I'm Home

Mount Shasta in a glimmering sun.


Kneeland, Ruth Lake, Redwood House, Showers Pass and Mad River Rock. Tigercat, Honeydew, Petrolia, Horse Mountain and Shelter Cove. These are just a few of the names of the roads, places and towns we rode to or through on my recent motorcycle adventure. All these places can be found at my ultimate destination, my western most terminus, in Northern California.

I always liked the names of these and other places. I call them the “Ahs” and the “Villes”. The Ahs, like Loleta, Carlotta, Arcata, Eureka, Manila and Fortuna, and the villes like Rhonerville, McKinleyville, Garberville, Hydesville, Laytonville and Bridgeville. All these are towns up in Humboldt and Mendecino Counties in Northern California, where the giant old growth redwoods are. I snapped that picture of Mt. Shasta from Highway 299 just outside of Weaverville on my trek home. What a beautiful clear sunlit sky. The snow cover tells the story of the weather extremes encountered throughout the trip as I traversed across the Western states.

I’ll write about the actual trip soon and I do have a few adventures to talk about. Like the stream crossings, the great diners and coffeeshops and how I thought the motorcycle fell off the trailer in the middle of the night.

For now, I’m home and relaxing, cleaning my gear, getting the oil changed in the trusty old van and sorting through pictures. The Grandkids are out of school for the Summer and the younger ones are in day care and summer rec programs. The older two and I will hang out and take care of the household. We have grocery shopping to do and a few other errands, but that stuff can wait until we complete our morning visit to the Dish and the Spoon Cafe. We’ll sit out on the sidewalk and count cars, one of DJ’s favorite games, while we enjoy a sweet roll and a beverage.

More trips are in the planning for this Summer, and I haven't even told you about the one I just returned from. The pressure is on. I'll get going on it real soon, I promise. In the meantime, it's great to be back home even though it was great to be on the road. What a dichotomy!

A busy week ahead, but I’m up for it. Hope your week is a good one and peace finds you. In the meantime, take care and be well.

Peace to all.