We are fortunate to ride twelve months of the year in Northern California. Sure, it’s chilly and wet in the winter, but conditions are never bad enough for a motorcyclist to not be able to ride at least once per month. Wintertime riding typically means a few extra layers of clothes, a heated vest, some rain gear, or all of the above. My coldest ride ever was crossing Death Valley at six in the morning in the dark at a chilly 28°.
For me, the riding season begins with the advent of Daylight Saving Time. The days are undeniably getting longer, and the extra bonus of one more hour of sunshine (and warmth) in the evening makes longer rides much more fun. Last weekend, I had the opportunity to ride Highway 128 all over Napa and Solano Counties with the Central California BMW Club. I was reminded how entertaining this piece of pavement is.
We’ve had a few sunny, warm weekends this winter where my mind drifted to Fort Bragg. I’ve wanted to get up here., But I got foiled multiple times. Highway 128 was closed due to flooding. Various plans kept me down in the Bay Area. However, Fort Bragg is about four hours from home and is unapologetically on the North Coast. Named after Confederate General Braxton Bragg (though he never actually came to the California town), Fort Bragg remains one of four major cities in Mendocino County. Today, it is the hub of the Mendocino County coast, providing retail, tourism, and healthcare along Mendocino’s coast.
I remember riding through Fort Bragg in my 20s, and I did not really understand the town. It’s an amalgamation of a bygone lumbar and logging history, combined with an unknown future around tourism it was awkwardly embracing. I’d often stay in some chain motel on my way north to grander destinations. In my mid-30s, I met one of my best friends who grew up in the Bay Area. He taught me the nuances, history, and culture of this place. I learned about his grandfather and parents and what the town was like during different seasons of its history. He taught me about the hospital and how it is a critical piece of the town’s infrastructure and all of the communities up and down the coast. Without it, healthcare would be hours away in Santa Rosa.
I learned a lot about Highway 20 and how the locals know every curve and camber on that highway and treat it like the Fort Bragg – Willits Raceway scaring the shit out of wayward tourists driving the road for the first time and don’t pull over. I know I’ll always have more skill than a tourist, but I definitely don’t have the bravery of a local on that road. I further learned how Fort Bragg is the end of the Internet. There’s really only one wire from this town back east. When that wire goes down, the entire village drops off the Internet.
Over the years, I’ve come to love this place. Riding the 101 Freeway north, I always smile at exit 522: Highway 128 – Fort Bragg/Mendocino. The reality is there’s no wrong choice here. Highway 101 snakes through the coastal mountains at high speed. Highway 128 snakes through the hills with a tighter but slower journey out to the coast. The western side of the road is filled with redwoods, rivers, and fog, which gently covers the coastal landscape.
With Daylight Saving on my side and a warm weekend ahead, it was time to return to the north coast. I wanted a weekend to myself to clear my head of the church of the open road. My camera road sidecar, as it’s been years since I’ve had a weekend on the bike with an actual camera that wasn’t an iPhone.
I was pleasantly surprised at how fun it was to take pictures with a “real camera.” I was more confident that I was at Firefalls, combining my knowledge about solar photography and this camera’s new features. Manual mode, auto exposure bracketing, the touchscreen, and my own composition all began to – dare I say: flow together. I’m continuing to practice the basics of counter steering – learning to trust essential but deceptively awkward physics that keeps the 600-pound motorcycle in flight.
My kickstand is down, and the sun is tucked behind the horizon. I’ve opened my window to a glorious ocean view filled with color.
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