by Cathy

Day’s mileage : 52

Running total : 1,123

Ascent : 4,463ft

Tuesday.

I (Cathy) have been given the keys to the blog, and hopefully I’ll do justice to the beautiful day that we have had today. 

Today began with a long stretch on the Highway 101, tucked on the hard shoulder in our pelican formation. Mum has given me 4 rules for the road:

1. Look at what’s on the road right in front of you 
2. Look for traffic coming from behind 
3. Look for traffic coming from in front 
4. If 1-3 have been done, then you can look at the view

For the first few miles, I was snatching glances at the views as rules 1-3 were taking all of my attention. And they were worth every glimpse. The 101 snaked across valleys of spruce trees, crisscrossing over the Eel River with its teal water as the sun shone down from a cloudless sky. As we climbed up one of the hills, we passed a shop called Legend of Bigfoot which was our entryway back into redwood forests, and we had several more miles of quiet, majestic, muted redwood roads. 

We turned off onto the old 101 and we had the road to ourselves, except for one moment where I looked into the forest to see a deer looking back at me. She didn’t seem scared, more curious, and she was there for a few minutes before trotting back into dense woodland. I love deer, and she was the third I have seen on the trip so far. 

Back on the new 101, the rhythmic sound of pedals and chains and tyres was punctuated with a cyclist who came roaring past us, shouting “you guys are killing it!” He went all of 20 metres before his hat came flying off and he screeched to a stop to scoop it up off the highway. One minute later, he came charging by again, bent over his handlebars to fly as fast as he could down the hill. 

We turned off the highway onto California Route 1 which took us all the way to the coast. It started with a pretty brutal climb up to 500m where we had our sandwiches, before rewarding us with 10km of downhill: roads that wound around the hill, redwoods standing guard on either side and very few cars. I had headphones on for this bit, and it felt very romantic and poetic to listen to all the California-themed songs that have been stuck in my head for the last four days as I cruised down the hill.

At the bottom, Dad spotted two wild turkeys running across the road. Thanks to Susan from outside the grocery store yesterday, Mum knew that this was a male and female pair, with the male having a feather sticking out from its front. 

We had one last hill to get over, then we were rewarded with my favourite view of the day: as we rounded a corner, the Pacific Ocean was in the distance, sparkling and shimmering and beckoning us towards it. We stopped by the crashing waves, and I was awe-struck at the power and wildness that this ocean has.

We had three miles with a tailwind along the coast to get to our accommodation, an ancient inn that overlooks the ocean. There was good news and bad news here: we were upgraded on arrival to bright and sunny suites that face the sea, but there was a power cut, so no cooking or charging. Choosing to not worry about that until we had to, we went down to the beach and watched the crashing waves, spotting some very cute birds that were nesting in the rocks.

Luckily, the power is back on now, and we are heading to bed with the sound of the ocean lulling us to sleep ready for a day riding next to the Pacific tomorrow.

Additional notes

Redway to Howard Creek, Humboldt and Mendocino counties, CA

Left at 9.45am. Arrived at 5.15pm.

Weather: Sunny. Warm in the sun. 

Landscape: Above the Eel River, the valley sides forested and some areas of grass or scrub. Crossed the Eel River about ten times. A redwood forest called Richardson Grove, very still, as though time was suspended. Climbed up high along the old 101. Another stretch of redwoods. Highway 1 was forested and hilly all the way up and down over the mountain. A second hill which we climbed in turbo. On the way down the other side we got a glimpse of the mighty ocean and then we were on a cliff overlooking the coast, the sea shining silver in the late afternoon light, the waves crashing below and large rocks stretching out into the water. The last two miles beside the sea.

Towns: Garberville, quiet. Leggett, quieter. 

Trails: The old 101, very quiet. 

State roads: The 101, a wide shoulder at first then variable. Watching trucks approach P and C ahead and stop just in time. Our first time on Highway 1! It was the opposite of the 101 – very quiet, twisty, turny and beautiful. 

Breakfast: Waffles, bananas, strawberries and cherry ice cream.

Lunch spot: Sitting on a log on the way down Highway 1.

Dinner (L): All the food we had that didn’t need cooking.

Wildlife: C saw a deer. Wild turkeys with the male’s curious feather sticking out from his front. Barn swallows nesting in mud nests in the cliffs by the beach. By-the-wind sailor (Velella velella), a blue organism on the beach, related to jellyfish.

Plants: Wild white iris. Small, deep pink sweet peas. A new yellow flower. Lots of foxgloves. A stand of eucalyptus trees at Howard Creek Ranch, the first of many more we would see through California. Nasturtiums and azaleas at the ranch. Yellow flower on the beach.

Things we saw: The Krishnaweye Centre with people gardening. An untethered dog outside a gateway – I had my pepper spray ready but he was just spectating. Legend of Bigfoot shop where C and I had a look round all the souvenirs. Several miles where someone had built mini cairns on the rail beside the road. Food is expensive – $5 for three baking potatoes, $5.19 for a tin of mixed veg, $8.89 for a small pack of cheese. A big landslide which had taken out an entire lane of the road. Blue, jelly-like discs washed up on the beach beside the inn. 

People we spoke to or saw: An exuberant cyclist in orange on an e-bike zoomed past us before his hat came flying off and he came back to retrieve it then sped past us again. Inn owners Sunny and Sally. 

Incidents: The power was out at the inn so we couldn’t charge or cook anything. Much quiet anxiety. No hot water or light in our shower and I lost my beloved cycle cap, almost my best friend.

Shopping: Leggett Valley Market, Leggett.

Accommodation: the Howard Creek Ranch Inn, a special place but run down, and like stepping back in time 50 years, owned by Sunny and Sally for the past 52 years. C loved it here. 

Today’s sound: Wild turkeys.

Today’s smell: Sweet smell of broom in the warm sun.

Special moments: C was super excited at her first sight of the ocean and we were elated to be back on the coast. Walking to the beach from the inn. Watching the stars through the skylight above our heads as we lay in bed.

Positive experience from my journal: Highway 1 turning out to be amazing.

Appreciation from my journal: Making a lovely looking feast for dinner with meagre rations. 

Blog comments from Liz (me) and Andy.

Video: P and C riding through farmland (1m46s). The roadside (21s). E&P riding on forested road (19s). C cycling (9s). E cycling (7s). C riding through redwoods (21s). E&C cycling in woodland (10s). The ocean (13s). P&C cycling by ocean (9s). Howard Creek Inn (18s). Howard Creek Beach (14s + 17s). Swallows nesting (7 sec).

Mementos: Pacific Northwest sticker. Legend of Bigfoot gift shop card. Leggett Valley Market receipt, Leggett.