In Cakebread winery, this is the first couple we have met that are from Ft lauderdaleA picture that does not capture the essence of Napa
This is me in a tasting room that over the years 
the walls and ceiling have been covered in Dollar bills signed by the people who put them there.
the walls and ceiling have been covered in Dollar bills signed by the people who put them there.
This is a really cool place to stay if you ever visit Mendicino, California.This is one big "MOFO" Redwood
We spent alot of time riding through Redwood forests, the trees are nice to look at but the roads are phenominal, but you do have to watch out for wildlife.
We spent alot of time riding through Redwood forests, the trees are nice to look at but the roads are phenominal, but you do have to watch out for wildlife.
The lighthouse at Shelter cove, nice lighthouse, but the road there, well Missy said she was getting "bike sick" from the windy road, I never heard of that before
Next to the Honeydew supermarket down the road from the honeydew laudromat. Population 100, Men 0
This is an area called the lost coast and it is extremely remote. Its the road that runs north fro Fort Bragg
Ferndale, the Victorian town and so it was. A true step back in time.
The hotel we stayed in and everything inside was classic Victorian style, really cool little place.
This is an area called the lost coast and it is extremely remote. Its the road that runs north fro Fort Bragg
Ferndale, the Victorian town and so it was. A true step back in time.
The hotel we stayed in and everything inside was classic Victorian style, really cool little place.
These are some cartoons we saw in a window we just had to share, someone doesnt like Bush!
The butcher, town was short of bread and candles though. Get it???
OK, the hotel wasnt that nice!
This was the dead center of Ferndale.
Alex and his buddy Chris(not shown in the picture) were on a 1200 gs and a KTM doing a big loop and they told us about the road to Shelter Cove, Melissa's bike sick road, great ride guys.
Elk grazing in the field
Another pair of bemmer bikers.
Lost coast again
More scenic windy roads.
A very old cash register in fern dale, we found a few places that still use these things.
Lost coast.
Out of order, this should have been at the top.
Just a really cool view.
tMy artistic side comming out, these trees were at least 200 feet high and dead straight.
We paid $4 for this, the tree is on private property so they charge you to drive through it.
Sorry for the duplicate
Georgie Porgy!
The butcher, town was short of bread and candles though. Get it???
OK, the hotel wasnt that nice!
This was the dead center of Ferndale.
Alex and his buddy Chris(not shown in the picture) were on a 1200 gs and a KTM doing a big loop and they told us about the road to Shelter Cove, Melissa's bike sick road, great ride guys.
Elk grazing in the field
Another pair of bemmer bikers.
Lost coast again
More scenic windy roads.
A very old cash register in fern dale, we found a few places that still use these things.
Lost coast.
Out of order, this should have been at the top.
Just a really cool view.
tMy artistic side comming out, these trees were at least 200 feet high and dead straight.
We paid $4 for this, the tree is on private property so they charge you to drive through it.
Sorry for the duplicate
Georgie Porgy!
From Chris:
Many bikers that we have met along the road have been impressed that I could convince my wife to do this type of a trip with me. Guys, there is a secret to getting your wife or girlfriend to enjoy life ‘on the road.’ As promised this is how I keep the status quo with Melissa. I call it the “CHUTT LEVELS.” CHUTT is an acronym for 5 very basic but important needs every woman has; there are obviously a lot more needs, but there is no word big enough to cover them all… and no man exists that would like to put the time in to remembering all of them, so 5 is the easy number. P.S. any more than 5 and you are getting into the high maintenance bracket.
The trick to managing the CHUTT levels is to be able to recognize when one starts to go out of whack and correct it immediately, as the other levels generally start to follow pretty quickly. Fixing one at a time is far easier than trying to fix all 5.
C – Cold, if she is cold give her the spare jacket you brought or go inside (or outside if in Florida.)
H – Hungry, make sure you always have a snack, or if she does say she is hungry, then simply make sure you get to food immediately.
U – Urinate, this one is very important as clean rest rooms are not are not always easy to find, so be aware of your surroundings and get used to her frequency and guys face reality she needs to go 10 time more often than you simple as that!
T – Thirsty, keep a bottle of water on you at all times, almost like another appendage. The amount of water she drinks will also help out with identifying her frequency with the previous level.
T – Tired, over time you will learn the ratio between sleep time and hours of operation because they work hand in hand. When she starts to show signs of being tired that means the fuel tank is at reserve and will not last much longer, trust me when I say you want to get her to a bed as soon as possible, because if she hits that wall all 4 other levels hit zero immediately and its game over.
Now after reading this many people, both male and female might think High maintenance, well not at all, any real gentleman knows this is what any guy should do for any lady.
Remember when you are not around she can take care of all these thing just fine but when she is in your space doing things with you, YOU, the man, are 100% responsible for everything and if you keep her comfortable during your time, the she might not mind spending more time in your space.
From Melissa:
Traveling in such close proximity of your significant other can be an incredible bonding experience or a disaster. On the motorcycle, I am holding on to Chris for at least 3 hours a day. When he leans over, I lean. That’s a lot of togetherness. What I am learning is that it is the small kindnesses that really make a difference. He is itching to get on the road but tells me he will chill with his book while I go and find a gym to work out. I tell him to put his bag up on the dresser, I’ll put mine on the floor. I listen with rapt attention to an hour-long explanation of the inner workings of shock absorbers. Since it is just the two of us, I have been in the role of wife and also of buddy…sacrificing my beloved chardonnay to have a beer with him (thank God for Michelob Ultra), smiling and saying how much I enjoyed the one-hour ride on the deeply rutted gravel rode, wow, that bike really can maneuver. But there are limits. He draws the line at coloring my hair. I draw the line at agreeing that, yes, the waitress is hot.
OK…now for the updates. We are in heaven. Wine heaven, that it. We arrived yesterday in Napa, a result of a mix up of dates. Originally we had planned to leave the coast and high-tail it to Mammoth Lakes to watch our friend Dave race in a motocross race. We had reserved a hotel, left Montecito and were well into our ride across the state when (luckily) I got a message on my blackberry from Dave saying, ‘What happened to you guys?”…turns out Chris had gotten the dates wrong and the race was last weekend. We decided to just head a bit south and enjoy the wine country. We still plan to go to Mammoth, as we reserved a non-refundable hotel, but it’s all good.
Before coming here, we spent 2 nights in Coos Bay, Oregon, in lock-down at the Red Lion Inn…a minor sore throat that I had in Yachats turned into full-blown bronchitis and cough, exacerbated by our riding the dunes in the pouring rain on our arrival at Coos Bay. Turns out that all of the walk-in clinics in that area only take children under 18 on the weekends. We were at a loss for what to do, then called our doctor in Florida who was able to phone in a prescription for a Wal-Mart pharmacy in Oregon. This leads us to a major tip: ALWAYS bring along some antibiotics in addition to your first aid kit. This was a major lesson for us---Z-Pack will be in our bags from now on. It is really not fun having a coughing fit when you a
re wearing a full-face helmet!
We left Coos Bay and headed south on the 101 to Ferndale, California. Ferndale is a cute Victorian town, perfectly preserved…you will feel like you have gone back in time. At a gas station on the way to Ferndale, we met David Aldrich, Executive Producer of an online show about motorcycles. He was riding his BMW bike with his production assistant, Juliette, filming along the way. Super nice guy, check out his show at http://www.peckhammer.blip.tv/
When we arrived in Ferndale, we checked into the Victorian Hotel, a quaint, old inn. As we were checking in, there was a group of bikers parked nearby. We chatted with Chris and Alex who were from San Francisco, but on their way to camp overnight at Shelter Cove. They told us about the road---a very steep, windy road with major switchbacks…an ideal road for the GSA. This got Chris very excited, and our agenda for the next day took a bit of a twist….actually lots of twists. This was a very, very windy road with beautiful vistas at the end. We had a quick lunch at Shelter Cove and headed for Mendocino. As we came down the coast, the winds were very strong and gusty. We arrived at Mendocino very tired due to the extra 2 hour ride to Shelter Cove. Mendocino is a picturesque, artistic town, and we arrived at 5pm looking for a place to stay. We found extremely overpriced B+B’s, with the average cost at $250 plus. Luckily, we found The Hillhouse Inn, a great spot with beautiful gardens.
We are now in Napa, staying at a little motel off of the highway, called El Bonita Motel. We questioned the grammatical incorrectness of El Bonita, and the front desk clerk told us it actually had nothing to do with Spanish; the former owner’s name was Elmer and his wife’s name was Bonita. After a great lunch at Dean + DeLuca, we tasted some incredible ports at Prager Winery (try the 2005 Aria White Port), then on to Markham, Charles Krug and Merryvale. This was followed up by a fantastic dinner at Market restaurant in St Helena. Oh, and while looking at shoes in the window of a closed shop on Main Street in St Helena, we had a chat and close encounter with Jessica Biel. Chris is one happy man! Babe only you can make me a happy man!!!!!
What we loved:
Victorian Inn, Ferndale, California: We just loved this town. The hotel was great, charming, with breakfast included.
Dinner, Ferndale: The Ivanhoe
The Hillhouse Inn, Mendocino
The Mendocino Café, Dinner
Bayview Café, Mendocino, Breakfast
Napa: El Bonito Motel, St Helena
Dinner: Market Restaurant, St Helena
Many bikers that we have met along the road have been impressed that I could convince my wife to do this type of a trip with me. Guys, there is a secret to getting your wife or girlfriend to enjoy life ‘on the road.’ As promised this is how I keep the status quo with Melissa. I call it the “CHUTT LEVELS.” CHUTT is an acronym for 5 very basic but important needs every woman has; there are obviously a lot more needs, but there is no word big enough to cover them all… and no man exists that would like to put the time in to remembering all of them, so 5 is the easy number. P.S. any more than 5 and you are getting into the high maintenance bracket.
The trick to managing the CHUTT levels is to be able to recognize when one starts to go out of whack and correct it immediately, as the other levels generally start to follow pretty quickly. Fixing one at a time is far easier than trying to fix all 5.
C – Cold, if she is cold give her the spare jacket you brought or go inside (or outside if in Florida.)
H – Hungry, make sure you always have a snack, or if she does say she is hungry, then simply make sure you get to food immediately.
U – Urinate, this one is very important as clean rest rooms are not are not always easy to find, so be aware of your surroundings and get used to her frequency and guys face reality she needs to go 10 time more often than you simple as that!
T – Thirsty, keep a bottle of water on you at all times, almost like another appendage. The amount of water she drinks will also help out with identifying her frequency with the previous level.
T – Tired, over time you will learn the ratio between sleep time and hours of operation because they work hand in hand. When she starts to show signs of being tired that means the fuel tank is at reserve and will not last much longer, trust me when I say you want to get her to a bed as soon as possible, because if she hits that wall all 4 other levels hit zero immediately and its game over.
Now after reading this many people, both male and female might think High maintenance, well not at all, any real gentleman knows this is what any guy should do for any lady.
Remember when you are not around she can take care of all these thing just fine but when she is in your space doing things with you, YOU, the man, are 100% responsible for everything and if you keep her comfortable during your time, the she might not mind spending more time in your space.
From Melissa:
Traveling in such close proximity of your significant other can be an incredible bonding experience or a disaster. On the motorcycle, I am holding on to Chris for at least 3 hours a day. When he leans over, I lean. That’s a lot of togetherness. What I am learning is that it is the small kindnesses that really make a difference. He is itching to get on the road but tells me he will chill with his book while I go and find a gym to work out. I tell him to put his bag up on the dresser, I’ll put mine on the floor. I listen with rapt attention to an hour-long explanation of the inner workings of shock absorbers. Since it is just the two of us, I have been in the role of wife and also of buddy…sacrificing my beloved chardonnay to have a beer with him (thank God for Michelob Ultra), smiling and saying how much I enjoyed the one-hour ride on the deeply rutted gravel rode, wow, that bike really can maneuver. But there are limits. He draws the line at coloring my hair. I draw the line at agreeing that, yes, the waitress is hot.
OK…now for the updates. We are in heaven. Wine heaven, that it. We arrived yesterday in Napa, a result of a mix up of dates. Originally we had planned to leave the coast and high-tail it to Mammoth Lakes to watch our friend Dave race in a motocross race. We had reserved a hotel, left Montecito and were well into our ride across the state when (luckily) I got a message on my blackberry from Dave saying, ‘What happened to you guys?”…turns out Chris had gotten the dates wrong and the race was last weekend. We decided to just head a bit south and enjoy the wine country. We still plan to go to Mammoth, as we reserved a non-refundable hotel, but it’s all good.
Before coming here, we spent 2 nights in Coos Bay, Oregon, in lock-down at the Red Lion Inn…a minor sore throat that I had in Yachats turned into full-blown bronchitis and cough, exacerbated by our riding the dunes in the pouring rain on our arrival at Coos Bay. Turns out that all of the walk-in clinics in that area only take children under 18 on the weekends. We were at a loss for what to do, then called our doctor in Florida who was able to phone in a prescription for a Wal-Mart pharmacy in Oregon. This leads us to a major tip: ALWAYS bring along some antibiotics in addition to your first aid kit. This was a major lesson for us---Z-Pack will be in our bags from now on. It is really not fun having a coughing fit when you a
re wearing a full-face helmet!We left Coos Bay and headed south on the 101 to Ferndale, California. Ferndale is a cute Victorian town, perfectly preserved…you will feel like you have gone back in time. At a gas station on the way to Ferndale, we met David Aldrich, Executive Producer of an online show about motorcycles. He was riding his BMW bike with his production assistant, Juliette, filming along the way. Super nice guy, check out his show at http://www.peckhammer.blip.tv/
When we arrived in Ferndale, we checked into the Victorian Hotel, a quaint, old inn. As we were checking in, there was a group of bikers parked nearby. We chatted with Chris and Alex who were from San Francisco, but on their way to camp overnight at Shelter Cove. They told us about the road---a very steep, windy road with major switchbacks…an ideal road for the GSA. This got Chris very excited, and our agenda for the next day took a bit of a twist….actually lots of twists. This was a very, very windy road with beautiful vistas at the end. We had a quick lunch at Shelter Cove and headed for Mendocino. As we came down the coast, the winds were very strong and gusty. We arrived at Mendocino very tired due to the extra 2 hour ride to Shelter Cove. Mendocino is a picturesque, artistic town, and we arrived at 5pm looking for a place to stay. We found extremely overpriced B+B’s, with the average cost at $250 plus. Luckily, we found The Hillhouse Inn, a great spot with beautiful gardens.
We are now in Napa, staying at a little motel off of the highway, called El Bonita Motel. We questioned the grammatical incorrectness of El Bonita, and the front desk clerk told us it actually had nothing to do with Spanish; the former owner’s name was Elmer and his wife’s name was Bonita. After a great lunch at Dean + DeLuca, we tasted some incredible ports at Prager Winery (try the 2005 Aria White Port), then on to Markham, Charles Krug and Merryvale. This was followed up by a fantastic dinner at Market restaurant in St Helena. Oh, and while looking at shoes in the window of a closed shop on Main Street in St Helena, we had a chat and close encounter with Jessica Biel. Chris is one happy man! Babe only you can make me a happy man!!!!!
What we loved:
Victorian Inn, Ferndale, California: We just loved this town. The hotel was great, charming, with breakfast included.
Dinner, Ferndale: The Ivanhoe
The Hillhouse Inn, Mendocino
The Mendocino Café, Dinner
Bayview Café, Mendocino, Breakfast
Napa: El Bonito Motel, St Helena
Dinner: Market Restaurant, St Helena
Great running into you both at Vincent Arroyo! Also, thanks for the dive recommendation - Michelle spent most of today looking up tickets to Belize and dive trips to the Blue Hole. :-)
ReplyDeleteBest wishes for a safe and adventure filled journey!
Jason