Two Wheels to Adventure: The Takeaway

The motorcycle bit of our adventure is over...and thus, so is my blogging obligation.  We arrived in Redding, California this afternoon just in time to spend Valentine's Day with Peter's family.  So, this will be the last entry about our "Two Wheels to Adventure" tour.  My post is dedicated to our takeaway points, which we contemplated on the 200 miles of very curvy roads we took through Sonoma and Napa Valley today.  And speaking of miles, we put quite a few behind us.  Peter tallied about 3000 miles in the last two weeks, while I joined him for approximately 2/3 of that distance.  I'm proud of us for making it that far and never having a serious arguement.  I'm also extremely grateful to Peter for bringing us all that way without a single incident.  I had to put my trust in him completely, which was surprisingly easy.  Thanks, hon.

But now I'm very tired and ready to just live the last couple days in California without having to re-live it on the blog into the wee hours of the night.  I promise that I really have enjoyed sharing our adventure with you, but it's been a lot of work to do it every day.  I'll let you know if it ever becomes a book, but don't count on it.

For now, I'll use the photos from today's leg of the journey to illustrate the morals of our story.  Hope you enjoy.

Lindsey:  Eating good quality food every day is a necessary luxury.

Brioche French Toast with baked apples and bacon from
the El Dorado Kitchen.

Hot chocolate, of course.

Lindsey:  Memorable experiences take time, but are usually worth the effort.

We got off the motorcycle to taste wine.
The 5th glass was the best.



From far away these doors looked like spray paint.

Up close, though, they are cool stainless steel.

Peter:  Riding two-up on a motorcycle is not as much fun as riding by yourself.


Try everything once, and the good things twice.  We won't be doing this a second time.

Peter:  It's better to stay in a location more than one day in order to see everything it has to offer.


Being constantly on the road makes the good things whiz by too fast.

Whiz!

Peter & Lindsey:  Going on vacation with another person makes it more interesting.



Interesting, like my hair.

Two Wheels to Adventure: Food, Marvelous Food!

One thing both Peter and I were looking forward to on this trip was the fresh produce and local foods we would get to eat.  After being on the road together for nine days, in two countries, through some of the most prolific growing regions of the USA, I can say that finding a good meal has become our favorite part of this trip.  We've eaten Thai, French, Italian, Mexican (in Mexico), American, Latin, Danish, and Fusion food.  Only a very few items have been processed or fast food, like our Mexican convenience store snacks, and the rest has been fresh, handmade, homemade, or locally grown.  Our food explorations have been the only major expenditure of money on the whole trip (apart from lodging and gas).  Available local-vore items included apples in Phoenix, shrimp and fish in Puerto Penasco, prickly pear cactus in Mexico, dates in Dateville, avocados in California, oranges and mussels in Laguna Beach, feta cheese and greens in Carmel, and strawberries on the Central Coast.  We've eaten handmade chocolates, pastries, quiche, jam, salads, burgers, granola, burritos, tacos, soups, pizzas, sausage, and spring rolls.  I have sometimes wished there were more hours in the day to eat more food! Or, at least, more room in my stomach.

Found outside Half Moon Bay.

The jams here are made by the only unionized organic farm workers in the US.

Have you ever seen so much cheese?  And many of them are local.

Carmel-by-the-sea is a foodie heaven!

My point is:  Good food is SO good!

Why eat a snickers bar when you could have a handcrafted sea salt caramel, or a chocolate dipped florentine?  Who wants an egg McMuffin when you could indulge in huevos rancheros with sliced avocado and black beans topped with fresh salsa on a fluffy home baked flat bread?  There's no reason to settle for microwave meals when, for the same price, you could pick up some fresh local produce and make a scrumptious salad.  These photos are an homage to some of our food finds.

Homemade sweets and pastries abounded wherever we went!

A chopped romain salad with grilled veggies, bacon, and local feta.

Jalepeno burger on a fresh made bun from 400 Degrees in Carmel.

Mexican shrimp cocktail harvested daily!

Yogurt with locally made granola, coconut, and organic blueberries.

Fruit smoothie and eggs (scrambled and Benedict).

Quinoa salad with currants, peppers, and cucumber.

If this food makes you hungry, then set out where ever you live and aim to find the freshest, closest, most organic food you can afford and treat yourself to a meal that is good for you and the planet.  You'll be glad you did!  We have been.  As for today, during the downtime when our marvelous meals were digesting, we did some more window shopping in Carmel-by-the-sea.  We lingered until mid-afternoon and then finally forced ourselves to put our motorcycle gear on and push north again.  Our new plan is to get across the Golden Gate Bridge in San Fransisco tonight, and roll calmly through Sonoma Valley tomorrow toward our final destination of Redding.  It was a good plan, but as always, it took much longer to get to our destination than we anticipated.

Carmel was full of hidden courtyards and quaint shops.

My first apron for Valentine's Day.  Suppose now I'll have to cook.

Peter's Valentine wish list?  That's more expensive than an apron.

Anthropologie is my new favorite store!

I want it all!

Peter playing games at the strawberry farm.

Caesar Chavez inspired the strawberry growers union.
He is commemorated by the farm owner.

Heading north on the California Coast.

Even with clear blue skies and sunshine the temperature has been steadily dropping ever since we left Arizona.  Although we hoped to cross San Francisco sometime this afternoon with good light to document our trip across the iconic Golden Gate Bridge, we didn't roll into the big city until the sun had already melted into the ocean.  The driving was beautiful, but as the sun dropped lower on the horizon, so did the thermometer.  We ended up crossing the bridge in rush hour traffic as dusk was fading.  By the time we emerged on the north side of Marin County we had lost all daylight and had no clue where we were going to sleep that night.  Both of us were cold and hungry after four continuous hours of riding and ready to get off the bike and into a hot tub.  Using the headlights of cars behind us, I tried to navigate us through the suburbs of San Francisco to a place that might have lodging using our California map.  At some point, we reached the edge of the map detail I was using and I needed to open up the map and flip it around to the backside.  In a car this is no problem.  On a motorcycle, after dark, on a jam-packed freeway, opening a map to arms-length and trying to turn it around and read it poses a slightly more challenging situation.  So we just forged on ahead for miles and miles until the traffic thinned a bit and we finally saw a sign for a reputable hotel chain near the highway.  We had tremendous luck in happening upon a Courtyard Marriot within walking distance of several quality eateries and fully equipped with a working indoor hot tub and wi-fi in our room.  We felt in the lap of luxury to walk into a clean room, get out of our motorcycle gear, eat a healthy meal, and warm our muscles in the spa.  We tried to soak it all in because we know that the end of our trip is near.  As with all good things, they must come to an end (or at least a change).  Tomorrow will be our last day to frolic together on this vacation for two.  It's been a good learning experience and a chance to make new memories and get to know each other in a new way.  And the good thing is, we still pretty much like each other!

The sun dipped itself into the ocean before we made it to the Golden Gate Bridge.

There really are two people on the bike.

Ah!  There I am.  Peter's trying the read the map.

Thumbs up for crossing the bridge at last!

I'm snapping photos from the backseat.

This was our view.

Farewell southern California.

Next time (if there is one), I'll be riding my own motorcycle.  Or, better yet, I'll be driving a cool British sports car with a convertible top and be in no hurry to get anywhere except right where I am.  And Peter can ride shotgun.

Two Wheels to Adventure: Highway 1 Perfection

My bad mood magically disappeared while I slept in our ho-hum hotel in Pismo Beach.  I miraculously awoke with a desire to face the day with optimism and renewed vigor to ride the motorcycle.  And that is an important aspect to every day on this road trip.  My ability to get on the back of the motorcycle and sit there for as long as it takes to get where we are going takes a special kind of patience and trust.  It's best for everyone involved if I do it with a happy heart.  Even Peter admitted to me yesterday that he could never ride on the back of a motorcycle.  He said he'd never trust anyone enough to have that little control or be able to sit for that long with nothing to do.  So, it's a good thing that I trust Peter ultimately.  In fact, I've been grateful for his endurance for driving the motorcycle, keeping it upright, and navigating it over freeways and through cities.  He's a very competent and safe driver with great reflexes and instincts.  I started the day with these thoughts in mind, and wouldn't you know, the day went much MUCH better!

Our first stop was in San Luis Obispo where we made a beeline to a British Sports Car shop that we happened upon.  My first good decision of the day was to be more comfortable.  You see, I have to put on five layers of clothing every day in order to protect myself from the cold and potential danger of coming off the motorcycle.  By the time I have everything on I feel like I'm in a body cast.  While it might be necessary to keep me warm and safe on the bike, it's not very conducive to moving or walking.  So, I peeled off a couple layers until I looked like a normal person walking down the street and I was ready to look at old cars.

British Sports Cars (raised in California).

Bond.  James Bond.

This rare pre-Jaguar SS was reported to be Amelia Earhart's.

So many little pretties!

I'll drive behind the motorcycle in this one, okay honey?

After talking to Phil (the nicest British car mechanic EVER) and vowing to someday buy an MG sports car from this place, we walked around the block, bought a Jamba Juice for me, a peanut butter shake for Peter, and an order of onion rings to share.  We sat out in the sunshine and savored our mid-day snack and chatted about where to go today.  We decided that it was wise to keep heading north, rather than linger so far from our destination. This meant that we would tackle the 100 miles of Highway 1 that runs along the coast between Morrow Bay and Monterey.  We'd aim to stop just short of that in Carmel-by-the-sea.  This would be a new place for me to visit, but I knew it had a reputation for art and high-brow shopping.  Since Peter and I have turned walkable downtown window-shopping into a pastime on this trip, Carmel seemed like the perfect place to stop next.

But first, we had to drive the notoriously winding and narrow Highway 1 to get there.  I had done this before.  Peter had not.  I knew it would be a treat for him, and I was right.  However, it took a renewal of faith, on my part, in his driving ability as we started to navigate the 20 mph turns.  I had gotten used to my lack of visibility several days ago, but when you have to follow the bike as it leans side to side around tight corners atop 100 meter cliffs above an endless ocean and you can't see those turns coming...well, it takes some new getting used to.  If you haven't ridden a motorbike, the rule is: lean with the bike, not against it.  I know this rule and am comfortable with it, but Peter had to get comfortable with it again too.  My added weight and all the gear on the bike made it a lot heavier than he was used to.  More than once he went into a corner leaning too far and had to straighten out and correct our line because we turned too sharp.  But we soon got a rhythm and then we thoroughly enjoyed the sunshine, spectacular ocean views, and the best motorcycle riding of the whole trip.  The following photos give a glimpse.  Oh, and before I forget, we saw elephant seals, too.  Big, loud, blubbery, dirty elephant seals.  Picture giant slugs with flippers.  And, for them, it's all about the ladies.  Male elephant seals keep harems of females and the younger males are always trying to sneak in the back door, if you know what I mean (wink, wink).  So, the boys chest bump and bite and flop around chasing each other while the girls try to keep the kids out of the way and catch some shut-eye when they get a chance.  It's like a daytime drama for animals.

The males are almost twice the size of the females.
Just like people, their noses keep growing with age.

Moms and kids.

Check out the battle scars on the male in the middle.  And check out his schnoz!

This sign isn't kidding.

The fun is in the lean!

 I'll leave you with a few pics from our window shopping in Carmel-by-the-sea.

Make my movie!

Yes, yes, yes.

No, no, no.