July 1 - 3 Cali Ride

[GreenMachine]

So this looks like the plan for the older more experienced rider bunch.     We can coordinate with Vr and Wade whatever the two groups want to do and where to go and when. 

Saturday, there will be four riders leaving Reno at 7:00 AM.  RG will be overnighting in Red Bluff on Friday.  We'll have lunch there as a group and ride hwy 36 together.  After that, we may split for the second half of the day as far as riding and nightlife goes.  Sunday ride together as a group for the Lost Coast Highway portion and wing it from there.

The older group is going to do a three day, two night ride.  First night we're staying at the Blue Lake Casino on hwy 299, instead of Fortuna, this way we can either experiment with what the Ferndale Lost Cost Highway looks like or just ride north of Hoopa and celebrate in the evening (my first choice).  There are two micro-breweries within 13 miles of each other with excellent food and night life.

Sunday morning, we'll meet up with Vr and Wade68 at the Casino they're staying at, a 34 mile ride south from where we are, for doing as much of the Lost Coast Highway as we can tolerate...hopefully do the whole road either doing Lost Coast as planned or bank those miles so we can shoot Leggett twice.  Hop on hwy 101 heading south.  Hopefully we won't be on a tight schedule because I'd like to ride the Avenue of the Giants down to Garberville, which meanders along 101, but much prettier.  Lunch will hopefully be in Fort Bragg and hopefully at North Coast Brewing company (which has been closed every single time I've been through Fort Bragg ) and if not, we can use the seafood restaurant in the harbor as a really good alternative.

I'll be good on my curve quota by then, so if we go down the coast or inland, won't matter to me.

The old guys will plan on overnighting in the Willits or on the shore of Clear Lake, literally, on Sunday night and where we ride thereafter is up to the group.  I believe Vr and Wade will probably split off from us in Fort Bragg or ealier, but at least we'll have ridden for quite some distance together.

On Monday morning, I'll ride back NE to Red Bluff with RG and I believe A Dragon will ride SE to explore some roads around Lake Berryessa on his way home to Reno.

Sound good.  Questions?  Comments?

This.  And we still have room for one more rider if someone wants to jump onboard.

[Vegasrider]

GM's script is pretty accurate, spending Sat night in or around Fortuna then hitting Ferndale and the Lost Coast and through the redwoods back over to 101 Sunday Morning. Cut back over to Hwy 1 to the coast, probably from Leggett and on down. Depending on our time, Wade68 and I won't know exactly which way we are going to connect back to 101 from the coast. I Want to be in the Bay Area by late afternoon or early evening.

Did not know there was another casino north of Fortuna

[Vegasrider]

That Blue Lake Casino is quite a bit North from Fortuna, personally that extra distance is not worth it and out of the way unless you're planning to ride in addition to the Reno to Fortuna run.

If someone wants to carry a spleeping bag, I won't object to anyone crashing on the floor of our room. Just pick up lunch for Wade and I the next day and call it even and the cost of adding a 3rd person to the room, if there is a charge.

[GreenMachine]

It's only 384 miles.  No big.   

The motivator is that it puts us right on top of two, no make that three, great breweries (Lost Cost, 6 Rivers, & Mad River).    I think we'd be crazy if we stayed anywhere else. 

RG and Dragon are partiers.  I'm just their chaperone.   

[Vegasrider]

Wade and I are planning to have dinner around  6 or 7 Friday night to discuss the trip in more details. All of you are welcome to join in the event you want to do a pre-ride get together plan. We will have maps too.

Casual restaurant TBD

[GreenMachine]

Sounds good.  I'll be there.

RG will already be in Red Bluff by then though.  I think Dragon may have some coordination stuff to do with his kids too, but you never know.

[A DRAGON]

I know Dub. Schrimshaw is good beer.  It'd love to drink one at their restaurant. I think they don't open till about 2 of I remember correctly.  But plan B id's good as well GreenMachine.

Vegasrider. I was pretty hard headed when I took that Lost Coast HWY About 15 years ago. I wanted to do it no matter what. Once i got on it. I started thinking next time I'll listen to other people when their trying to tell me something. THE ROAD JUST AIN'T WORTH IT.  But i think you'll be one of those people on the negative side when you get off it. I'm sure from the text from that rider who went most recently it has only gotten worse. Choosing which pot hole to hit sounds like a joke.  But not for  that road.But some people just have to learn for them selves. And that's ok too. 3hrs to do that road tells you it's really rough. But I'll NEVER PUT MY BUTT ON THAT ROAD AGAIN.  I'll be looking forward to meeting on on Saturday morning. GO SSA!!! 

[Vegasrider]

You cannot compare the road from 15 years ago. I will ask the locals about the loop, but again, most riders over exaggerate and just plain and simple whiners. They freak out if the road is not paved. Or if it begins to rain. I'm more concerned about traffic or road closures or detours than the condition of the road. It's a scenic type of ride when it comes to the lost coast so road conditions may not be ideal, it's not about speed.

It appears the casino that we are staying at in Fortuna has a pretty extensive selection of local beer, and it's happy hour between 5-7 everyday.

[dub]

most of the time these riders blow it out of proportion.  Most are expecting track like conditions and start freaking out whenever they see gravel or pot holes.  I'm use to riding forest roads.

You cannot compare the road from 15 years ago. I will ask the locals about the loop, but again, most riders over exaggerate and just plain and simple whiners. They freak out if the road is not paved. ... It's a scenic type of ride when it comes to the lost coast so road conditions may not be ideal, it's not about speed.

The riders you are talking about are GM and Jerome.

I'm on your side; you and I don't care if the road is in poor condition, we only care about where the road is and where it leads. I loved Mattole Rd last time I rode it. But some of the riders you are talking about, who prefer the pavement to be smooth, even, and fast, will be on your ride. Different strokes for different folks.

[GreenMachine]

My memory did serve me!  I looked it up this morning after talking to Dragon about it last night.

It was on a ride several years back and again repeated in 2013 on the original OoB ride that some of us rode the southern portion of the LCH loop.  It was the section that basically connects the northern portion of the Ave of the Giants and more sequoia groves T'ed at hwy 101.  The first time Dragon, Sparkygixxer, and I rode it, it was like Dragon explained, you were deciding which pothole or patch you were going to hit.  We road it for about 8 miles before turning around and finding a landmark within the park.  The second time we specifically were after returning to that same scenic part of the park and that brief in-n-out was almost more than I could have asked from two other sportbike riders and one touring bike rider (where the hell are you taking us GM?!!)  We just took it as fast as we could to get through it without popping a fork seal or damaging our instruments, kind of like accelerating over washboard.  Going slow didn't make it better, maybe made it worse.

With the excessive pavement destroying rains we had this past Winter, I could see that road being worse, than better than before.  That would be consistent with many of the other twisty roads in California, simply due to aging and water breaking up the asphalt.  But my hat will be off to Vr and Wade for accomplishing the loop if they decide they'd prefer doing that than exploring hwy 162 west.  TB5 and I road that section last year.  The road is a dead end about 30 miles back where there's a small community near where pavement turns to gravel...so lightly traveled.  It's not a terribly great road either, but less because of potholes and more because of fallen rocks and gravel in the corners.  It's very 162'ish.  You could cover the distance in and out in less than an hour, which if you substituted it for the LCH, would put you into the city (S.F.) hours sooner than with LCH added in.  I'd also bet Wade won't be too excited about beating up his new bike just to say he did LCH, but that's just a guess.

I think the Multistrada would navigate the LCH better than my bike for sure.  We'll have to see on Saturday when we get there.  If we're earlier than later getting into Fortuna and feel like it, Ferndale is only a couple miles away.  Some of us could venture into that area and test the waters.  However, if it comes down to it and the old-boy group decides they want to take in 299 to Hoopa out-in-back before dinner, I'm going that route and foregoing Ferndale entirely.

For sure though, I doubt I'm going to attempt the full LCH loop.  I've been on the southern portion twice now and with two other riders on this trip I know will absolutely hate riding on that, the logical move would be to pair our riding time with doing laps between Leggett and the coast or Willits and Fort Bragg.  You know, because we're already there. 

[Vegasrider]

Best bet will be to ask the locals once we get there.  2013 was 4 years ago, either the road has gotten worse or gotten better with improvements.

6 pm Friday at Red Robin if anyone wants to come to discuss the trip in details. We'll have maps and an IPad.

[GreenMachine]

Red Robin on Keitzke at 6:00 PM.  See you there.

[RichVee4]

Reminds me of the OoBII ride when the group split into three separate groups debating which way was faster to Oroville.   It all worked out and and made it more fun!  If I remember right my route was fastest  Have a great trip!

[dub]

Reminds me of the OoBII ride when the group split into three separate groups debating which way was faster to Oroville.   It all worked out and and made it more fun!  If I remember right my route was fastest  Have a great trip!

haha. Nah your memory is fuzzy, my route was definitly fastest.

[A DRAGON]

Yeah. I remember i was last getting there. What a great idea that was. We laughed about that for hours.

Talking to those guys after  they do LCH will be awesome.  I'm sure that piece of pavement hasn't improved since they built it in the 1920's to actually call that section a road is a lie. It's a BALL BUSTER!!  :

I find myself thinking of a road I lead an SSA ride on a long Time ago. I can't remember the name right now. But it runs between Billiards Bar and Hwy 49. Miller's cut off or something like that. The group cursed me for that ride. I really learned something that day to. I care about my balls more than a scenic ride. 

I'm really going to enjoy this 3 day. Thanks to all who are taking the time to come. This is what a club is all about. Another ride to  remember.