We are off again!  We can not stay anywhere too long or our butts get out of shape!                                    

We started off in beautiful, crisp California fall weather.  We experienced a little rush hour traffic leaving Sacramento, but it was not too bad.  After Las Vegas, we could probably handle just about any kind of traffic that California could throw at us.

We exited highway 80 at the Napa/Sonoma exit and drove through wine country.  I could almost smell the grapes on the vines . . . maybe it was just wishful thinking.  We stopped for breakfast in Sonoma.  It took a long time to find a restaurant that was open.  I guess people/tourists in Sonoma are not breakfast people (or they are always recovering from hangovers from wine tasting the night before).

After breakfast, we were finally on the famous Highway 1 headed for the coast and a town named Jenner.  Once again, my family nickname has been used to name a town!  This one is on the ocean this time.

Highway 1 just blew us away.  It is amazing for driving and amazing for the scenery as it twists and turns in and out of forest and outlooks of the coast.  Everywhere we looked reminded us of the California postcard scenes and movies.  The only difference maybe was that the surf was extremely rough today and showed lots of whitecaps.

At one point on the journey we encountered a historic outpost called Fort Ross.  We had to stop yet again for a photo opportunity.

We took a short rest at Gualala and snapped a few photos again of the coast.

Fort Bragg was marked as our lunch stop for today.  Fort Bragg does not do lunch during the week apparently.  All the non-chain food restaurants were closed.  Sonoma does not do breakfast and Fort Bragg does not do lunch – now we know.  We had the choice between McDonald’s and Round Table.  Since we had never been to a Round Table, we decided to try it.  Not bad.  Very similar to a Pizza Hut, actually.

While we were eating lunch, the weather detrioriated a bit.  A fog rolled in from the ocean that seemed to be carrying a bit of misty rain.  We put our rain gear on, but it never actually rained.  I am sure if we had not put on our rain gear, though, it would have poured.

We drove out of the fog and mist and then headed into our last 22 miles of Highway 1.  Lets just say the civil engineers left the most challenging sections of Highway 1 to the very end when you are heading north.  The suggested speed limits for the curves definitely over estimated the skill level of the drivers on this road.  Jeremy and I took our time and we did not have any problems.  The road was pretty quiet through this area – maybe the locals know to stay away from this section.

By the end of the last 22 miles of Highway 1, Jeremy and I were exhausted.  Luckily, a tourist trap opportunity presented itself right at the end – the amazing drive-thru redwood tree called the Chandalier tree.  It was a chance to get off our bikes and out of our rain gear but also to capture a few touristy photos for our collection (and our blog).

The last leg of our journey was via the 101 freeway.  It is not quite as challenging as Highway 1, but it is still more interesting and curvy than any of the interstates we have taken so far.  We arrived in Fortuna, California – “The Friendly City” – just before we ran out of light.  There were no rooms available at the Holiday Inn Express, our old standby, but we did manage to get a room at the Best Western next door.  And everyone was very friendly so far . . .