Leg 31 - Rio Dell, CA to Novato, CA (Final Leg)

I left the motel at Rio Dell at 5:30 am for the final leg of this tour. I will be posting an epilogue with a summary of the trip, mileage, etc.

The motel was at the northern end of the Avenue of The Giants, a grove of redwoods surrounded by the Humboldt Redwoods State Park. The ride through the redwood forest was spectacular although it did get a bit chilly. When I left the motel it was 56 degrees, but dropped to 46 when I got into the thick of the redwoods.

I took Hwy 101 until I got to the Hwy 1 cutoff and then took Hwy 1 to the coast. I have ridden Hwy 1 along the entire west coast of the US and that stretch of Hwy 1 is the most twisty I have encountered. I had to slow to almost a crawl on one turn.

The coast was blanketed in heavy fog. I stopped in Fort Bragg for breakfast and put on my rain jacket the fog was so thick.

The ride down the coast was nice. There is something about the Northern California Coast that has always been a heart tug for me. It is rugged with sheer cliffs and huge rocks.

I took Hwy 1 to just south of Mendocino where I picked up Hwy 128, my favorite local ride. I had never ridden it was west to east. I usually take it from east to west, eat breakfast in Mendocino and then take Hwy 1 all the way back to where I can connect with back roads into Novato.

Hwy 128 did not disappoint. Once a few miles inland, the fog cleared and the sun dappled through the redwoods. A beautiful site when riding.

Hwy 128 connects back with Hwy 101 at Cloverdale, CA. There I took Hwy 101 back to Novato. It was congested with the early 4th of July traffic.

I arrived back at my home in Novato, CA around 11:30.

Overall, 258 miles and right at 6 hours.

Leg 31 - Rio Dell, CA to Novato, CA (Final Leg)

I sure am glad we are a free nation. Happy Fourth of July to all!!!!