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"IN MEMORY OF MARY LOGSDON" - IN NOTE SECTION OF CHECK

JULY 29, 2006 - "...against the night A wandering hermit Racing toward the light From the white sands To the canyon lands To the redwood stands To the barren lands Sunrise on the road behind......"
GHOST RIDER BY RUSH - NEAL PEART, THE DRUMMER FOR RUSH, WROTE A BOOK CALLED "GHOST RIDER"

With 220 miles under the wheels today, I decided to call it quits in Eureka. It was 5:00 PM or so, and I was close enough to the Oregon border (approximately 1 hour 40 minutes)  to warrant a relaxing evening.  I asked Mylee (the desk clerk at the Days Inn) about where to eat, and following her lead, I left for dinner, after checking in. On the way back to the motel, I stopped for gas and some supplies to make sure that my finger didn't get all smelly and covered in pastel colors. I also stopped to see a movie. I opted for MIAMI VICE. I have a recommendation for you. If it comes to making a choice when you go to the theater, see anything else but that one. When it comes out on DVD, and it should by tomorrow, don't rent or purchase it. UNLESS YOU SEE IT AT A GARAGE SALE, then, buy the salt and pepper shaker set instead. If it comes on television, cancel the cable and the direct dish TV providers.

Other than that it was a good movie. HA! Well, it was as good a movie as Batista was a compassionate dictator. Today's ride through the countryside offered a glimpse into the geography of this nation, unlike I had experienced previously.

I wanted to see more of the Redwoods, so I moved inland and took 101, which would take me through the largest Redwood forest on the face of this planet. The mountainsides, which had been velvety brown with grasses, changed to being green with grape vines all staked out in precise rows for acre upon acre of ground. There were dozens of wineries that I traveled next to, for hours on end. Mountains and valleys alike were staked, wired and green with plants. Mature vines co existed with those that are in need of maturing before any harvests can be had from them. It was very similar to the New York winery area that I had passed through at the beginning of the trip. The exception being, of course, that there were no mountains in the New York winery area along Lake Ontario. It was mildly hilly at best. The California winery area shared similar humidity, and yes, temperature. I noticed that the temp was only 56 in some of the areas I moved through today. It did fluctuate up to 88 degrees in one 20 mile stretch, but being close to the Ocean meant that the temps that high were a rarity. The wine producing grape vines are planted at precise intervals and allowed to grow on a stretched wire between two well planted metal fence posts. The tension must be pretty tight, because I didn't see any sag in the wires at all. I wonder if they could be played like a giant guitar once the vines were removed.  They probably would produce a frequency so low that it would disturb the San Andreas Fault, be the cause of a major earthquake and California would sink into the ocean.

Gradually the winery area gave way to more trees covering the brown and light green of the surrounding mountains. Soon, almost before I realized it, the brown of the short grass had disappeared, only to be replaced by trees.

But, my God, what trees these were!! I had experienced the Muir Woods and the Giants that inhabited that stand. These were even far more incredible than those near the Golden Gate Bridge. I exited Hwy 101 to see for myself, these unbelievable giants of nature. Informational signs indicated that many of the trees I was going to see were as old as 2,100 years. I wrote that correctly. This Species of Redwood along the "Avenue of Giants" is the largest collection of the largest living beings known to man. The Avenue of Giants lived up to its name very well. There were areas of that road that had not seen sunlight since it was built. The proximity of trees as large as these to the road, demanded slower speeds. You had to respect the fact that any fight between a motorist and a tree of this stature would cause irreparable damage to anything BUT the tree. Seeing mile upon mile of these rare and beautiful plants made me realize how lucky I was to have seen them at all. Were it not for the efforts of those RARE politicians in the last century, these would have all been made into tooth picks. As it is, moving through these awe inspiring forests is like watching Mother Nature giving a lap dance to a lumber jack. He knows that this is beautiful. He knows that it is alluring, and tempting, and thrilling. He also knows that if he touches anything, management will have him removed. So it is with these treasures of the mountains. There are very strict rules about removing or even touching anything in these Federal forests. The gift shops do have products made from Redwood and Sequoia, but there are very strict methods by which these woods can be harvested. All things must be made from salvaged wood and not growth wood. As you can guess by now, today's voyage left me breathless, but not because I had to horse the bike through mile after mile of curve after curve. It was because I had the privilege of traveling through these massively populated woods. I hope the photographs do justice to how I felt today.