♫ "From the Redwood forest, to the gulf stream waters...this land was made for ABB." ♪  Well, we're back at it again.  Everyone was chomping at the bit after a nice restful day off yesterday.  We loaded a little earlier than usual due to the longish day and all the climbing we were looking at.  And it didn't take long for the climbing to start.  We started up within 2 miles from the motel and it seemed to just keep going.  I was in the van today so all I had to do was press a little harder on the accelerator and poof...I got to the top.  But the riders weren't so lucky as the terrain rose about 1200 feet before starting to drop back to sea level.  I think everyone would have been satisfied if the road would have stayed on a high ridge line, but out here it seems just to hug the ocean...if there's a beach, the road goes down to it.

One thing about this ride, the climbing is abundant but no one is complaining...the rewards are spectacular.  If we don't come across a pull out that overlooks the raging surf below, we are climbing through gigantic Redwood trees that tower above the roadway.  As the riders made their way along the coast, I was busy recording their efforts on my camera.  Today was our first totally clear day along the coast so the views and photo ops were abundant.  It was hard to keep moving as every mile seemed to beckon the riders to stop and gaze over the edge of the road at the raging surf below. 

The first SAG was in the redwoods at a small rest area before getting back on highway 101.  There was lots of climbing to get to the redwoods, but the final 5 miles to the SAG were totally downhill so the riders were able to pretty much coast all the way through the big trees...and I do mean BIG trees.

Our spread was pretty far by the time we reached the first SAG so I hustled forward to try to catch the front before they got to our second scheduled SAG.  Barb was hung up at the first stop waiting on the back so it was up to me to check on the front.  I caught them about 2 miles before the SAG and luckily found them along one of the many "must stop and look" points.  I stopped with Mac and Klaus and probably stood there for 10 minutes just admiring the surf and watching sea lions basking on the rocks below.  As it turned out, Barb was able to head them off and beat them to the SAG by about a minute.  Brian and Diane decided to keep moving when we had stopped to take photos, but they were still at the service station where we were sitting up the SAG when Barb pulled in...timed to perfection with none to spare.

The road immediately after the second SAG was still in disrepair.  Last year a land slide had taken out about a 100 yards of the road and they hadn't fixed it yet.  They had cut away the pavement and made it a gravel roadway but still had it closed to motor traffic...the bikes could get through.  That's one of the problems they have around these parts...slides.  Every few miles along highway 101 there were signs of repair and even one area they were repairing today that had recently slipped sideways toward the surf.  I don't know how they keep the pavement on the side of these mountains...if they close 101 because of a slide, I'm not sure how far we'd have to go to get around it.  In many places there isn't a road for miles that connects farther down the coastline.

The remainder of the route jumped on and off a bike route along hwy 101 before picking up a street that took us across the Mad River on a bike/ped bridge.  From there we picked up nice, flat country roads which were a stark contrast to the miles we'd already ridden along rugged shoreline and through Redwood forests.  The accompanying 20 MPH tailwinds didn't hurt either.  Now we were in dairy country...complete with a cattle drive down our route which, as you can imagine, did their best to "resurface" the road with their deposits.  Made for some tasty beverages out of our water bottles to say the least...mmmm, that was a Holstein flavor.

The final miles into town were on highway 101...flat and boring compared to what we'd ridden through all day.  The good news was that 101 had a great shoulder and the winds were kicking us in the butt...well sort of.  By the time the riders almost got to town they were circling around a bay so the wind almost got in their face for the last couple miles...at best it was a pretty good cross wind.  In Eureka, we routed everyone through old downtown so folks could try out the coastal wares and see the sights.  Most stopped there for a bite to eat.

Wow...what a day.  Beautiful sights, nice winds, great weather...we pretty much had it all today.  Tomorrow we go to Garberville...a throwback from the 60s.  I get to ride tomorrow...hope the winds keep in our favor...I can use a kick.  See you then.  M