3 Day Mendo Mini Adventure

Since it doesn't seem to rain here anymore, I figured I'd take advantage of the nice December weather and get my bike dirty for a long weekend. Me and a buddy headed out to the Mendocino National Forest on Friday via Knoxville to Clear Lake and Walker Ridge. This was after Gaia routed us into a valley that dead-ended on private property.


We continued past Indian Valley Reservoir, Bartlett Springs, and dropped down into Nice, continuing north to Lake Pillsbury, where we would camp for the night. After an evening of scotch and cigars by the campfire, we woke up to dense fog...


...and Tule Elk!


We packed up and heading north up the M1, aiming for Anthony Peak...but we saw the signs for Hull Mountain and figured "why not?" By the time we got to the top, the fog was long gone, replaced by a gorgeous morning!





We continued on to Anthony Peak, eating lunch at the top (7k feet) in our t-shirts. On December 4. Amazing! Not pictured was the slice of homemade lemon mirengue pie offered up by a friendly family out for a picnic while looking for a Christmas tree.

Hell Yeah!

Great photo's and adventure

stratslingr77 said:

Since it doesn't seem to rain here anymore, I figured I'd take advantage of the nice December weather and get my bike dirty for a long weekend. Me and a buddy headed out to the Mendocino National Forest on Friday via Knoxville to Clear Lake and Walker Ridge.

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Cabrito said:

Hell Yeah!

Great photo's and adventure

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+1 ...

looking forward to hearing about if/where you camped a second night.

was there any snow at all on Hull Mt or Anthony Peak?

Nice...!

...continuing...

So after Anthony Peak, we dropped back down into the Black Butte River Ranch area and considered camping at the little RV campground there. After all, there was BBQ within walking distance and hot showers on site. And after 90 miles of dirt and sucking up dust behind Christmas tree seekers in large trucks and SUVs on Mendocino Pass road, we were both feeling and looking like sugar cookies. But it was only 3:30 and we had some daylight left so we opted to press on towards the coast and make a firmer decision as we got closer to Willits.

This is where we discovered that Hwy 162 between Covelo and Hwy 101 is a mighty fine stretch of pavement in which to pilot a motorcycle. At some point during this ride, the seed of hot showers that was planted as we checked out the Black Butte Ranch RV site continued to take root. And as the temperatures plummeted and the air got damper, someone may have mentioned a hot meal and a hotel through the Cardo...

Anyway, we pulled into Willits at dusk and opted to "camp" at the local Super 8, availing ourselves of the brewery down the street for libations and nourishment. No pics, but I assured you, it all happened!

That brings us to Sunday...which started early with dense fog and 32 Degrees! A big breakfast in town and plenty of layers under the riding gear, set the conditions to ride Hwy20 westbound to the coast. We had Hwy 20 all to ourselves and a funny thing happened as we gained altitude: it got warmer and the fog cleared. By the time we got to Fort Bragg, it was clear and in the low 50s! (Yes, I need to take more pictures next time!)

We motored down Hwy 1 and stopped here for a break. Mid-50s, early December...we reflected on this, acknowledging that at this moment somewhere else on the planet, two riding buddies are dreaming of riding the California coast. We are blessed to live here...and when we complain about the cost of living, we have to remember that this is a big part of what we're paying for.


Quick lunch stop at Pt. Reyes Station and then on to Fairfax-Bolinas Road....and turned right on Ridgecrest en route to the top of Mt. Tam...


...before heading home. 619 miles!


Not a bad weekend at all--especially for December!

SFMCjohn said:

+1 ...

looking forward to hearing about if/where you camped a second night.

was there any snow at all on Hull Mt or Anthony Peak?

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@SFMCjohn, no snow whatsoever on either Hull or Anthony. However, there was a little bit of ice in the shaded spots towards the top of Anthony Peak, but only in one of the wheel tracks. We made it through, easy-peasy on our bloated pigs--er--GSAs.

I clicked on this thinking you took mini's on an adventure ride Instead I was rewarded with epic pictures and an inspiring and great little write up. Thanks for taking us along

You definitely had a great weekend! You would have had a great view from Hull Mountain to see the beginning of the Geminid meteor showers. I'm hoping to get to some elevation next week to see for myself.

matty said:

I clicked on this thinking you took mini's on an adventure ride Instead I was rewarded with epic pictures and an inspiring and great little write up. Thanks for taking us along

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It sounds kinda fun taking a rallied-up Mini and tearing up the Mendo fire roads!

Great write-up to go with the pics I saw elsewhere, Sir stratslingr77! And you seemed to nail the timing - now through the next 7 days is bringing the temps and precip @ Anthony. ��

Great ride! Next time you or others take this trip consider dropping down into Covelo from Hull Mtn. then you can either go out on 162, E (to Willows, I5) or W (to 101). The E run to Willows (goes past T-Hill) is absolutely awesome. Decent shape ~60 mi. dirt road, but last 11 is "paved". I set an all time coasting record on this Willows-Covelo jaunt, 23 miles w/engine off gliding along in nirvana!

Sweet ride.
Sweet pics.
Sweet thread.
I agree with your comments about the cost of living here. I have made similar statements. "People pay thousands to hop on a plane, snap a few pictures and scurry back home." I never take our backyard for granted.