Gold Coast, July 4th, 2010.

So for a long time now, I've enjoyed just simply going on a motorcycle ride and finding an unassuming town and enjoying whatever little tidbits it has to offer. Whether it be enjoying a farmers market, a parade, a local show, etc... it's always fun to experience a bit of Americana on road trips.

So this July, I had about 5 days off, and figured a road trip was in order. The multi would be going on it's first west coast ride.

I had no real plan, but to ride north, maybe hit some of the fantastic roads that Norcal has to offer. I would end up taking 299 from Redding to Arcata which was fun enough, with light traffic. Not to shabby, but I still need to hit Hwy 36 with it's imposing 140 miles of twisties.

Since we were on a leisure ride, and no real plan, we simply got out of the bay area on the first day, slabbing it north to get some distance towards our destination...wherever that may be.

Spent the first night in a regular motel, in Anderson, Ca.

Then jammed it over 299 to the coast.

Along the way, we stopped for some gas and a pbr, and took a photo with this homage to a local legend. Bigfoot. :D

From Arcata, we rolled north along the coast on Hwy 1 towards Oregon.

We made a run through the Redwoods N.F. (note myself and the bike under the redwood) and stopped at the Trees of Mystery to check out this giant statue of Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox. :D with testicles and all. hahahaha

We passed into Oregon, without much fanfare, and stopped at the tallest bridge in Oregon. The Thomas Creek Bridge, at 345 feet.

..and walked around to some of the sights....this photo above, is about 500 ft above the water below. pretty deceiving unless you look closely. The reason the trail was closed, was due to the high amounts of poison oak along the trail...hahahaha didn't see the sign, before I went over the log blocking the way. Oh well, PO doesn't affect me. so it was all good.

With the day getting long, and it being super windy, we decided to go no further than Gold Coast, Oregon. I'd been thru here before, on my rides to Seattle, and found a nice cheap local motel to stop at. After getting settled in, we bought some drinks, and went down to the beach for a nice sunset. A bit chillier than socal, but still enjoyable nonetheless.

No one else on the beach, but with a nice sweatshirt, thanks to the Kimchi, it was just fine.
Especially while enjoying a Chelada on the coast. :)

The next day we decided to make the most of the trails in the area, and hike about. As well as to stick around Gold Coast, and enjoy the local 4th of July celebration. Which would start with an F-15 fly by at about 11:30am. That was cool to see, even though it was quick.

We rode around, and saw Arch rock, and then a few of these ginormous boulders, rocks, remnants of a bygone era........and the sheer size of them is impressive. That's me on the far right photo, down by the water.

After a nice day, sunny, yet windy, we headed down to the piers where the main festivities would be held. On lineup, was the Cajun band to play, the pie and watermelon eating contests, and the patriotic pooch show. hahaha As you can tell from the above photo, there is always one little dude, who doesn't care about what others think. He got out with the band playing and danced to his own tune. Much to the enjoyment of the entire crowd. That is how I hope my kid will be one day. Simply can't be bothered with what others think of his behavior, and about people looking/laughing in his general direction.

The patriotic pooch show went well, with many a different class of dog out there, and all the local kids trying to be in as many events as possible. The pie eating contest was held with great fanfare, and the little dudes (dancing dude included) went at it full throttle. hahaha

Finally, it was time for the fireworks, and they were stellar. Great to spend a good evening checking the fireworks, and enjoying a bit of rural America, in my opinion, every now and then. Reminds me of why this country is so great, and why I love it so much.

We took it easy that night, as it was 400 miles home the following morning. It went well, with a spirited ride down the 101 south into SF. With an obligatory stop to get a post-ride beer, at Zeitgeist. I went for 2 pbr, as that is how I roll. :D

great trip, great experience, and I can honestly say, this was one of the better July 4th's I've spent in a long while.