Riding the Avenue of the Giants

The agenda for the day was to ride the Avenue of the Giants in Humboldt Redwoods State Park and have lunch at the Lost Coast Brewery in Eureka.  We accomplished both.  The northern entrance to the Avenue of the Giants is just 30 miles south of Eureka.  While Eureka was smothered in low hanging fog, it cleared a few miles south and we drove through farm land headed south.

The ride was beautiful and peaceful, and we saw lots of big trees.

Jerome’s bike during a moment of quiet in the big trees

We made our way south towards the Visitor Center.  They have a nice setup with photos and information about the history of the area, the logging and a cross section of a tree that fell in 2006.  They have the rings marked with moments in history, showing the long life and significance of the trees.

A cross section of a big tree at the Visitor Center.

Tree cross section marked with an historical time line.

The Visitor Center, run by the Humboldt Redwoods Interpretive Association, has many black and white photos, displays, and a gift shop.

Black and white photos in the visitor’s center

From the Visitor Center we headed south towards Myers Flat and the drive thru tree.  There is a $4 fee for the privilege.

It was starting to warm up, so we took a break in the shade of the trees.

I am standing at the base of this giant tree, for scale.

After a short break, we headed back north towards the Lost Coast Brewery.

Lost Coast Brewery in Eureka

Our group having lunch at the Lost Coast Brewery, still happy and relaxed.

After lunch at the brewery, we walked around the small historical district of Eureka.

Old town Eureka

After lunch and strolling around the old town, we returned to the brewery parking lot, only to discover the K bike had another problem.  The reason for the clutch cable adjustments of the previous day became evident.  As I pulled in the clutch to get the bike off the center stand, the cable snapped.  Between Joe’s spare clutch cable and Lance’s mechanical abilities, we got the not quite right sized clutch cable jury rigged and headed back to the house.  Jerome had a copy of the Air Heads directory, and we called Willie, listed in the directory as a member residing here in Eureka.  He offered up a cable and we agreed to meet at his house the next day.

Lance installs a spare clutch cable Joe was carrying in the parking lot of the brewery.

What I learned today:  Riding a vintage bike should only be done in a group.

I was also told that I should put together an emergency kit to carry with me.  Here is the suggested parts list for the emergency kit:

1.  clutch cable
2. inner tube (larger size of your two tires)
3. oil
4. 3 Bosch spark plugs
5. zip ties
6. electrical tape
7. tire pressure gauge
8. hose, for possible gas siphoning