Recommended Rides
Once you break out of the trees,
you can smell the salty tang of the
ocean and it might be time for a
quick meal before heading north.
As you come into Fort Bragg, you
come to a “T “at the bottom of the
hill. There is a strip mall to the
north where we found a small café
that appeared to be where the
locals eat. Always a
good sign.
David’s Deli at 163
Boatyard Drive is
only open for break-
fast and lunch. They
close at 2:00 PM, so
if your time works
out this would be a
good place to refuel.
We had a great pan-
cake brunch there
and my wife espe-
cially appreciated
their Gluten-free
options.
While in Fort Bragg, take a little
time to visit the famous Glass
Beach. Follow Highway 1 north
through the town and turn west on
Elm Street. In 2 blocks, there is a
paved parking area and rest rooms
where you can park your bike and
walk down to the beach.
Although there are paved walks
you will most certainly find yourself
climbing over rocks and down sand
trails to get a closer look at this
unique beach. Back in the early
1900’s, they used this cove as a
town garbage dump, hoping the
tide would wash the refuse out to
sea. They even ran old Motel A’s
and T’s off the cliff. But in fact,
everything stayed close to shore.
Over time the metal rusted and
even imbedded into the rock and
coral so that you can still see spark
plugs in the rocks. Broken pottery
and glass was ground and polished
by the tide into smooth pebbles.
Walk onto the beach and you can
not only still see the rusted frames
of old vehicles, but the sand is cov-
ered with smooth pebbles of glass,
white, clear, gold, green, brown and
the most prized,
blue and red.
If you are inter-
ested in learning
more about the his-
tory of Glass Beach
there is a Sea Glass
Museum at 17801
No Hwy 1 just a little
south of where you
first came onto
Highway 1. And if
you are of a mind to
spend some money,
you can also buy
souvenirs and jewelry made from
bits of sea glass.
Getting back on Highway 1, go
north and this takes you through
parts of the Lost Coast of
California, away from the traffic
and congestion which is further
south on Highway 1. Right after
Rockport you head back over the
coastal range toward Highway 101
again. This section meanders
through rolling hills dotted with
ranches and farms. Kind of a blast
from the past and it almost makes
you forget that this is the same
California famous for its highway
congestion. The traffic you need to
be mindful of here is deer. My last
time through they were every-
where.
When you get back to 101 you
are close to the town of Leggett. If
you have never done it before, you
can still ride your bike through the
famous Drive Through Tree. It’s
worth a few minutes just for the
picture!
From here you can turn north
and ride through the Avenue of
Giants, a slow twisting road
through grove after grove of giant
Redwood trees. In my opinion, this
is the best place to experience
these trees. Or you can head back
south to Willits and complete the
loop.
It’s a good ride for the sake of
the ride itself and plenty of interest-
ing places and things to see along
the way. CMA
Those pull outs are a relief if you
find yourself behind a motorhome
or semi because there are also
signs that state slow moving vehi-
cles must pull over. But I never mind
taking this ride at a slower pace. I
prefer to slow down and savor the
scent of pine. Ferns bend gently on
the road sides and Spanish moss
drapes itself gracefully over sun
dappled asphalt. If you want to roll
on the throttle and enjoy the clean
asphalt and the gentle twisties,
then I suggest you go both ways;
once to savor the ride and once to
savor the place.