Route: Harris Beach SP to Del Norte Redwoods state park
Distance: 43.2 miles
Total Trip Distance: 1,047 miles
It took me a little over 1,000 miles of pedaling, but I am back in California. So I can't buy weed (legally) anymore, but I can vote!
Chilly start this morning with a route that took me through Brookings, into California (see picture) and then onto some quiet country roads and through the towns of Smith River and Fort Dick. Seems I wasn't the only one liking it out here:
Smoke has been an issue for the last 2 days and it was casting an eerie pall over the morning. Seems there are fires through the west, and i have finally rolled into a couple. Here's an info board I read in Gold Beach:
But as soon as I got into Crescent City, a cold fog blew in off to the ocean and it was time to put my fleece back on! Along Pebble Beach drive:
Pro tip of the day: do you ever suffer from Cheeto Fingers? You know, after eating Cheetoes (or any other highly processed, artificially flavored "food") you find your finger tips are all orange? Well I find that using a spoon (here about to shovel some jalapeño pretzels in my mouth) solves this problem.
QUESTION: Who likes being stopped for road construction (where only a single lane is open and you wait for a pilot car)?
Well, I normally would be in the "No" crowd, but today one of those stops created a chance for me to ride on an entirely empty highway!
As I was chugging up the climb I noticed traffic coming to a stop. Since there was plenty of room on the right I kept on going and enjoyed PASSING cars for a change. Pretty soon traffic starts to move again (our side's turn to follow pilot car) so i keep grinding along until I get to the flagman - right as he is deploying the "STOP" sign. Crap.
He sees me put my foot down (to stop) and then says "oh, you can go, we're just trimming bushes and trees - enjoy it buddy". Cha Ching! I quickly surmise that I will only have so much time so I drop it a gear and start pounding away. I end up getting 15-20 minutes of open uphill road. The work crews were giving me updates along the way so I would know how much time I had - cool guys!
Then I was in the park
Camp tonight it at Mill Creek in the Del Norte Redwoods. Scenic remote area (no cellular). Cyclists be warned that it is a 2.5 mile drop (400 ft ?) into the campground. Which was big fun for me today, but may be less so tomorrow morning......
A few pics from camp:
Welcome to California, buddy! No worries on the weed -- you'll be riding through Humboldt County sometime soon.
ReplyDeleteYou're eating jalapeño pretzels? My, oh my, your nutrition has evidently taken a turn for the worse. ;)
Glad you got to enjoy the highway to yourself. That's a real treat! :)