Actual Miles: 65.3
Cumulative Miles: 1,041.1
Elevation Gain: 3,461'
Cumulative Elevation Gain: 41,563'
% Distance to Mexico: 55.3%
My mom is a rock star. Every day my PDA chimes at me within minutes of when I start riding and again within minutes of when I finish. In fact today, I was literally rolling to a stop at my motel when I heard that distinctive sound and I knew right away it was mom, sending good wishes my way for making it safely to Gualala. Everyone from supporters, to family, to friends, to co-workers, to even strangers has been great. But I think mom is treating my GPS Tracker like reality TV. And truth be told, as much fun as I'm having, these rides are challenging, and it's nice to have mom there before I've even walked in the door to my room, sending me good vibes. Today was majestic, at least after it warmed up from the 47° when I started. I'm having trouble coming up with new adjectives to describe what I'm experiencing. I couldn't have timed the last four days any better, as far as the weather is concerned.. The one bad day was my rest day, and the other three days have been glorious. Perfect. I'm not sure when I first noticed them but there have been yellow arrows painted on the road for most of my trip. I don't know who put them there, but my route follows those arrows almost exactly. Today I saw one that showed a right turn when my route was straight. I decided to make the turn and was rewarded with a scenic, 3-mile detour through Caspar on Point Cabrillo Drive. From there, it just got better and better. I've only been to the Mendocino coast a couple of times, and don't remember it ever being so clear and picturesque. Pictures don't even do it justice. It's a combination of what you're seeing and how you feel when you see it. And you can't experience it the same way in a car, even on a day like today. The first half of the day I was climbing and descending, climbing and descending, much like the finish the day before. The roads flattened out some over the second half of the day, and much of the ride was along the bluffs, with the ocean constantly in view off my right shoulder. There was also a nice tailwind most of the day, especially after I stopped in Point Arena at mile 50 for a sandwich. When I was the most tired and needed it the most, that tailwind helped nudge me onward to Gualala. I had dinner at Bones Roadhouse and in spite of the rich aroma of BBQ wafting throughout, I went back to salmon. After pizza last night, I didn't want to get into any bad habits. I am having a scoop of ice cream for dessert though (and then I stopped at a bakery on the way back to my motel and let's say it's possible that I got something else). Oh well, it'll all burn off by 8:00 am. Although my overall fatigue is growing, I'm starting to be able to go on the offensive and attack some of the hills, and that's something I hadn't been able to do since I came back. My achilles felt the best it's felt since I hurt it & the knee. Now, it just gives me a dull ache from time to time. If either starts bothering me, I just ease back a bit, and I'm religious about icing them twice a night. Day 16 Recap: Fort Bragg, CA to Gualala, CA
Actual Miles: 65.3 Cumulative Miles: 1,041.1 Elevation Gain: 3,461' Cumulative Elevation Gain: 41,563' % Distance to Mexico: 55.3%
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Very chilly, clear morning today in Fort Bragg. Glorious view of the Pacific will be off my right shoulder all day. I pass through artsy Mendocino at mile 9 and then quiet roads until stopping in the tourist village of Gualala after 60 breezy miles in the saddle.
Day 15 was a day of milestone moments. At 975 miles, I'm now more than half-way to Mexico. In terms of days ridden, I also crossed the 50-yard line and I now have just 14 days to go. Finally, this was the day I'd be doing the most climbing with panniers and their 15+ pounds of additional weight. How'd I do? Well, the Leggett Hill climb was a breeze. My Bay Areas training rides on any given weekend were tougher. The redwoods backdrop certainly helped and fewer than 10 cars passed me the entire 3.5 miles of that climb, so the road was almost entirely mine. The Leggett uphill reminded me of Old Santa Cruz Highway and and the downhill was reminiscent of San Jose Soquel Road, which means it was a fun descent! Having finally descended out of the redwoods, the air suddenly got cool and you could feel the ocean in the air before you saw it. Still, it came suddenly; forest around one corner and ocean around the next. And when the Pacific came into view, there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Awesome transition. The day's ride wasn't entirely easy, however. There is a shorter climb after Leggett - closer to the coast - and while shorter, the pitches were steeper. But the hardest part of the ride were the so-called flats the last 15 miles. The first 12 miles weren't flat at all. Rather it was up & down, up & down, up & down, the entire way. Those take a lot out of you, especially after 50 miles. The final couple of miles along MacKerricher Beach Road was fabulous. No cars are allowed on that stretch and the views were unobstructed. I almost gave up finding that road because the access I was looking for was washed out. I'm glad I didn't give up. I stopped at the local bike shop to top off my tires and asked for a dinner recommendation. They suggested Piaci Pub & Pizzeria, and it was a great call. I broke down and had a pizza, but mainly because they really didn't have anything heart-healthy other than salads, and I needed some calories after having no opportunity to stop for lunch. Yum. Before heading back to my motel, I rode down to check out Fort Bragg's famous glass beach. I'm sure before scumbag tourists started filling their pockets with glass, this was a cool spot. But, let me put it this way: I'm glad it was a short ride. Day 15 Recap: Benbow, CA to Fort Bragg, CA
Actual Miles: 74.5 Cumulative Miles: 975.8 Elevation Gain: 4,580' Cumulative Elevation Gain: 38,102' % Distance to Mexico: 51.9% I'll spend 2/3 of Day 15 working my way back to the coast and it promises to be a grind. At 4,186', this will be the most climbing I do with panniers, and at 1,990', Leggitt Hill is the highest point on the Pacific coast Bike Route. After that 3.5-mile climb, the descent should be awesome, though another climb will follow. There are no towns after Leggitt until Westport (pop. 60) at mile 50. From there it's 17 flat miles to Fort Bragg, gateway to the Mendocino Coast. Woke up early and went down to the free breakfast here at the Best Western Humboldt House and ate too much. I then walked down the street to the coffee shop, came back to my room, and went back to bed. Ahhhhhh! Figuring I wouldn't be welcome wearing spandex to the Benbow dining room, I had a bagel and bought two more for the road at Bon Bistro in Garberville. We got to talking about my ride and they gave me a $20 donation. Very philanthropic folks here. Bagels were great too. Thank you, Cindy and Scott! Weird weather. I Woke up to rain, which made me glad that I wasn't joining the Cycle America group on the road this morning, especially since the sun is supposed to be back this afternoon. By check-out time, it was still threatening, so I left for my 3-mile ride to the Benbow Inn to dark, overcast skies. There is short climb on US-101 before you descend to Benbow. It was hot & humid going up and then chilly on the way back down. There was also a crosswind, and when one of those big rigs flew by me at 60 mph, I got quite a push to the edge of the pavement. A little wobble, but kept the rubber-to-the-road. Whew! Man, have I ever put on the feedbag these last 24 hours. Between that and the 4 days worth of bars, goo, and drink powders that I had sent to me here, I'm going to be lugging at least 5 extra pounds up Leggitt Hill tomorrow. I might start throwing crap overboard if if I go into a stall while chugging up and over the top of that climb. The weather finally cleared up and the winds calmed down around 5:00. It's shaping up to be a great day tomorrow. It's weird though, I took one day off and it seems like I haven't ridden in a week. Both the Best Western and the Benbow had no elevator. Hey, I can cycle 70+ miles just fine, but don't make me walk up a flight of stairs! I'm supposed to be resting, dammit! Garberville to Benbow Rest Day:
Actual Miles: 3.8 Cumulative Miles: 904.1 Elevation Gain: 240' Cumulative Elevation Gain: 33,762' % Distance to Mexico: 48.0% Well, I found the hippies; they're all in Garberville. Wow, vagabond central here. It's actually got a pretty cool vibe for just passing through, and you get the sense that's what pretty much everyone is doing here. In terms of my Day 14 ride, it was the perfect storm. It was sunny all day, traffic was light, I finally got a tailwind, and it all happened on my most highly-anticipated leg, Avenue of the Giants. Whenever I dreamed about this ride, I imagined cycling Avenue of the Giants on a day just like this. It was perfect. OK, I'm gonna cry now. The ride out of Ferndale was perfect in its own right. I know this is a Bike the Coast ride, but I also love the countryside riding and that's what the first 13 miles consisted of. Lots of cows, open fields, farmers, barns, pick-up trucks, and not many cars. After making my way out of the Ferndale area, I got back on US-101 after Scotia for 4 short miles, and as soon as I exited onto Avenue of the Giants, everything got quiet, and for the next 35 miles, it was an effortless ride through canopied redwoods. With the tailwind, the flats felt like downhills and uphills felt like flats. That allowed me to simply enjoy that stretch to its fullest. Did laundry tonight, sat in the jacuzzi for 20 minutes, had a great meal at Calico's, downed a couple of beers, almost lost my money clip (what else is new), and accidentally sent out my Day 17 blast to 140 people. Well, at least you know this blog isn't coming from an imposter. Day 14 Recap: Ferndale, CA to Garberville, CA
Actual Miles: 61.0 Cumulative Miles: 900.3 Elevation Gain: 2,280' Cumulative Elevation Gain: 33,522' % Distance to Mexico: 47.8% Back on US-101, I hug the Eel River until turning off on Avenue of the Giants and climbing through the majestic redwoods to Garberville, where I'll enjoy a much-needed rest day after another 60 miles spinning the pedals of my Vilier.
I rode into Humboldt County today and past both Humboldt State and College of the Redwoods. I really expected to see a lot of pot-smoking hippies, but alas I didn't see many. I suspect they were all still sleeping-in from the Saturday night ragers. I did ride by a Volkswagen bus at a beach parking lot and it looked like hippies were loading inside. I also drove by a house that was completely fenced in, with no trespassing signs and a Beware of Dog sign - probably a meth lab. Then at dinner tonight, there was a probable-hippies sighting at another table. One guy had dreadlocks and another had one of those hippie sweater hats. Along the way, I rode another 70 miles that started in the fog, then into some rain, and finally just outside Eureka, the sun came out for the first time in 5 days. The sun always seems to energize me, and I needed it today because fatigue is definitely setting in. The other good news was that my knee and achilles felt pretty good. In fact, my most sore body parts were my aching neck and trapezoid muscles. I spent a lot of time on busy sections of US-101 and those sections were grueling. But the sections off 101 were superb. The first of those sections was near Trinidad, on Patricks Point Drive and Trinidad Scenic Drive. Later, I enjoyed a 5-mile stretch along on the Hammond Coastal Trail before spending 5 miserable miles back on 101 between Arcata and Eureka. I enjoyed Eureka, and after another short stint on 101, I exited near College of the Redwoods and spent the final 13 miles of the day cycling scenic countryside roads. I finally arrived in sunny Ferndale and I have a room that looks more like a small apartment. This Victorian-style town will serve as my launch point for my ride through the California redwoods tomorrow. Avenue of the Giants is next up and I'm hoping that the sunny forecast and majestic scenery will propel me to a strong ride. I'll then have the luxury of a rest day at the historic Benbow Inn before taking on what will probably be the toughest day of my entire ride on Wednesday. Day 13 Recap: Orick, CA to Ferndale, CA
Actual Miles: 70.4 Cumulative Miles: 839.3 Elevation Gain: 2,100' Cumulative Elevation Gain: 31,242' % Distance to Mexico: 44.6% Coastal redwoods begin the 68-mile day before I spin through McKinleyville, Arcata & Eureka. I detour off 101 to spend the night in the Victorian village of Ferndale, the gateway to California's Lost Coast. In Ferndale, I plan to break my "no TV rule" just for the Sunday Night Niners game. That will be a nice reward for my 9th straight day on the bike and 13th overall.
All my joking about the Pacific Northwest weather bit me in the butt when I ventured into California on Day 12, only to have temperatures dip to their coolest levels so far. To add insult to injury, there was more climbing than I anticipated, possibly because the 9-mile Newton Drury Scenic Parkway was closed and I had to stay on 101 instead. The first day back on my ride with 15-16 pounds of extra weight was a challenge, but it was filled with rewards too. While I have an estimate of each day's elevation gain, I didn't plot out how long each climb was or when it would take place. As it turned out, there were two fairly long climbs into the Redwoods and back to the coast. The rewards were the magnificent views I enjoyed on the way back down. The morning highlight was the ride along Crescent City's version of Pebble Beach Drive. To be fair, it wasn't quite the Pebble Beach Drive we know, but it was pretty darn good. After Crescent City, it was time for the first of two big climbs and time for the air to take on more of a chill factor. I hadn't worn my rain cover or even my windbreaker even during the Washington rain, but I finally broke down before the second climb, in Klamath, for the final 22 miles. I finally rolled into Orick after 75 miles, 3,750' of climbing, and 6.5 hours in the saddle. I'm beginning to realize how much the extra 15+ pounds of weight slows me down. Combine that with my cautious pedal stroke, and it makes for a long day. I'm staying at the Palm Motel and Cafe; I wasn't expecting the Ritz and I didn't get it. The motel is very dated, smells dank, and either I'm getting vertigo from cycling or these floors aren't very level. But you know what? It works. I was able to do my laundry here, I can plug in my electrical devices, the linen is clean, the manager was very nice, and he fed me pork chops and damn good hot wing noodle soup right next door at his cafe. So what if there's no coffee or shampoo? Quick physical update: I was starting to worry about my knee after Klamath. It was getting a little sore despite conservative riding, and I was afraid the added weight and climbing were taking a toll. But the pain subsided when I warmed up during the ensuing climb and it feels good after two icings tonight. Everything else it's pretty much status quo. Day 12 Recap: Brookings, OR to Orick, CA
Actual Miles: 75.4 Cumulative Miles: 768.9 Elevation Gain: 3,720' Cumulative Elevation Gain: 29,142' % Distance to Mexico: 40.8% |
Jeff FredericksOn August 14, 2013, I'm flying to Vancouver, British Columbia and beginning a 29-day, 1,880-mile bike ride from Canada to Mexico. Archives |