Eureka CA
Rough
day today. First an email reporting
electrical problems in the house…will need an electrician…ka-ching is coming, I
know it. Then another rough call from
daughter….details not necessary. While
loading bike and installing Garmin via bungy cords thru speaker brackets on the
fairing the right side speaker cover ripped out. The plastic around all four screws broke from
the frame….but fixed it with super glue and installed Garmin bungys via handlebars.
Went
and had the motel breakfast….hard boiled eggs and a seeded bread with butter
and strawberry jelly all washed down with a good tasting coffee. Ahhh, got me ready for the day. Met Bodie, a young man from Beaverton who was
riding (I think) a Kawasaki. He loves to
ride and see the landscape….wish him the best of rides! And it was a bummer that I overlooked taking a photo of him on his bike to post herein.
After
breakfast I rode over to the Visitor’s Center that was located a few blocks
away. It was here that I discovered
there is no separate National Park per se, but that the whole area consisting
of each State Park comprises the National Park.
At least I think that is the arrangement.
Before heading out to the Redwoods, I decided to do a little tour of Crescent City. It's a nice coastal town with a park on the Marina with a view to the ocean. Snoopy enjoyed it.
Once out on the road I could see ahead that the US-101 was shrouded in fog but didn’t think anything of it. Ten minutes later I was getting seriously chilled. So I pulled into a rest stop and donned the rain gear. Ahhh, the world was warm again.
Once out on the road I could see ahead that the US-101 was shrouded in fog but didn’t think anything of it. Ten minutes later I was getting seriously chilled. So I pulled into a rest stop and donned the rain gear. Ahhh, the world was warm again.
I
came across the locale for “Tour Thru Tree” and diverted over to it. Three bucks got me in….but boy was it
scary! The very narrow road leading up
to the tree on the hill top does such a tight banked turn that it looked very
daunting to run it on a loaded bike…oh and the road had scattered leaves all
over it. I make it to the top,
positioned Sophia inside the tree and took a fore and aft photo. Now to get down. The twisty was even tighter to come down from
the top position. I was in about half of
the twisty, straddling the line, when a jeep Cherokee came around the tight
bend. The driver hit the brakes just as
I was able to straighten out and steer back into my lane. Whew!
From
there I found the scenic highway and rode the 10 miles through the redwoods. Very beautiful sight! Took some pics of Sophia and me in front of a
redwood that was grabbing some sunlight then I strapped the camera around my
neck and rode off.
Passed the turnoff for the “Big Tree” as well as for the “Elk Prairie” deciding to try and reach Whiskeytown before 6pm. When I reached a McKinleyville gas station I unstrapped the camera from my neck to return it to its carrying bag in the saddlebag. But the case was not to be found. Seems that I left it at the side of the road at the spot of the last photo session! And in the bag is the connecting cord to transfer photos to the computer as well as to connect to the charger. This cord is USB on one end and Mini-USB on the other end. So I lost three items thru this carelessness: the camera case, cord and charger.
Passed the turnoff for the “Big Tree” as well as for the “Elk Prairie” deciding to try and reach Whiskeytown before 6pm. When I reached a McKinleyville gas station I unstrapped the camera from my neck to return it to its carrying bag in the saddlebag. But the case was not to be found. Seems that I left it at the side of the road at the spot of the last photo session! And in the bag is the connecting cord to transfer photos to the computer as well as to connect to the charger. This cord is USB on one end and Mini-USB on the other end. So I lost three items thru this carelessness: the camera case, cord and charger.
Not
having an idea of how to replace these items I decided that more than likely
the case is lying on the side of the road because it was in a spot where cars
do not stop. So off I went back to the
scenic road…turned out to be a 42 mile one way ride! I rode up and down the road before finally
replaying the last photos on the camera and matching them up to the spot on the
highway…..no case to be found.
Seems
that this road is also frequented by bicyclists and hikers. Now I have a reason to not appreciate these
two groups!
I
finally gave up the search around 5pm and headed back towards McKinleyville
where the 101 connects to US-299 taking me to WhiskeyTown. But while riding the 42 miles back I started
to consider other alternatives. I knew
that I had a charger in my bag of electronic connectors that would accommodate
a USB male plug. But did I have a mini
USB connector??
Because
of the late hour I didn’t want to attempt riding the two and a half hours over
the coastal mountains to Whiskeytown.
Where do I find a connector with USB and Mini-USB?? WalMart, Kmart, Radio Shack, Verizon? All these stores would probably be in a
mall….but not in a small town such as McK.
How about Eureka??....only 13 more miles from McK to the big town of
‘reeka’. So I decided to go there, get a
motel room, and find one of the aforementioned stores.
Luck
was with me, despite freezing my tail off all day. I found an American Best Value Inn within
downtown Eureka and the motel clerk gave me directions to the mall where I
found a Radio Shack that had the exact cord I needed (WalMart was a
strikeout). Back at the motel I tested
the cord by charging the camera battery and then by transferring photos from
the camera to the computer….all worked well!
Tomorrow
I will head for Whiskey Town and then to Lassen to get the proper photo I need
for the SCMA Parks proof of visit. Anxiety
level is very low now that I know I can download photo’s.
Ahhh,
life is good again J.
I'll work on warming up again to bicyclists and hikers later.
C ya mañana,I'll work on warming up again to bicyclists and hikers later.
Gonzo
Twitter: @GonzoCrossUSA
Email: GonzoCrossUSA@gmail.com
Cell: 949-433-0761
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