Planning and Recovering from Trips

I am in training for my version of a marathon – a motorcycle ride from SF to Garberville. Although we are staying overnight at the beautiful Humboldt House in Garberville, the drive each way will be 5 times my longest ride – the commute from SF to Palo Alto. On the positive side, the view along highway 1 will be great and we have all day to get there. Our trip leader (Jim, who helped me find my motorcycle in March 2009 and delivered it to SF when I wasn’t experienced enough to make the ride myself) promises many sights along the way, including (in his words):

1. Breathtaking scenery on Highway 1 (and plenty of time to look at it because the road is twisty, i.e. you won't be going very fast).
2. Above Fort Ross there are frequently cows in the road. Remember, do NOT slap the cow as you ride by . . . the little guys kick!
3. Passing thru Fort Bragg is boring but if you're thirsty, there is a great coffee shop almost directly across from the Railroad Depot, home of the Skunk Train.
4. The Leggett Hill is besought with logging trucks. Fortunately it isn't a long stretch and there are few, if any, on the weekends.
5. If you've never seen the Tunnel Tree (Leggett), you should. It costs about $2 and takes a few minutes. You can drive your bike thru the tree and one of us can take a picture.
6. The Benbow cutoff is a nice 3 mile loop, paralleling the roadway and taking you alongside the river. You rejoin Highway 1 just after the Benbow Inn. Garberville is two miles further up the road.
7. Just north of Garberville is Phillipsville and the start of The Avenue of the Giants. This is WELL worth the time. Silence reigns and the light filtering down thru these magnificent trees softens everything. Stop, take off your helmet and listen . . . you can almost hear the trees growing. Park at Founder's Grove and hike past a 370 foot tree that toppled over a few years ago . . . amazing place. The tallest tree IN THE WORLD is along Mattole Road, near Founder's Grove.

But first I have to recover from tripping down the stairs at home. One toe on my left foot is strangely discolored and may be broken... hard to change gears this week. With all the talk about motorcycles being dangerous, they never warn you about the hazards of walking down carpeted stairs...