Wine and Redwoods

Wednesday Evening Mercoledi Sera

This morning I washed the bike and left for Eureka. I would ride Highway 29 through Napa and connect to 128 and finally 101 through the redwood forests to Eureka. But first I had to cross the toll bridge at Benicia. It seems that the toll has changed since my last time from $2 to $4. And an extra $2 for pulling the Bushtec trailer. The lady kept asking me in an Asian accent if I had 2 axles. I told her I could not hear her because of the helmet. She finally settled for $4 instead of the $6 I should have paid. Tuesday’s trip through Yosemite was a treat for the senses that you always hear motorcycle riders talk about. You could feel the crispness of the air, smell the clean air and the pine trees, hear the rushing water from the melting snow. You don’t get this in a car. But the motorcycle riders do not talk much about other “treats for the senses” like you encounter in stoplight to stoplight traffic on a main highway. The clatter of diesel engines, loud stereos, straight piped Harleys and wonderful smells of diesel exhaust, hot brakes and the enchanting medley of odors from the garbage truck next to you. But finally leaving the city behind I find myself in the wine country of Napa valley, acres of vineyards, beautifully landscaped gardens at the wineries, the fancy houses and tasting rooms, and the rolling hills surrounding it all. I wish I had a way to take pictures as there is a wonderful picturesque sight around every corner, each one better than the last. I stop to take a picture and pull back onto the road behind 2 Harleys. I have broken into a riding group and 6 more pass me to rejoin ranks with the 2 front riders. Then I notice that every one of them had New Mexico license plates and all of the plates looked new. Strange. They turned left to get to Highway 101 and I continued straight. It was their loss as the scenery became better and better such as oak trees hanging over the road making a tunnel for me to drive through with moss hanging from the branches. Farther north I merged onto Highway 101 which has a section called the Redwood Highway. It is a beautiful road and I was pleasantly surprised to find that there was little traffic today. I finally arrived at Eureka just as the heavens opened up with a bountiful supply of rain. That’s day 4, rain every day so far. I met Clint and Charleen who had rented a cabin at the KOA campground. I decided to stay in their cabin instead of pitching a tent in the rain. I got the portable cook stove from my trailer and we cooked canned ravioli on the floor of the front porch for dinner. Dessert was a few cookies that Linda had packed for us. Oh, the good life, I wonder what the non motorcycle riding crowd is doing this year. ~311 miles today.

Stamattina ho pulito la moto e sono partito a Eureka. Ho usato le strade in Napa Valley, la casa dei vini di California. Le viste sono bellissime. Ci sono alberi con rami sopra la strada facendo una galleria per io e mia moto. I campi sono pieno con i vigneti. Questa valle e’ circondata con colline marrone e verde. La strada e’ buona con molte curve, veramente un piacere per i motociclisti. Piu’ nord e’ La Strada dei Alberi Redwood. C’e un albero con una galleria nel tronco e si puo’ guidare attraverso la galleria cosi naturalmente l’ho provato. Finalmente sono arrivato a Eureka e subito c’era pioggia. 4 giorni and e’ piovuto ogni giorno. Ho trovato Clint e Charleen al campeggio dove hanno affittato una cabina per 2 notte. Sono stato felice perche’ non ho voluto fare la mia tenda nella pioggia. Abbiamo fatto la cena (ravioli dalla scatola) con una cucina portabile. Che bella giornata. ~311 miglia oggi.