by Cathy

Day’s mileage : 61

Running total : 1,263

Ascent : 4,685ft

Friday.

Each day, I wake up and wonder how the new day can be better than the one before. And every day new views, new colours of the sea, new people and new animals make it another one of my favourite days. I feel so lucky to have two weeks to share this with Mum and Dad. 

We woke up early today – we had 100km to cycle and it’s Memorial Day weekend so we wanted to avoid as much traffic as possible. The first section of our day brought us down from our accommodation back to Highway 1 along beautiful tree-lined roads, with lots of fast downhills and the day’s first ocean reveal through the trees. We were treated to a little deer springing across the road in front of us as she busied about with her morning.

When we reached the sea in Gualala, it was much choppier than the previous few days, with about 100m of white water curling and splashing over rocks. Dad’s biking app kept warning him that we would have gales today; luckily they were behind us for the majority of the route, pushing us up the hills.

At our first snack stop, we met two fishermen who were hoping to catch some surf perch. They told us that the stretch of road we were on today was the most beautiful and impressive section of Highway 1, which is such an exciting thing to hear at the beginning of a high-mileage day. There were some lovely little nesting blue birds in the car park as well, and Mum and Dad spotted a hummingbird. 

We then had a long stretch next to the sea, broken up with tiny coves filled with rocks and splashing aquamarine water. We stopped for (another) snack at one of these coves, and noticed an enormous rock pool on one of the cliffs in the distance. The waves must sometimes be gargantuan if they can fill up a rock pool on top of a cliff.

A stretch inland was punctuated with amazing smelling eucalyptus trees, and we saw another cyclist speeding by in the other direction. It’s so exciting seeing other people on their trips – sometimes they stop and chat, and sometimes they cruise by waving, leaving their stories up to our imagination. 

Back towards the coast we had our second ocean reveal of the day. It was misty over the sea in the distance, but sunny, warm and windy from where we were on the cliffs. The road then wound up further into the hills. I’ve spent a good few hours contemplating how to describe the view for the next few kilometres. Imagine a film with someone driving along the breathtaking California coast – it was that exact image. On the left were grassy hills, with deer peering down at us from high above. In front of us were layers of misty hills and cliffs. And to our right: the ocean, dancing and sparkling in the sunshine as far as we could see. It was one of the highlights of the trip so far for me, an iconic hour curving and winding next to the Pacific.

We had lunch right at the top at Sonoma Coast State Park, then finished our last 25km winding our way down from the top of the hills to the sea, stopping for a brief photoshoot with two girls on a roadtrip. Just as we reached the sea, we saw a huge pod of seals and a squadron of pelicans resting on the beach together – my first seals! Tonight’s accommodation is beautiful – every bedroom faces the bay and we’re hoping for a beautiful sunset before our rest day tomorrow.

Additional notes

Gualala to Bodega Bay, Mendocino and Sonoma counties, CA

Left at 9am. Arrived at 4.30pm.

Weather: Sunny and cool. 11-12 degrees. Pure blue sky all day. A strong tail wind.

Landscape: Continued on the quiet road through the trees, unusually it had a poor surface. There were houses in the trees but all we could see was the mailbox for each. Down to the coast at Gualala, the sea turquoise with white horses as far as the eye could see – it’s windier today. Sloping prairie to the left and homes to the right with glimpses of the sea in between. On the other side of Gualala, the grassland russet and mostly long, swaying and billowing in the wind. Stopped at a viewpoint called the Sea Ranch. Stillwater Creek where the waves were crashing so not still at all. Uphill along a steep mountainside, the road running along it at a gentler incline, grassy and open with the odd tree, too steep for habitation. To the right the Pacific Ocean far below and stretching to the horizon. Dramatic road in the mountains, at times we could see it snaking far away. Knobbly hills in the distance to the east. Downhill all the way out of the mountains, the road visible far ahead of us, we had to take care along this stretch with the descent and the wind. A little beach with cove below us. The coast road from Jenner overlooking the sea with its white horses. We rode past Bodega Bay so C could make it to 100km today, and back into the headwind.

Towns: Gualala. Jenner. Bodega Bay. 

State roads: South on Highway 1 for about 50 miles, a good surface. 

Breakfast: Eggs on toast. Porridge and strawberries.

Lunch spot: A picnic table at a rest area in the mountains, very unspoilt, virtually no one else there. 

Dinner (L): Courgette and pepper pasta with sour cream and cheese. At long last I used the half packet of pasta I’ve carried from Port Orford. Melon and dulce de leche and churros ice cream. 

Wildlife: A deer beside the road. A small blue bird with a nest under the frame of the notice board at Sea Ranch viewpoint. A hummingbird at Sea Ranch. A deer looking down at us from high up on the steep mountainside. In the mountains there were birds of prey wheeling about at eye level. Philip fetched us back before Jenner to see seals basking and a large number of pelicans on a long spit of land. 

Plants: Eucalyptus trees. Wild pampas grass.

Things we saw: A road called Seaside School Road. A public playground after which was a sign, ‘End of playground speed limit’. They are very protective of their children. A dead opossum. 

People we spoke to or saw: Two fishermen at the Sea Ranch, maybe a father and son, who were very friendly, interested and impressed at what we’re doing. We left a blog card on their windscreen. The older gentleman told us today’s stretch was the best section of Highway 1 and later we understood why. Two girls on a road trip who had stopped to take photos part way down the mountain – we took some for them and they for us. I sent a photo to Duncan of a place called Duncans Landing. 

Incidents: As I rode past the recently killed opossum a car was coming in the opposite direction and I was worried I’d get splattered but the driver slowed down – he may have seen the look on my face. Climbing into the hills, the road was reasonably busy and narrow; at one point a car squeezed past me while another car was passing in the opposite direction – the windows were open and I called out ‘Please don’t squash me! Please be careful!’ It was windy up there and we had to go carefully. 

Shopping: Pelican Plaza, Bodega Bay.

Accommodation: A two-level house with plate glass windows and sweeping views of the estuary (not the sea as we might have thought) from every bedroom. We kept the upstairs bedroom as a sitting place.

Today’s sound: The sound of the wind on the mountain.

Today’s smell: Crushed skunk.

Special moments: C and I had our first snack at 22 miles, looking to manage today’s mileage. It was mind-blowing in the mountains. Passing 1,300 miles. Tea and cookies on arrival. Sitting together on the sitting bed in the dark and having a laugh. Pretty sunset over the water though very cold on the balcony to watch it. 

Positive experience from my journal: The epic mountain road. 

Appreciation from my journal: Savouring every mile. 

Blog comment from Liz (me).

Video: P&E riding into Gualala (9m16s). The Sea Ranch stop + P arriving (25s). At the roadside (18s). Coastal route and trees (22m17s). E&P cycling along switchback road (30s). P cycling towards me (6s). P cycling with sea behind (26s). E taking photos (10s + 8s + 6s). Cycling through the mountains (9m35s + 2m49s). P cycling, sea behind (29s). The sea at Jenner (8s + 25s). 

Mementos: Pelican Plaza receipt, Bodega Bay. Pelican Plaza discount card.