The Lost Coast

Been a minute since I wrote one of these! Since the last one, I've moved to California. But I can write more about that later :)

This weekend I went on an incredible motorcycle adventure with Braelyn. We left San Francisco on Friday, after work, and rode up the 101 to Willits - a small town with the slogan "Gateway to the Redwoods". It sits in the centre of Mendocino county, right at the beginning of the redwood forests, so the slogan is apt!

We both have Kove 450s, and this was our first long freeway trip with them - they were actually pretty good!

That night, we went for a walk into town, and stopped at a pub named "Shanachie Pub". Inside, they had live music, and I had the best cider since leaving the UK. (I'm from Devon, and the south west is super known for our cider).

We met some guys there who worked for the power company, cutting down trees that could interfere with the cables. They were super fun to hang out with!

The next morning, we woke up a bit late (I blame the pub). We were planning on riding from Willits over to Fort Bragg. Highway 20 was the obvious route, but we were on dirt bikes! We took "Sherwood Road", which is about 40 miles long. The first quarter or so is paved, but once you leave the paving it's dirt almost the entire way to Fort Bragg.

We had to check the route SO many times. Sherwood Road is mostly logging trails, so there were many branches heading off in random directions. I had a rally tower sat at home that still needed installing - having a nav screen on this would have made life a million times easier.

About halfway through, Braelyn took a tumble :(

Luckily, she wasn't too injured, beyond some bruising. Her bike was scratched up, but almost entirely unharmed. It was a reminder that we really should carry a proper first aid kit, and some other emergency bits.

Once we got to Fort Bragg, we stopped for lunch. I hadn't been there since 2023, but wanted to stop at the cafe I visited with Michelle! Luckily it was still open, and still served good food.

I also bought a mug! Like most Brits, I had collected a number of mugs over the years. But I didn't bring any with me when I moved to the US :(

From Fort Bragg, we were heading north to Usal Road. The story here is interesting! Highway 1 hugs the ocean, but eventually the coast becomes too rough to have a major road there. So, it turns inland, and joins the 101 for a while.

But at this turn, there's a small dirt trail. You can continue to ride north along the ocean this way, and it's stunningly pretty. That's why it's called the Lost Coast - the road gave up, but you don't have to if you have a dirt bike!

Halfway up Usal Road, you will find Usal Beach. The first portion of the road is actually pretty busy, and we ran into a variety of vehicles - from off roading 4x4s, to regular cars. Visiting the beach is popular! (though not as busy as places you can reach in a normal car)

I'd been taking photos with my Ricoh up to this point, and switched to my Fuji now that I was walking about. I'd stupidly wedged my Ricoh in a pocket, and it fell out on the beach while walking around. I struggled to find it again, but Braelyn found it with ease. Thank you <3

After the beach, we tackled the northern part of Usal Road! This was much more fun. There was very minimal traffic - I think only one truck - and the road was very twisty, with fun elevation changes, and the surface had just the right amount of challenge. Despite being a bit dusty, it was probably the most fun I have had off road yet. I don't really have any photos of this part!

From here, we were heading towards Shelter Cove, to spend the night near the ocean. The road was paved for the majority of the way. In places it was gravel, and it was very narrow and steep throughout.

We arrived tired, but astonished by how beautiful the cove is! I thought I'd booked a hotel for the night, but somehow had the wrong dates. Luckily, the hotel ("Inn of the Lost Coast") had a room available, and were nice enough to shift the dates of my booking.

At this point, it was golden hour. The entire town was bathed in golden light, so we went for a walk. The centre of town has an airstrip - possibly the only way to get in and out of the area reasonably quickly - but otherwise is sparsely populated. I suspect the deer population outweighs the human one.

Our walk ended with dinner. This was a spot named "Gyppo Ale Mill", which apparently means something different in American English. (here it's a small-scale logger, not what it means back home!)

The next day, we were heading home. Braelyn was sore after her crash, and we were both fairly weary from a long day. First stop was Garberville, and despite being paved, the road there was gorgeous. Twisty, through the forest, with lots of high bridges and stunning views.

We refueled along the way - though with 8 gallon tanks, the Koves rarely need it - and joined the 101. This far north, the 101 isn't so dull! It's much twistier and more interesting. Despite this, we were planning on rejoining the 1 as soon as possible.

It turns out, I'd totally forgotten that there's a drive-thru tree at the junction of the 1 and 101! I was there in 2023 as well!

From here, we rode all the way to Fort Bragg. Stopped at the same cafe, then took 128 all the way to the 101, and then home. Midway through 128, it got SUPER HOT! We were both overdressed for this and found it a bit toasty.

There's something surreal about this post. I was revisiting memories and a ride from almost three years ago now, and my life has changed massively since then. Back in 2023, I made one trip to visit the US (from London) to ride motorcycles. The ride through Mendocino and Humboldt was very alien to me, and very far from home! But this time around, it was a weekend trip with my partner. I'm probably going to dedicate a future post to my thoughts and feelings around moving to a new country, but I'm really happy with how things have been going so far.