looked to be victims of the ocean breeze. Before long you are back along the Pacific and gazing, carefully, over the edge to see what you can see. (picture) I was torn between enjoying the twisty road and soaking in the views. It is a little risky to do both a the same time. We pushed on into the last hours of daylight after a great day of riding. We made it into Fort Bragg, California about dusk. Yes we did see some deer standing alongside the road, so be careful. Ft. Bragg doesn't offer up the charm, or the prices, of Mendocino, but you'll find places to stay and good places to eat. As you approach town from the south you will cross over a bridge. If you look to your right. you will see the fishing harbor for the town. The next road after the bridge to the right takes you there. If you want seafood this would be your best shot. We enjoyed it!

Score: Tom and Robin 1 fish 0.

The next morning we road north toward Rockport. U.S. 1 then turns inland in a northeasterly direction toward Legget, CA. This is a nice winding and sometimes twisty road. (picture) It climbs up into the coastal mountains and some of the Redwood trees. Absolutely wonderful.

When you arrive at Legget, 101 and U.S. 1, become one from for awhile. We sat down for a nice breakfast at a small diner and warmed up a bit.

From there we rode through the Redwoods National Forest's, "Avenue of the Giants." Redwoods will live to be 1000 years old and over 300 feet tall. The tallest known Redwood fell a few years ago and was estimated to be over 372 feet tall. When Columbus discovered America, it was already 500 years old.

Take the time and jump onto the road that parallels the new highway101 and see the giants.

As I had not looked at the map closely enough in the midst of planning this family cross-country expedition, Robin and I had a 500+ mile day to ride. After the time among "The Giants" we turned onto CA 199. Signs warmed of L-O-N-G delays for construction. That's just what you need when you are trying to make some time. It was about 4:30 and my theory was, the workers wouldn't be working much past that. It was a good theory, so we stuck with 199 and made some time. This was another very nice piece of road.

We hopped over to Interstate 5 for a quick ride up to Eugene. We made very good time and the throttle cables got a good workout along the way.

At Eugene we located 126 east which follows the McKenzie River. As it was late and getting dark, we could only guess at the beauty we were missing. I saw several people fly fishing. The river and the valley made for a nice ride with the setting sun.

Instead of taking 242 over the mountain, we took the road more traveled to Redmond. I was a bit concerned about kissing a deer as it was dark and we were in the woods. At a stop, to remove a very diverse insect collection on my visor, I mentioned this to Robin. She assured me that the prime deer time had passed. I thought, "well, she has more college than I do, so....?" I then turned right onto the route, shifted up to 2nd and 3rd and what do I see? A deer looking at me, looking at him. I allowed (encouraged) a car to pass then stayed behind the car. Sort of a modern version of a cow catcher on a train.

We covered a couple of passes including one at 5,324 feet. As it was getting close to 11 p.m. it was a bit chilly. No, it was cold.

We located the rally site just before midnight. We pulled in and proceeded to ride around looking for a place toss the tent and fall into it. Our apologies to everyone we woke up.

We had started out on a mission at 8:00 a.m. and finished at 12:00 p.m. No, we aren't "Iron Butts", just two wheeled tourists with "Sore butts."

As we got there later than we had planned it didn't leave much time for relaxing and enjoying the rally. The setting and facilities were 1st class. Great weather, motorcycles and people.

We spent about a day and a half at the BMWMOA rally. We met up with Don and Joni Seiwert, #K219 and Phillip Carr #K111. We, along with some new found friends headed off to local Mexican dinning establishment for a bite to eat. As Robin had accosted other un-suspecting riders, our meals were safe!

We rolled out of Redmond, OR about mid-afternoon and rode south on OR 97 through Bend and on toward Klamath Falls. It was a great ride. It took us through and extended section of pine woods which, quite honestly, got a little dull. Later this opened up into classic big farming valleys with mountains all around. This was one of those rides that you don't want to end. Good roads, with changing scenery, perfect temperature, a bike you enjoy and a good riding partner.

As we closed in on the California state line, we watched the mountains grow taller and taller. Mt. Shasta became more clear with its snow covered top. We rode and rode and it got taller and taller. Eventually, we came to the base of the mountain and followed the road which navigated the perimeter of the base. I kept staring at this great view of snow, rock, clouds, trees and shadows. Then I remembered. Hey! I'm out here for fun and I have a camera and no place to be. I'm glad I took the time.