Bob Moves Back East: Aaaaaand I'm off!!

Hi All!
I am officially on the road! After some stressful last days, saying my goodbyes and dealing with all the moving crap, (there's always something you forgot to do) I unceremoniously left "The City" on Saturday May 18 at around 10:30 am with, of course, Charlie, who would accompany me down to Big Sur for the first two days. The actual departure was somewhat anticlimactic, I thought I'd feel a little more regret or feelings like that, but I think for the most part the last two weeks of seeing people and places took care of that. So we two bombed down the 101 to Monterey, where the wind almost blew me off the highway. Any way you pack the bike, you create such a big surface area that the wind is tough to deal with...something I have come to realize and respect. I just slow down.

I purchased the GoPro helmet cam and had some great footage for you, but alas, most of it didn't record because I'm a tool sometimes. I did get this little clip of Charlie and me playing hopscotch. We would pull over at corners and film each other coming around the corner. I think he had better luck than me. That road was a little scary but really breathtaking. Straight drop offs right to the coast. Big Sur is a special place.

We showed up at camp and set up to have some gourmet meals. 1/2 pack freeze dried chicken rice and 1/2 can organic vegan chili. Not bad after a long ride. Also keeps the bugs out of the tent at night!

Charlie likes his with extra Tapatio and Turbos Flamas garnish, a kind of frankenfood mexican snack that leaves your fingers red.

After a few too many whiskeys, It's time to turn in. Being from SF we're not used to mosquitos...

Breakfast was bowl of instant coffee (don't know what happened to my cup, lost in the move) and some instant, coffee flavored? oatmeal

We rode back down the twisty road to Lime Kiln park. Not too much hiking here, we did all the trails in a little more than an hour. Standard Redwoods (listen to little old jaded me)

And some waterfalls

The park is called Lime Kiln because deep in the park are Kilns that they used back in the late 1800's to purify limestone into lime for commercial uses. Also at that time the entire hillside was clearcut, so it was bare, hard to imagine...

After that it was down to the coast for a little beach action

The next day it was off to Pinnacles. Lovely ride through twisty chaparral hills, getting hotter and dustier by the minute. I said goodbye to Chuck in Hollister CA, our last meal together in a dingy Diner playing Rachel Ray and Guy Fieri in the background..It was a sad goodbye, we've shared a lot of good times together, from college on, and he will always be one of my BFF's (NH) I'm glad we got to spend a lot of time riding and camping together in the past weeks. We definitely bonded a little and I learned a lot more about him, and he of me over some whiskeys and campfires. If you ever need someone to chop up logs for a campfire, this man cannot and will not be stopped.

After going our separate ways, I rode back to Pinnacles, and hunkered down for the night. No fire as fire danger was EXTREME! so I had a couple beers, did some reading and realized that now I was really out on my own.

Up again with the sun after a so-so sleep (lots of Racoons roaming around the campground all night) I figured if the day was as hot as yesterday, I should get an early start. Cup of coffee (bought a mug at the camp store) oatmeal and power bar and hit the trail by 8 am. Still cool and nobody about. Was hoping to see some Condors but the Forest Ranger told me there was a dead Whale off the coast and that all the scavengers were having an orgy.

Pinnacles is beautiful. I'll let the pics do the talking.