Mid-Week Rides: First ride of the year

We went to Pt. Reyes Station (the town) Turned L onto the Pt. Reyes-Petaluma Road which took us to Ca Hwy#1 again, just N. of downtown.

Okay, it’s a commercial boat, but I don’t personally know what for. Hauling up crab pots perhaps? I can see the effects of salt air’n water, but it’s fitted with new sonar too! Can anyone explain the apparatus?

I should make a comment about traffic, there wasm’t any!
We didn’t pass a single vehicle (save one bobtail truck near Tomales) from the time we came onto Lucas Valley Road until we arrived in Marshall, that’s some distance. We gassed-up in Bodega Bay, (population several hundred).

The crab boat picture was taken from the same vantage point as this one. It explains the importance of knowing where the channel’s located.

Just north of Bodega Bay about 3 miles sits Arched Rock.
I missed the better vantage point to photograph the rock as you’ll note I’m working against the sun. However you can still see through the arch.

Hard to believe we’ve got a doozy of a storm hitting us today, yesterday? Take a look. This picture was taken from the same vantage point as that of the Arch Rock.

Map #3 shows CA Hwy#1 crossing over the Russian River about three miles S. of the small hillside community of Jenner. Jenner overlooks the mouth of the Russian River. This picture taken about a mile from ‘town’.

Looks like one waddled-off for a salt water dip and is now returning…

Ca Hwy#1 takes to a series of climbing switchbacks with 15 mph turns and rises about 800 feet (perhaps more?), in the process.
It’s not a desired roadway for those who suffer car sickness.

right over some kelp beds with a Sea Otter in their midst. I tried to catch the critter using a telephoto setting but alwas, he was up, then under, then up over there. No cooperation = no photo!

Looking up the road…Yes, we’re ‘greening-up’

The broad sandbar you see here waxes and wanes with the river’s flow. A lot of this bar is going to wash-out this week if the talking weather heads are correct. This will improve the Steelhead fishing (Steelhead are an ocean-going trout and a highly prised gamefish). Hard to depict in this photo are the twenty’er so sea lions basking on the sandbar right at the river’s mouth. Yeah, they’re probably full’o Steelhead… Close-up’ll follow.

This is the fort itself, taken from a field about 1/4 mile south. State says it dates from 1812 when the Russians, using native Alaskans (Aleuts) set-up shop to gather otter pelts, log and farm, the latter for the purpose of supplying the Russian outposts in Alaska. It was a trading post which supplied materials (including guns) to the Californios (the Mexican residents) who came from as far away as Sacramento.

The State has been improving this site, it’s much changed since my first visit in 1964, (the second day after my Army discharge at Ft. Lewis). I rode down the coast on the biggest Honda made in those days, a 305cc. Dream - when you could park right next to Fort’s wall. Which wall? I’m not at all sure today.

Picture taken through the bars of the armory.

I did say the glass provided lots’o distortion….

We walked back to the parking lot on this road, now used for Handicapped access only. Perhaps it’s the original highway? I dunno! It does show the ‘sea-side’ of the fort.

That’s the Fort Ross Road on Map #3. It’s one lane, steep’n twisty. That’s our departure route.

It’s Fort Ross Road on Map#3, but depicted with a rather board line don’t ya think? Steep, but very pretty. Never saw another vehicle on this section.

The administration building in the background. The construction was interesting, everything was tounge’n groove or mortise jointed with floor planks about 24” wide. The window glass would all seem original ‘floated glass” (lots of distortion).

This is an early photograph of the original Chapel (the original mind you), and has written on it (though hard to read here), ‘1911’, this when the State says ‘1912’. This is the one that burned-down circa 1966. Yes, it’s a photo of a photo…

Schedule? Yes, to get across the G.G. Bridge free, and thus save $5. we didn’t want to hit the bridge until after 4PM, but before 6PM. Motorcycles are HOV’s (high occupancy vehicles), and thus ‘free’ during commute hours. So, we decided to ride down Hwy 116 to Gurneville (Gurn-ville), and turn-up Armstrong Redwoods to Sweetwater Springs and ride that ‘path’. This is one of my favorite ‘paved trails’.

To avoid a tip-over (I didn’t), don’t use your sidestand over a gopher run. No damage, snapped-off the breakaway mirror - but still an awe-s*^t moment.

Soda Break… Cazadero Gorcery, one of the three businesses in town (excludes the Post Office). George Ruper was here, albeit via a different route.

Beautiful, steep and curvacious road that connects Armstrong Redwoods Rd. and Westside Road west of the town of Healdsburg. It’s about 11 miles in length and for years was good gravel from the ridgecrest down to Westside Road. It’s open range so chasing cows off the road is to be expected. Lots of Redwood groves along here….

These vinyards are on Westside road just about two miles from the intersection with Wholer Road and a circa 1920’s bridge over the Russian River. These vinyards and adjoining vinyards used to be owned by the late actor Fred McMurray.

Photo taken from the Wholer Road bridge. Low water, plus all those Sea Lions at the river’s mouth do not, in all liklihood, equal good fishing.

Wholer Road took us to River Road where we jumped back onto US Hwy #101 at the north end of Santa Rosa. We turned-up the wick, beating a path for home but paused just before crossing the bridge to stretch. Hard to believe that 80-100 MPH winds, with a deluge, were just hours away.