A Perfect Campout
by Pat Potter
Honestly, it doesn't get any better than this. Ive been riding with the Club for 10 years and this
month had the best combination of tour and campsite I can remember. I left the house at 6:30 am in
the pitch dark and headed up to San Francisco. It was one of those calm mornings that make you glad
you are up before the sun so you can watch it come up. I knew this was going to be a great ride
because I got all greens on 19th Avenue -- god that feels great! Crossing Golden Gate Bridge was
breath-taking. There was a full moon out, the sun was not yet up and the water was a deep iridescent
blue.
I found Bill Jarvis at the gas station down the street from Emil Villas and we tanked up
together. When we got to the restaurant we met up with Max and then the rest of the riders: Bob, Rich
and John (a guy from Vancouver who came along for the ride). The total tour was 6 -- perfect.
We headed out at 8:00 am sharp and exited onto Lucas Valley Road. Unfortunately, there
was gravel and tar so we had to take it easy. When we got to Rt. 1 we were able to open it up a bit.
Unfortunately for Max, he didnt close it down quick enough and he got our token speeding ticket. Max
said at least it wasnt as bad as Canada where he got a ticket for going 6 miles over the speed limit.
Here it was doing 50 in a 40.
I always know when there is a guy for the tour captain. The first pit stop is usually about 2
hours after breakfast. Going through Valley Ford I started sending mental messages to Bob, but he
wasnt picking them up. Im going to have to quit drinking coffee at breakfast when I go with the tour.
Bob, however, is not as bad as Steve Dabrowski. He was the worst -- 100 miles before we stop and no
sniveling!
Lunch was at the Wharf in Fort Bragg. Terrific location, and excellent chowder. We gassed
up and the next stop was a quick break after Leggett Pass. We really did haul pretty much the whole
way. Thats whats great about smaller groups. We rode our butts off.
It was non-stop after Leggett until we reached the campsite. I dont think any of us imagined
Shelter Cove would be so beautiful. We rode in at 4:00, just enough time to buy a beer and pitch the
tent! A perfect tour!
Back to the Norcal Home Page...
All material on this page Copyright © The BMW Club of Northern
California, 1996. All rights reserved.