Garberville

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DAY 9
Eureka to Garberville

Yesterday Tomorrow

ROUTE: Garberville	DISTANCE: 79 Miles	WINDS: South 5-10...yep, that's a headwind
WEATHER: Cloudy and cool, high 68	TERRAIN: Rolling	TOTAL CLIMBING: 3120 Feet

DAILY REPORT:

We saw the sun today!!!! At least a time or two. It was cloudy and a bit on the chilly side when we pulled out, but the sunny skies warmed the temperatures quickly and before long we were shedding clothes and enjoying the mild day. That being said, it was still hard to dress appropriately as when we were in the open, the sun was warm and comfortable. But when we entered the redwoods, it was on the cool side again as the light was pretty much blocked the entire time we were in the trees. As far as the wind was concerned, we had headwinds most of the day but when we were in the redwoods we didn't notice it. We could have done without the wind on the final 20 miles though...the terrain was challenging enough.

Our route today was again varied. The early morning route wound it way through a myriad of dairy farms with Holstein, Guernsey, and Jersey cattle grazing in the pastures. Between these farms we passed through a couple quaint little towns that reminded us of something out of an earlier time...no sprawl with fast food franchises and motels, but a vibrant downtown with the only motel right on main street. Everything you needed was right on the main drag in downtown where several riders stopped and got a sandwich before tackling the big climbs just after the first SAG. You just don't see towns like this back east. It was quite nice if you ask me.

A few miles after leaving the SAG, the scenery changed drastically from dairy farms to old growth Redwood forests...trees that were thousands of years old lined the roadway and presented us with awesome scenes as we made our way southward. These trees were definitely bigger than the ones I grew up with in Indiana. They were as majestic as they were even when this country was discovered...even spiritual. It's hard to believe they've survived so long with all the logging and natural phenomenon that affected their growth. As we meandered through the tall, stoic redwoods, I couldn't help but stop several times just to admire their beauty.

At the second SAG, we were located at a museum and rest area that had a movie of the awesome flood of 1964 where almost the entire area surrounding where we were riding was virtually wiped off the map. The bad news was, their bulb on the projector was out so we didn't get to see the film...so I bought one to view later. Last year we were a few miles farther at a tourist trap with a tree that was over 5000 years old we could ride through. Some of the riders still stopped there to see the sight even though it wasn't an official stop this year. Even though the tree had seen better days and was supported with cables to keep it upright, you could see signs of life growing from its tough bark as it stood proudly for all to admire. Somehow I felt it wasn't a fitting setting for such a magnificent tree in it's final days...which may last another several hundred years. One thing I am happy about is that most of the redwoods we saw today are protected from future logging efforts. It would be a shame to destroy these wonderful items...live long big trees.

The final punch into town was back on the highway where we picked up a slight headwind and we kept bobbing up and down ridgelines along the river that flooded in 1964. I enjoyed the final miles along the river and tried to imagine how it could have had 115 feet of water rushing down valley...it must have been quite a sight. I know the movie was quite revealing...it showed the fierceness of mother nature in this remote land.

It was a rather long day made even longer with all the stops everyone had to make just to admire the trees. Most of the riders didn't get in until after 4:00. By the time I got in at 4:30, it was time for maintenance and RAP soon after...quite a full day, but I got lots of great photos.

After rap, we had dinner at this little pizza, vegetarian, Mexican, Italian restaurant...yeah sports fans, you heard it here first. You could get about anything you wanted if you just looked...and you waited long enough. The place was right out out of the 60s just like the rest of the town. It was decorated with tin signs, model cars, and advertisements from a bygone era. The whole town is a throwback from the 60s...there were a lot of hippies that were still wandering around the streets...and they smoke something a little different here too.

If that wasn't enough to top off a perfect day, the motel had a wine and cheese reception for everyone just after dinner. I hope the riders don't expect this every day now...but I must say it was a nice gesture after dinner.

Tomorrow we climb again...I'm really enjoying the climbing...wish I was riding, but someone has to be in the van. See you tomorrow...thanks for checking in. M

PS: We had a visit from an alumni couple...Mike and Bern Miller (North '07, Stage Challenge '06). They are riding solo on a tandem down the coast on a similar route to ours. Always good to see alumni...good luck guys...have a safe trip.

HAPPENINGS ON THE ROAD The Saga of David's mobile phone revisited. Just an update on David's mobile phone. Seems the carrier feels so badly about his plight that they gave him unlimited minutes for all his trouble. But Larry made an interesting observation..."It's like multiplying by 0...it doesn't matter how many minutes you have if you can't use them." Yep, David now has an abundance of minutes to make unlimited calls...anywhere...that is, when he gets his phone working. You guessed it, it's still not activated. Another note for Jan: When David became frustrated with his phone ordeal, he decided to email Jan to let her know why he hadn't contacted her since he'd left. He borrowed Larry's computer and composed a lovely, long note explaining his troubles with the phone company and a blow by blow commentary about the ride so far..."I've been having a great time with all my old friends...the weather is great...the scenery is beautiful...you wouldn't believe the ordeal I'm having with this cell phone, I love you...yada, yada, yada." It took him the better part of a half hour to get just the right words so she'd understand and have sympathy about his plight. Just as he raised his index finger to punch the "send" key, the motel wifi shut down, the finger activated the send, the mail went into email purgatory never to be seen again. From what I was told, at that moment David acted out something like the British version of a Charlie Brown's Good Grief routine. So Jan...just an update...David had another great day on the bike, he still misses you, he wishes you were here, and he'll call...well, sometime. The good news is, if he ever does get to call you on this phone, be ready, he's going to talk for a long time.
This tree was a seedling about the Battle of Hastings in 1066. When Karen was checking out the rings on this fallen giant, she found her birth ring...but it was in the bark.	I wonder where the 1947 ring is on this monster?
Karen and John were standing on the site of a bygone town called Weott. This marker shows the water level in 1964 during a devastating flood that wiped out the entire town. To put it in perspective a bit, they are standing approximately 80-100 feet above the river and this marker shows 35 feet of water over where they're standing. Seems they had 32 inches of rain in 3 days on top of a big snow fall...I think they got the town name from the statement, "Weott to build this town higher on the side of the mountain."	Hello, my name is Edith Ann...and that's the truth.
What's all those pointy things on the profile?	David was in so much sensory overload from all the big trees that he put himself in time out.
Wanna feel really small? Just get next to one of these trees. This one has been down for several years. I'm standing in the root section.	It's always good to show up early for the hay ride. But you shouldn't eat all the hay.

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