Morning in the Redwoods
I woke up around 7 AM to the sound of the wind rustling through the tops of the nearby Redwoods, nice. I heated some breakfast (Mountain House Breakfast Skillet) and started to break down camp after eating, took some more photos of the area, finished breaking down camp, and packed up Dexter. It was now about 9:30 AM and good grief the sun was already hot and I was sweating heavily. So I mounted Dexter and rode briefly to seek cool refuge among the towering Redwoods within the State Park.
Avenue of the Giants
From Humboldt Redwoods State park, I proceeded North on the Avenue of the Giants which is a small 2 lane road that winds it’s way through the Redwoods. Riding through the Redwoods I think is my favorite motorcycle ride in California. To me, that is a big statement when considering some the outstanding scenic areas there are to ride in California such as Pacific Coast Highway near Big Sur, Lake Tahoe, the Sierra Nevada mountains, Northern California as a whole, Angeles Crest Highway north of Los Angeles. The Redwoods are just majestic in their towering height and strength, it is a shame that less than 5% of the Redwoods still exist today but also grateful that not all of the groves extinct.
Back on US Highway 101 – Northern California
Upon reaching the end of the Avenue of the Giants, I jumped back onto US Highway 101 and proceed North. I would remain on US Highway 101 for the remainder of the day. I rolled though Eureka, more forests, and some of the always windy Northern California coastline. As I grew nearer the Oregon – California state boundaries I began to observe a far more cautious attitude with regards to COVID-19. I stopped at a gas station in Klamath, California. I am aware the state law in Oregon where one is typically not allowed to pump your own gas (though I met no resistance doing so as there seems to be an exception to motorcyclist). I was approached by a young man and he asked if I was going to pump my own gas. Well, yes, I was planning to. From a safe distance we chatted a little bit and he informed me that since COVID-19 broke out, the area businesses do not allow people to pump their own gas, enter stores, and was 100% locked down…well wow. Down in San Diego and Los Angeles areas life was certainly far from normal but one could pump their own gas, go into a gas station, grocery stores, heck even Wal-Mart as long as you maintain social distancing and wear a mask. Here in Klamath, there was a line at a window of the gas station where you would tell the clerk what you wanted, they would retrieve your items and slide them through a secure box in the window after you had paid with debit or credit, no cash allowed. It was a very surreal experience and I have to admit I was a bit put off. I decided that I didn’t need anything other than gas and I would consume my own packed provisions. After I thought about it a little more, I understand that this community is very rural, with a low local population and a high volume of outsiders, like myself, passing through. They were just being proactive and protecting themselves. But not only am I a bit stubborn, I avoid waiting in lines if I can help it…so I am also a bit impatient.
After I pumped my gas, I rode Dexter towards the back of the gas station where there were a couple of lonely picnic tables. I had some lunch, gourmet Costco chili straight from the can enhanced with some Tabasco sauce, no diet coke this time though and I drank some of my packed water. Delicious 🙂
Talent for Fixing the Wrong Stuff
As I finished my gourmet lunch, I happened to notice that my buckles on my trunk were missing…..again. This has been a problem that has plagued me since I have owned Dexter. I have replaced the buckles three times with the most recent being summer 2019 after my Nevada-Utah 2019 trip where…..the buckles broke. Another source of headache on the trunk has been the hinges. They had been replaced summer 2018 after their failure in life. Prior to this trip as mentioned in other posts, I had allot of work done on Dexter in preparation for this trip. This included some new heavy duty hinges from Harley. Much better design than the OEM garbage Harley puts onto their trunks. The buckles were the same OEM replacement items but they looked like they were in good shape so I did not bother to replace them again. Well, once again, I would be wrong. I am not sure when it happened as both buckles were present and accounted for in the morning. With Harley Davidsons doing what they do, shaking the living crap out of everything including you, this buckle set had succumbed to the V-twin induced quakes.
I actually found this to be a bit comical and proceeded to fish out a large ROK strap. Based on past trips and stuff falling apart on my bike, I had packed several extra ROK straps, bungee cords, and electrical tape. All have been used in the past to MacGyver something on the bike in order to proceed with the ride at hand. Apparently Harley Davidson does offer a heavy duty buckle set and I put a set on order since the end of this trip. I am still waiting for my parts Harley, Hellloooooo? So with the Rok strap now holding my trunk closed, I repacked Dexter and headed North again on US Highway 101.
P.S. – I am still using that ROK strap to hold my trunk closed until the buckles arrive. And yes, I will continue to carry spare straps (though there might have been a ride on July 25, 2020 where I wished I had the spare straps with me….but that story is for another blog post).
Into Oregon
Not long after rolling North from Klamath, California and passing through another few small towns, I crossed into the state of Oregon to much inner helmet fanfare. On the third day of travel, it was good to have finally crossed into another state. Which made me think what it will feel like when I cross Texas this October en-route to Georgia. As USA South 2020 is currently planned, I will be spending part of six days in Texas entering Louisiana on the sixth day, apparently Texas is a large state. California is also a large state though much more so when traveling north or south through the state.
Oregon’s coast was interesting with several unique bridges along US Highway 101, the varied scenery from woodlands to coastal areas. As early evening approached (about 6 PM) The sun was starting to get very low in the sky and the marine layer (a persistent fog that is cause by the contrast of the cold Pacific water and the warmer air above it) was rolling in and the the cool Pacific air was with it. The temperature was dropping, visibility was getting very difficult with the salt grime and fog mixture accumulating on the visor. It was time to make a decision about a stopping point.
My COVID-19 altered trip plan was to disperse camp in the National Forrest near Hebo, Oregon or the Siuslaw National Forest further south. My reserved campground in the National Forest was cancelled due to COVID-19. However, at least at this time in the is part of Oregon, I was shocked to find even the access roads to the National Forests were closed with barricades. So disperse camping in the National Forest in this region was not going to happen. So, with the temperature dropping into the 50’s, and poor visibility, and damp. (the main issue was visibility as I had plenty of gear to keep me warm and dry). I was scouting for another place where I could disperse camp without getting into a situation with the authorities. No dice. Next decision was to abort the camping mission for the night and find a motel. I stopped into a local inn and was informed that due to COVID-19 the county I was in, all lodging was closed except for reduced capacity in Newport, Oregon which was about 50 miles north of my location. Well that is just poop. So, I proceeded north stopping every so often to clean the salt muck off my visor so I didn’t kill myself riding in thick pea soup fog. I found refuge at the Holiday Inn Express in Newport, Orgeon. They were running at 50% capacity and had only a couple rooms available. I gladly paid the fee, brought my gear to my room and ordered in some Domino’s pizza.
Day 3 Summary
Miles: 350
No Breakdowns
Epic Scenery in Redwoods, woodland areas, and along coast.
COVID-19 sucks
Successful travel day!
Check out the Video for Day 3 on my YouTube Channel
Wanderlust Lyfe 