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.
I'll be seeing a lot of CA-1 from here to Mexico
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.
Had the entire road to myself during the Leggett climb
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!
Santa Cruz mountains-esque
...and much like Avenue of the Giants
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.
Hey, look what I found...the Pacific Ocean!
From majestic redwoods to this. Wow!
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.
Rollers were tiring but views were breathtaking
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.
McKerricher State Beach
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.
No salmon on the menu, sorry doc
But they do have a separate door for hippies
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.
Glass Beach as advertised
Glass Beach as witnessed
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%
Actual Miles: 74.5
Cumulative Miles: 975.8
Elevation Gain: 4,580'
Cumulative Elevation Gain: 38,102'
% Distance to Mexico: 51.9%
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