Day 20 – Burlington State Park, Redwood Forest – 96 km
It has to be said, Northern California is beautiful. The weather today was perfect for cycling. In fact, today was perhaps our best day so far. It started along the generous shoulder of the freeway leaving Arcata. Wiith gently rolling rises and dips and a wind at our backs, the miles sped by.
We eventually left the freeway for a quieter road, the Avenue of the Giants, so named for the massively grand redwood forest it winds through. Riding the newly paved roadway through this forest in the warm afternoon with sunlight filtering down through the high canopy was like finding religion. Awesome!
At the campground we pitched our tents in an area shared with other cyclists. There was a couple – Rebecca and Nathan (mid-20s) – from Vancouver who are taking up to a year to cycle as far south as their time and money will last. Bob, a retired insurance guy from Chicago who seems to cycle all over the continent, is going to San Diego on this trip. Andy and Naomi, a retired couple from Cornwall, spent a month cycling in Alaska before starting this coastal trip in Bellingham. They too are making for San Diego. They’ve toured all over the world, but for some reason are reluctant to call themselves experienced touring cyclists. Perhaps because their adventures don’t compare impressively with those of one English dude they met in the Yukon, who was just 100 miles from his final destination in Alaska, having cycled all the way from southernmost Argentina!
I’ve been impressed by the fellowship that exists between touring cyclists. It’s rooted in a few shared truths. First, they’ve all chosen to travel only at the speed that a bicycle and their own leg power will take them. And second, you only carry as much as you need because it’s you doing all the work. There is no quick and easy way up a hill, headwinds are nasty, as are roads with no shoulders and obnoxious drivers in oversized and over-powered vehicles. It strikes me that if everyone spent more time on a bike the world would be a nicer place.
Amen and Hallelujah brother Kevin!
It appears that the “Giants” area is even better than I remember it from the 70″s.
Northern Cal is pretty gorgeous. I hope Mendicino is a fun and interesting stop, old hippy town gone upscale. Keep those updates coming!