Scenery

Friday 7^th

Left Eureka on the coast road heading north BEAUTIFUL scenery again – lots of coastal cliff, rock, beach and rugged mountain scenes around every corner and less traffic than the freeways.

Light lunch at Bookings. Fed 5 for US$19.00 incl drinks (only two drinks) at a supermarket cafe. Travelled both coastal and inland. Fairly cool temps. Sun temps in low 20's and wind chill about 10 deg.

Lots of old logging towns, very high bridges over coastal inlets. Pretty scenery but more timber than the photo shows as it is too dark to photograph the dense forrests.

Lunch at Fort Bragg

Thursday 6 May

Left Santa Rosa for a run to the coast through the first of the BIG Redwoods- beautiful scenery and BIG trees everywhere. VERY bendy roads – much concentration required.

Chief Navigator, Transport Captain and Chief Radio Operator KT is doing a grand job keeping us heading in the right direction.

Lunch was in Fort Bragg at the fishing wharf- tried their seafood chowder and we thought it was better than the real Fisherman’s Wharf in San Fran!!

Split in Camp

Tues & wed saw us spend our first 2 nights in one place - Santa Rosa about 60 miles nth of San Fransisco.

Wed had all the boys in the local Laundrymat, now this was a circus!! Fortunately some local loverly ladies helped the happles crew find the degergent dispensers and provide lessons on how to use a washing machine. Ken has discoverd a new talent - but not sure he sees a career change. Ironing - what is that??

Wed saw us have our first camp split - Gribbs led Ken and Rory on a Napa Valley wine tour in the SUV and Gerald led Paul & Hugh back into San Fansisco to cross the Golden Gate bridge, twice. While there they rode down Littel Lombard, the world's most bent street and up and down the trolly car steeets - but we kept wheels on the ground! Then back up north on the WINDING coast road until Bodega Bay. The temp there had dropped to 13c -sheeeeez.

Ken on bike. A real wild hog, or is it Mongrel member?

The boys inspect Bass Lake near Yosemite

Big Day Sunday leaving LA. Aussie riders being past by everyone on multi lane highways. Cars up to 75 mph trucks 60 mph and on ramps bringing cars up to us as we hug the right "slow"lane.

Made Bakersfield by lunch and Fresno for bed.

Monday the weather was just great. left highway 99 and eventually got to rural roads winding down to Bass Lake and then onto Yosemite. Snow above 5,000 feet and we reached as high as 6000 feet. great winding roads, stunning scenery and wild flowers. Outside the park lots of grass but no sheep and few cattle.

Monday stayed at Modesto and had dinner at Earl Anderson's home as arranged. Almond friend of Paul's. It was his regular boys night so we added five Aussies to the mix and talked on till late. great company, food and conversation.

Tuesday rode from Modesto through the hills and into San Francisco. Heavy traffic, over the Oakland Bay bridge and down to Fisherman's Wharf for the Clam Chowder and sour dough lunch. Then onto Santa Rosa tonight.

Santa Monica Beach Sat 1st

Rory arrived so the Mongrel team are all here.

Just to prove it wasnt all dinning we did visit Santa Monica Pier this morning. Fantastic white and wide sandy beach with people in all sorts of activity on or around the beach.

O and we had lunch on the pier, not at Buba Gump's Shrimp restaraunt but at the end of the pier in a mexican restaraunt.

We drove around Hollywood and Beverly Hills, stopping for coffee, then off to Anaheim to Tony Roma's world famous rib place as recomended by Ken. Great food and a great night.

Off to Bakersfield tommorrow on the bikes. Getting out of LA at last!!!! The traffic is just full on and the GPS is getting overtime.