I was treated to some of the best descents of the trip today - and there have been a lot of good ones so far. Started out quiet and overcast on HWY 1 - very peaceful:
And before I knew it, I had pedaled 20 miles or so.
The backside of Fort Ross:
Then the fun began. Well first, there was a bit of climbing, but the grade was reasonable, temps perfect and traffic light.
The pictures really don't show it well, but once I reached the high point, there were 2 or 3 several mile descents on silky smooth roads along the edge of the coast - exhilarating!
When I dropped down into Jenner - look who was waiting for me:
Why it's Mike (bother in law) and Norm and Gary! They take me on a super nice (but speedy by my recent standards) 30 mile ride back into Sebastopol - thanks guys!
You see these all over Sebastopol - the artist lives locally.
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
Ride: Richardson Grove (cough) to Mackericher State Park (Fort Bragg)
Distance: 59.6 miles
Total Trip Distance: 1,278 miles
Remember Playboy Magazine? (Yeah, I know it's not popular anymore) Were you one of those people who used to say "blah, blah.... I just read it for the articles... blah, blah....)? Sure dude. But if that was true, and you like to read the articles, then pick up your New Yorker and keep reading, because this post is all pictures!
Leaving the smoky:
My new best friend HWY 1
Lots of climbing today:
There was also a 10 mile or so descent from the top of this climb where I went from sweating like crazy at the top, to 3 layers and a fleece at the bottom!
Craig from Tasmania got a flat, so a committee was formed to help:
