That's right, we're back in Cali!
Stats update:
Day 5: Lanlois KOA to Crescent City, 93.54 mi / 7933'
Total: 401.64 mi / 37378'
Yesterday was a tough ride. We knew it was a stretch to make the border, but we ended up having to go even farther for reasons which I'll get into in a bit.
Once again we started out under rain, though I will no longer bellyache about the precipitation. We've become pretty accustomed to riding and keeping out gear dry under wet conditions at this point. My new attitude it is that the rain is just going to be what it is, so we may as well just deal with it and get on our way.
I will however take a moment to complain about the wind. IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE NORTH TO SOUTH! Allow me to quote from the book, "When you plan your first tour down the coast, take advantage of the tail winds, head south..." If there has been only one constant thus far on the trip it has been the wind, blustering right in our faces out of the south. I can't tell you how much more difficult it is to lug 90 lbs of bike + gear up a steep hill into the wind. It feels like you're cranking with all your might but barely inching along. Though a relief may not be far away. We met a tourer headed to Seattle (then to New York!) at a viewpoint yesterday. He said he made super slow progress northbound in California because of 25-30 mph winds. When we told him we we're experiencing the opposite, a big smile lit up his face as he exclaimed with glee, "I know, it's a South Wind!" So we did get confirmation that we weren't crazy, and we also got the news that it's supposed to be over soon. But once again, the ride is just going to be what it is, and we still have to make it to SF in a week.
We are just about half way there, perhaps even over half way, so we look to be on track to arrive back into town next Friday. Speaking of which, we'd like to invite everyone to come celebrate with us upon our return. Still working out the specifics but should be somewhere on Polk next Friday evening. I'll post details here once we figure it out for certain.
So about yesterday's ride...
The first big town we passed was Port Orford.
These signs are super common for towns in Oregon, each one making its claim to fame. My favorite so far was Lincoln City, "A Great Place to Try New Things". What exactly is that supposed to mean?
In town we crossed the 300 mile marker. We did our best to channel our inner Spartan.
Once through town we got a view of what was to come.
More foul weather. Strangely, when we looked back at Port Orford from down the road it looked like we were just a little to quick for sunshine.
Conditions got really bad as we rounded Humbug Mountain, with big gusts and heavy rain. But the road itself was quite interesting, and traffic was light since they were running it one direction at a time because part of the road was washed out. Once around the mountain (luckily not over) things started to clear up, plus we saw some dinosaurs.
The book said this section of the coast was some of the prettiest, and it didn't disappoint.
We detoured of the 101 onto Old Country Road.
Note the choice of jersey for today. Todd is representing his Ducks, whereas I an sporting an ode to the Golden State. We just had to make the border. Once re-energized we climbed the steep Cape Sebastian. On the way up there were a few sections where the road had gone down the hill.
The descent was exhilarating and the views striking.
You may have noticed there aren't many pictures of us together (mostly just the bikes), so when a car pulled up right next to us at a stop we had them snap a pic.
More coastline from Arch Rock Viewpoint.
Finally we reached Brookings, the last town before the border. I thought this mill had a cool welcome sign.
The last stretch to California was down Oceanview road. It was just what we needed, newly paved, slightly downhill and free of cars. Plus, as the name would have you believe, it was right along the water.
Crossing the border was actually anti climactic. Other than the sign, you couldn't really tell we were in a new state. Our plan was to push 6 miles in to Smith River for the night. As it finally got within our sights we saw a rainbow that strangely ended right in town.
This, however, was not a good omen. We knew it was a small town (pop. 1500), but there were dining/sleeping/camping markers next to it on the map. The town was *very* sleepy, and the restaurant that sounded most promising was closed up by the time we arrived. Across the street there was a bar with country music leaking out, so I got up some nerve and moseyed on in. As soon as I opened the door the 10 or so locals all looked over with bemusement. Here's how my conversation went with the nearest one.
Me: Do they serve food here?
Local: No.
Me: What about anywhere else in town now?
Local: No.
(Me with a bewildered look)
Local: This is a Shit town.
They were actually pretty nice and directed us to continue down the bike route to Fort Dick, where a thai restaurant, Sea West, might still be open. At this point it was 8:30. We were told it was 4 miles down the road and Google Maps said it closed at 9. We pedaled like mad and got there by 8:50. Sea West turned out to be a bar with a tiny restaurant attached. Once inside with looks of desperation on our faces, the bartender examined us, then the clock, and agreed to let us order. It was definitely a townie bar, but it was warm and they had the giants on. After gorging ourselves we realized the closest lodging option was still another 10 miles down the road in Crescent City. With no other choice, we strapped on our lights (a headlamp for myself) and headed out once again. The country road was busier than I would have liked, but the shoulder was wide and the condition very good. It took just about an hour to get to the econolodge. Totally spent, we crashed right away. I didn't even have the energy to post, which explains this morning's update.
So here was the ride.
Two big hills today, but we may cut the milage short. We'd like to get into camp earlier than we have been and take some time to chill out.
this is the most exciting thing i've read since moby dick!!!
ReplyDelete