Today was train day! We spent the night in Willits so we could ride the Skunk Train in the morning. While the hotel was very cute with its old west theme, for some reason, the big pillow top king size bed was just uncomfortable and neither of us got a good nights sleep. Breakfast and coffee were not even available until 7:30, and the free breakfast was a little lacking. Not to be discouraged, we dressed early and headed over to the Starbucks down the road for some good coffee and muffins. By the time we got back the free breakfast was available, but we only took some coffee.
    The train didn't leave until 9:45, so we used the extra morning time to pack up some stuff to ship back home at the Post Office . So Jody journaled while I did the Post Office run. Met a nice elderly lady in her 70's there while we were waiting for it to open, and she still had a bike, and had been to some of the places we have been with her husband. You meet all kinds of people on the road.
    By the time I got back to the hotel, it was time to catch the Skunk Train a whole mile away. It wasn't very crowded on the train, there were 2 enclosed cars and one open car. Unfortunately, the open car had railings for standing, and no seats. The enclosed cars were more comfortable, but a little hot, so we bit the bullet and decided to stand in the open car. Especially if we wanted to take pictures!    I think this is the first time we have been on a mountain climbing conventional train. The ride is about an hour and a half each way with a stopover in Northspur to turn the engine around. There are actually about 8.5 miles of switchback loops to cover about 1 mile distance while rising about 1400 ft at a 3.5% grade which is a lot for a train . When the train is descending, you can actually look down and see the next set of rails on the switchback below. The turns are quicker than I have ever seen on a train, and the scenery was beautiful once we got into the redwood forests outside of town. There is also a fairly long tunnel near the summit, they do make you go into one of the closed cars for the tunnel ride as there are no lights. No lights on the train, no lights in the tunnel, no lights anywhere. While you are in the tunnel, it is pitch black. So cool!
     We drove past a KOA Campground, row after row of campers, trailers and big RV's side by side, a couple of feet apart on asphalt and gravel. Couple of swing sets, a few kids activity stuff, a couple of trees, a couple of picnic tables, no pool, no lake. I just don't see the attraction. I'm sure I'm missing something.
     At the end of the line in Northspur, there was kind of a concession area. The conductor was telling us about some of the houses along the tracks. These are "off the grid" houses, with no electricity or water from the outside . Everything must be generated locally, and some of the people rarely go to town as it takes a couple of hours on dirt roads to reach civilization. Some of the people at the concession stand in Northspur appeared to me what I would expect these people to be. We weren't really hungry, but decided on some coffee. It came from one of those big 30 cup percolators, and judging by the color and taste, I'm not sure when it was made, but I suspect they make a fresh pot on the first of the month, so it may have tasted better a few weeks ago. But it was hot and had caffeine, so we drank it.
     It turned out to be a pretty nice day, weather-wise. The train ride was in the low 80's and the sun was shining the whole way. By the time we got back to the train station, we were in t-shirts for the ride to Fort Bragg. The ride back was on CA-20W, the same road we took to Willits yesterday. It was just as much fun riding west as it was riding east yesterday. We did get stuck behind a couple of dump trucks for a while until they pulled over to let us pass . On the downhill ride, it was amazing how much you could smell the brakes from these trucks, and you could actually see the smoke coming out of the wheels!
     The hotel in Fort Bragg was nothing special, just an overnight. But we decided to see if we could find a good Italian restaurant i town. Sure enough, the TripAdvisor pointed us to D'Aurelio's as the best Italian in town. Pasta and Sausage for me, Prima Vera Marinara for Jody, and they were delicious!
     Tomorrow whe head south on Highway 1 to San Francisco for 4 nights. We look forward to staying put for few days, and it should be a blast!

47.5 miles today
11,327.1 miles total

0.0 gallons today
270.233 gallons total