Sunday, August 23, 2015

Day 24: New Sh!t Has Come To Light!

Route:  Fort Bragg to Gualala Point
Distance:  66.7 miles
Total Trip Distance:  1,347 miles
It occurred to me yesterday that on Monday I will be sleeping in a real bed.  That's new for me at least.  Maybe not as major as this: 

I'll be meeting my brother in law Mike tomorrow,  and riding back with him to his house in Sebastapol.  Even taking Tuesday off to visit and rest a bit. Nice.

Had a pretty darn good sunset last night:


Oh, and I met these 2 sweet sisters and their dog Anna:

Today's ride was all along HWY 1.  Here's part of why it's a good road to ride:

While the scenery was nice, the highlight of my morning was this breakfast burrito I had in Little River:

And I needed those calories- there were numerous steep downs (yippee!!) and then ups (ugh, grind, grind, grind....).  One particularly brutal climb (just south of Elk) had me thinking I was going to break my chain for sure - even in my lowest gear I was standing up.  But we made it. At the top there was a nice road chalk message that said "are you full?"..... Then 10 ft. Later: "because you just devoured a monster climb!"  I agree.

Here's some pics along the highway:



It was like this all day:




Every time I looked to my right there it was:

Saw this aartwork on a rock at my 5th or 6th lunch stop:
COWABUNGA MAN!

Pro Tip Of The Day:  Socks with sandals you wonder?  The answer is always "YES":

When all the hipsters are doing this, remember you saw it here.........

Camp tonight is at Gualala Point Regional Park. I'm in a primeval looking grove of trees - sort of like something out of Lord of the Rings:


 This is my third night camping with Jim from Cupertino. We'll part ways tomorrow - he heads for Fairfax, while I head for Sebastapol.  There is also an older couple from Noway (whose names I STILL cannot pronounce) who are working their way down the coast at a leisurely pace.

Oh, and those crafty raccoons are back...... I'll be on my guard 



7 comments:

  1. Enjoy that bed tonight, you've earned it! I suspect a couple glasses of wine will make it even more comfortable!

    Scenery continues to look amazing, the JMT of bike tours!

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  2. Yeah, that burrito looks pretty dang tasty. And those socks are sizzling HOT!

    Enjoy the bed. But don't get *too* comfortable -- you have more riding ahead, friend! :)

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  3. Hey some rough calcs put you in Oxnard mid to late next week! Anymore rest days between now and then?

    As the stock market has done so poorly of late I'm forced to continue working... for another 15 years!!! so I won't be able to join you next week.

    I had thought I might try and join you for your last night if it worked out on a weekend but that doesn't look likely at your current pace.

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    1. No worries man, I have one more rest day that I'll likely spend near Big Sur. that would put me in Oxnard 9/3 (Thursday)

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  4. Socks and Sandals? Old news in Seattle: https://vimeo.com/9336946 I knew I'd found my peeps when I moved here and everyone wore shorts and fleece! I'd done that living in Michigan and people thought I was crazy.

    Really enjoying your trip. Be safe.

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    1. Nice! And people have always given me crap about it - another thing to like about the northwest!

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