Back to the Coast

To Fort Brag, California -- 45.6 miles, 11.3 mph, 3275 ft.

We were once again in a big group of cyclists this morning. Many of the state parks along the coast offer hiker/biker sites -- group sites specifically reserved for those getting there under their own power. Well, mostly under their own power. Four in our informal group were riding e-bikes -- motorized bicycles with removable, rechargeable battery packs. I tried my friend Björn’s in Sweden and was amazed. According to Jake, one of the riders, you can adjust the power assist from two to five times the power you put into it and easily ride 90 miles on a charge!

We knew we had our work cut out for us this morning based on the huge spike in our elevation profile. The dreaded climb from Leggett was over almost before we knew it. In less than an hour, we were at the top, though we didn't dare believe it. Not until we had been sailing down the winding two lane road for five miles did we eventually realize that we were indeed over the major peak. This was one of the best descents of the entire trip -- turns gentle enough that you could use the brakes sparingly and keep the speed around thirty. Better yet, there was hardly a car on the road for this northern-most section of highway 1.

Andrew (sans stoker) at the top 

Down the hill!

Back to the coast

By the time we got to Westport, my legs were feeling weak, and I was ready to eat.  We did see a few whales spouting off in the distance, which distracted us for a few minutes before converging on the roadside store. Westport looks to have a population of about fifty. The e-bike crowd was already on the small wooden porch and had their batteries plugged in around the corner. It was super nice to relax in the sun while we waited for sandwiches to be made inside. Dex and Kylie, as usual, found something to amuse themselves -- the small nest of swallows under the porch roof.

For the rest of the day, we were almost always in sight of the ocean. It was beautiful, but the repeated climbing and descending of each coast side cliff was taking its toll. By the time we got to Fort Brag, though we’d done just fifty miles, we decided to call it quits for the day. Meg found a room at the Travel Lodge, which meant we’d have to say goodbye to Andy and Emma. It had been a ton of fun riding with them. It turns out they are both doctors, Andy a general physician and Emma a pediatrician. In addition to having that in common, they both are excellent athletes. Emma apparently prefers running -- marathons and fifty mile runs! -- while Andy prefers cycling. He once competed in some crazy, multi-week race across Europe. In any event, since they had reservations just fifteen miles down the road and planned to take a rest day tomorrow, we promised to meet up sometime the next day.

For us, today marks our 70th riding day since leaving the east coast. On the plus side, my knees aren't hurting and the legs aren't too sore, but we’re still tired at the end of the day. Once at the hotel, Dex and Kylie ran off to the nearby Glass Bottle Beach while Meg and I showered and caught up with the blog. We are getting close to the end and can taste it. To celebrate, we walked the one block to the corner Denny’s restaurant.  De Ann had promised us in New Zealand that when we got to California she’d cook us another salmon dinner. Tomorrow, she, my brother, Don, and his wife, Joan, would come to visit, and we could hardly wait.