2012 West Coast Discovery

[DockingPilot]

This is northern Californias Lost Coast fellas


John pops the top




The Panzer poses for the camera

[byways]

... sigh ...

[DockingPilot]

I descend into Shelter Cove. Visibility still very good. I'm not sure were we are staying. Well, I cant go straight, so I go right. Not a soul around btw




Again fellas. The weather.
Now, for those that don't know, as I didn't, you cant count on 1 hand how many times you can see with unlimited visibilty here.
But just look at that.


And then I find it

[DockingPilot]

I see only the Super Enduro parked.
And I walk around back and find Brucee relaxing, having a cold one with the Inn keeper and his wife.


The view from the deck was amazing. Yea, we were on vacation for sure.




More Californians to get to know. They just lived here for the owner and ran the Inn. Pleasant, friendly folks who were eager to share a beer with us and sit back and take in the view.


They got very excited by these Brown Pelicans. Endangered perhaps ?




The freshness of the air was invigorating after the long dusty route we had been on since Oroville Washington.


Our digs for the night.


This was great ! To my left was the Pacific


John and Mike had still not arrived. But that was OK. They were having a blast.

Bruce and I decide it was time to:


As I slink back, let the tension go, except for the grip on my Dos Equis XX Amber, I was feeling a bit like
"The worlds most interesting man"


Then I open my eyes not to see Selma Hyack, but instead see:




Then the fog starts to roll in...........

[DockingPilot]

The Pacific fog was on a mission.
A clearly defined wall of sea fog brought on by the cold water temps clashing with the heavy warm inland air. We would find out tomorrow however, that this was not "real" fog. The "real" fog would blanket Shelter Cove overnight.












Mike and John pull in, we shower, dress and head to the one and only place to get anything to eat in Shelter Cove. If your not eating here,.....
your not eating!


This place was intresting...........

[eakins]

I assume the Usal Road comes after this

[DockingPilot]

Originally Posted by eakins

I assume the Usal Road comes after this

[eakins]

Originally Posted by DockingPilot

Oh boy, how do I so love that spot (Windy Point Road. West of Patrolia & south off of Lighthouse Rd). It's so good, It's on the cover of Tony's amazing book: http://www.backcountrybyways.com/calicoast.shtml

There is an awesome campground down there at the beach and this is the Mattole River coming out into the ocean.

[eakins]

Originally Posted by DockingPilot

sweet!

[byways]

A picture-window view ...

"Hey, Bill ... Is that what you call a tsunami coming our way???"

[DockingPilot]

How do I describe Shelter Cove ?
It was fairly isolated. small, unpopulated, nice, down in a hole almost, encircled completely by the King Range. An extremely small pocket of a rocky seaside community.

Do you remember the show? "Twin Peaks"


Well while I was in Shelter Cove, for some reason I kept thinking of this show and that town and the air it had about it. Maybe it was the unrelenting fog assault and the lack of people around, but it somehow felt the same to me as when I watched this show.

Anyway, we ventured across the street to:
The Chart Room

Owned and operated by a husband and wife. They do it all. Chef, waitress, bus, clean up, prepare, fetch. Everything.
This is Annie. "Tugboat Annie as she is called.

And her husband the chef, John.


Hard to describe. We loved her. But I guess that would depend on weather you had eaten dinner or not
Being the only place to eat for quite a ways, they were, shall we say..... independent. Annie walks up to us, ok boys, heres the menu, what do you want to drink ? Comes back minutes laters and slaps the glasses down and says ok, what do you want to eat ? All business, yet friendly at the same time. And the place being really, really small, filled quick. And if you didn't get a table in time, you weren't eating as the would suddenly announce, weather you were waiting outside on the deck 2 minutes or 20, " no more tonight"
We were lucky and got in both nights, but we saw a couple get rejected after waiting outside for awhile ! Man was that guys wife pissed !


Annie workin it
We got "The special"




This place definitely left an impression on us. It was very cool, different and to me, helped solidify my "Twin Peaks" vision.

After a "Chocolate Overflow" desert, we walked back through the fog to the,
Inn at the Lost Coast and it was just a little bit.......



spooky



UP NEXT Day 13 More Lost Coast !!

[BigDogAdventures.com]

Just found this today----but couldn't stop till I got to here.

My favorite was Bethyl ridge-----probably hard for you guys to pick a favorite !!!

Thanks so much

BigDog

And a note to the guy riding the WR250R-------------I've got almost 40,000 miles on mine---and my buddy Dingweeds has 45,000 on his. No motor work whatsoever. !!!!
Hope you are enjoying yours as much as I do mine----I've sold my big bikes.

[westcoasttrekker]

Awesome report. I cant believe the nice weather you had throughout the whole trip. Thanks again for sharing.

[redog1]

...I do believe I feel the pull of the Pacific. Yes I think a ride is in order prior to my OBCDR this year. April sounds good. Yes I think so. Let the planning begin. . Great job guys!

[byways]

I can't imagine anyone going back to tents, sleeping bags and huddling 'round campfires after this. It's all so perfect ...