Incidentally, the best online weather services I know of are the National Weather Service which allows you to drag an “X” to your exact co-ordinates for a forecast instead of the nearest town or weather tower and Weather Underground which has great radar and road trip planning features. They can be seen at the following sites:
http://www.noaa.gov
http://www.wunderground.com
I rigged up the foam and non-slip material covered platform I use to carry my gear over the small luggage rack with my back pack as well as a small day pack and cooler with foods and beverages. The additional items made my load unusually top heavy and taxed my suspension. This was not noticeable on the highway but the pot holes and short sections of hard pack gravel road were particularly tricky and there were a couple of scary moments on the way.
I arrived Friday afternoon with the temperature being in the very welcome 70's. The forecast for Saturday was supposed to be clear and I hoped it would be accurate. I unloaded the bike and went back into Petrolia for firewood. I was able to load up two large boxes onto the empty platform using my tie down system.
There are signs warning of bears at the campground but the only critters I saw were squirrels and rabbits. There was a squirrel who lived under a fallen tree right next to my camp site. He chittered for a while until my neighbors dog saw him. The squirrel's reaction to seeing the dog was very humorous as his chirping became extremely agitated before he ran for cover! The dog saw the movement and began searching around the fallen tree but couldn't find the little guy. I've always been surprised at just how smart squirrels can be.
Here's a pic of the lil' guy on “sentry duty”.
Here's a pic of a rabbit in the foliage next to my camp site table.
Later that night I grilled up a small seasoned Tri-tip steak wrapped in one layer of heavy duty tin foil directly on the hot coals. I use a set of welding gloves so I can handle the steak or hot logs of the fire. In this way you can still brown the surface of the meat then move it off to the side to let it cook through. The advantage of this method is you don't need to bring BBQ tools, grills or grates your self and can cook on any open fire.
I awoke early Saturday morning and sure enough, it was sunny and virtually clear of clouds. Breakfast consisted of scrambled eggs, Chorizo and potatoes with a side of good coffee. I loaded up my day pack with crackers, cheese, beef jerky and sport drinks and headed off South along the waters edge where the sand was firmer and the scenery better than along the cliffs and dunes.
Along the way I was surprised to find what had washed ashore onto the beach. I found a displaced starfish and later a sea urchin. It was low tide during my walk and I was able to explore the tide pools.
What really startled me though was when I lifted my eyes from the sand just ahead of me to find two sets of dark eyes staring at me from in the water! I think they were harbor seals and they were swimming around in the kelp beds. They often surfaced and would bob on the tide and we would just look at each other. I decided to stop there and enjoyed a snack of cheese, crackers and beef jerky while sitting on the beach observing them. I saw as many as 3 at a time in a small area.
The weather stayed perfect all day and even until very late at night and I was able to star gaze and see the Milky Way. I enjoyed another good fire and steak and talked to my campground neighbors who were great people.
Sunday morning the coastal fog was pretty thick again and I enjoyed a leisurely cup of coffee and some good breakfast conversation with my neighbors again. I was feeling pretty perky and restless after the good coffee and decided to pack up and hit the road. I went back home the way I had come through the town of Honeydew rather than risk the potential problem of having to drive inside a marine layer on the rough road to Ferndale. I have had that happen before and the resulting poor visibility and wet roads were treacherous on an unladen motorcycle much less one loaded up heavily like mine. I had an easy ride back to 101 negotiating all the same potholes and unpaved areas as before and was home by 3pm or so.
All in all, a great weekend trip and I arrived home feeling very refreshed and invigorated.
As always, thanks for listening.
-Tutt
Have a good time 
Take care.
