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.
Beautiful views, beautiful mama.
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.
Mom always knows where I'm going
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.
Views, views....
...and more views
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.
When in doubt, follow the yellow arrows...
...and you just might be rewarded with a sweet detour
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.
Not many days better than this
Mendocino
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.
Bluff views were great too
I call your bluff and raise you this bluff
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.
C'mon tailwind!
Just happy to be here
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.
I decided against the pulled pork sandwich
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.
A good day indeed
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%
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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