Day 13 Recap: I Expected More Hippies

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.

No pot smoking hippies in sight

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.

Probable hippie sighting

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.

Started the day in the rain...

...cloudy around Big Lagooon

...blue sky approaching near McKinleyville!

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.

Patricks Point Drive

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.

Got milk?

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.

Ferndale

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.

My hotel, my room, my date

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%