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I had a nice night in Fort Bragg, with some good fish tacos for dinner. Saturday’s ride was about as good as it gets. 360 miles of heaven. I knew Sunday’s ride would be equally brilliant, with a few sections well known to be some of the best riding opportunities in the world!
I got up early to get started on the day’s ride, especially since I knew I’d be stopping by to see my son and daughter-in-law, and wanted as much time as possible with them. It was COLD! Around 36 in Fort Bragg, and it even dropped down to 32 as I headed north along the coast and inland. It stayed in the low 30’s for around the first couple of hours of my ride. Thank goodness for heated gear!
Despite the cold, I was cherishing the opportunity to ride along the coast in November. Always beautiful, and with the special bonus of almost no people along the route.
Soon I passed through Westport and Rockport, and was approaching probably my favorite stretch of road ever – the LEGENDARY twisty forest route of Rockport-Leggett. I’d only ridden it once before, a few years ago with my great friend Etienne. It was cold then too (in December), and we came the opposite (downhill) direction.
It was as glorious as I remember. What a road. It was super cold, but I still had a blast, and it was really fun to be going uphill, where I could ride less defensively, and a little more aggressively. I saw no other bikes, and just a few other cars, along the whole stretch. I could ride this road all day! But, I knew I only had so many hours, and a long way to go, with lots more cool and scenic routes to experience.
I stopped in Laytonville for fuel, and to warm up a tiny bit. Then, I headed back down toward the coast again, this time on a less known, but super cool road, just a bit south of Rockport-Leggett. A hidden gem! Branscomb Road. So cool, with more great variety and beautiful scenery. Empty!
Soon, I was back at the coast again, heading south toward Fort Bragg again. Now it was quite a bit warmer than earlier. Low 50’s already! That made a huge difference. I had to snag a couple more photos of the beauty along the way.
As you can imagine, I had a huge smile on my face almost the entire trip. This scenery! This weather! This bike! This level of riding enjoyment! In November? So thankful.
I can’t say enough about the perfection of the nearly 700 mile route I chose. So much greatness, and so little boring highway stuff, which is often needed to get to the good stuff. It was magical.
My tires were getting a really nice workout too. I was so impressed with the new bike’s handling. So limber and sporty for such a big, and fairly heavy bike. Comfortable and so much fun. Seat is a little too firm for long rides, but I’ll look into options to improve that a bit.
Around 3 PM I made it to my son’s place, where I enjoyed the very best part of the trip – priceless time with them. That alone was worth the nine hour drive each way!
Unfortunately, daylight was getting short, and I needed to get back to the original starting point in Woodland to load up and start the long drive home. I made it back by sunset.
I drove a few hours Sunday night, so I’d have less of a drive Monday, and actually be able to get back to the office by Monday afternoon. I spent the night in Fernley, NV, just east of Reno. My poor bike had to spend a very cold night outside. I’m sure it wanted to be back in California, just as I did.
A pretty perfect weekend! I decided I really need to do this at least once or twice a year. It’s a long drive each way, but man is it worth it. What a perfect place, and way, to do those break-in miles on the new bike. Having these memories will at least make it a little easier to get through winter, and to next riding season. Super grateful for the new bike, and looking forward to adding to the nearly 60,000 miles I’ve done on the previous two Multistradas. Well done, Ducati!
I got up early to get started on the day’s ride, especially since I knew I’d be stopping by to see my son and daughter-in-law, and wanted as much time as possible with them. It was COLD! Around 36 in Fort Bragg, and it even dropped down to 32 as I headed north along the coast and inland. It stayed in the low 30’s for around the first couple of hours of my ride. Thank goodness for heated gear!
Despite the cold, I was cherishing the opportunity to ride along the coast in November. Always beautiful, and with the special bonus of almost no people along the route.
Soon I passed through Westport and Rockport, and was approaching probably my favorite stretch of road ever – the LEGENDARY twisty forest route of Rockport-Leggett. I’d only ridden it once before, a few years ago with my great friend Etienne. It was cold then too (in December), and we came the opposite (downhill) direction.
It was as glorious as I remember. What a road. It was super cold, but I still had a blast, and it was really fun to be going uphill, where I could ride less defensively, and a little more aggressively. I saw no other bikes, and just a few other cars, along the whole stretch. I could ride this road all day! But, I knew I only had so many hours, and a long way to go, with lots more cool and scenic routes to experience.
I stopped in Laytonville for fuel, and to warm up a tiny bit. Then, I headed back down toward the coast again, this time on a less known, but super cool road, just a bit south of Rockport-Leggett. A hidden gem! Branscomb Road. So cool, with more great variety and beautiful scenery. Empty!
Soon, I was back at the coast again, heading south toward Fort Bragg again. Now it was quite a bit warmer than earlier. Low 50’s already! That made a huge difference. I had to snag a couple more photos of the beauty along the way.
As you can imagine, I had a huge smile on my face almost the entire trip. This scenery! This weather! This bike! This level of riding enjoyment! In November? So thankful.
I can’t say enough about the perfection of the nearly 700 mile route I chose. So much greatness, and so little boring highway stuff, which is often needed to get to the good stuff. It was magical.
My tires were getting a really nice workout too. I was so impressed with the new bike’s handling. So limber and sporty for such a big, and fairly heavy bike. Comfortable and so much fun. Seat is a little too firm for long rides, but I’ll look into options to improve that a bit.
Around 3 PM I made it to my son’s place, where I enjoyed the very best part of the trip – priceless time with them. That alone was worth the nine hour drive each way!
Unfortunately, daylight was getting short, and I needed to get back to the original starting point in Woodland to load up and start the long drive home. I made it back by sunset.
I drove a few hours Sunday night, so I’d have less of a drive Monday, and actually be able to get back to the office by Monday afternoon. I spent the night in Fernley, NV, just east of Reno. My poor bike had to spend a very cold night outside. I’m sure it wanted to be back in California, just as I did.
A pretty perfect weekend! I decided I really need to do this at least once or twice a year. It’s a long drive each way, but man is it worth it. What a perfect place, and way, to do those break-in miles on the new bike. Having these memories will at least make it a little easier to get through winter, and to next riding season. Super grateful for the new bike, and looking forward to adding to the nearly 60,000 miles I’ve done on the previous two Multistradas. Well done, Ducati!
