Relief from The Road
After a shameless barrage of picture taking along the shoreline by the group, it was time to ride back to civilization. Mattole Road climbed back up into the Kings Mountain Range, complete with its bumps, potholes, gravel, and tight switchbacks, before it deposited us into the town of Ferndale where we had drinks and delicious appetizers from Curley�s Bar & Grille. The tab was generously picked up by Ken. Thank you very much for the treat Ken. It was a great ending to a great ride in a beautiful place with the company of wonderful people.
Ferndale flourished during the late 1800's via the rich dairy industry. Since Humboldt County was sparsely populated, Ferndale provided plenty of opportunities for hard working immigrants from the old world. It became a melting pot of Scandinavian, Italian, Swiss, and Portugese cultures. The homes and buildings around the town were patterned after the rich, Victorian architecture so prevalent during that period. And to this very day, the town has managed to preserve that look.
The Evening Festivities
Ferndale was just a hop-skip away from Fortuna. It was a relief to get on the 101 for the smooth sailing back to my hotel. Everyone went their separate ways before the dinner gathering at the Eel River Brewery, which was right next to my hotel. Cool.
Later at the Eel River Brewery, I had dinner with more members of the Sport-Touring.net members, where I met several other people I had only �spoke� to on the internet. It was always nice to put a person to an Internet name. The food was delicious. The waitresses were young and sexy and friendly. There was plenty of pitchers of Beer flowing around. Hooked up with Sean and Bobby for dinner, along with Greg and his friend Vern, Ed, Chris, and Carl. We also finalized our trip home the next day. Overall, I had a wonderful time with great people. |
