Oct
06
2009
by Mr Cubes
Manchester to Salt Point State Park (41.1 miles)
Salt Point to Samuel P Taylor State Park (69.8 miles)
Total Miles: 3,566.5
Each night is getting substantially colder than the last and I awoke at 2am in Manchester thinking I may have been in Lancashire rather than California. Didn’t sound like I was the only one either as I could hear zips and voices coming from different directions.
I had hoped to leave quite early as it was a long day planned, but the bad night’s sleep had turned me lethargic. Ended up leaving just after 8am and was still the last to go. 
Straight after the town of Manchester the road returned to it’s now familiar format of long steep climbs and quick downhills. Wasn’t right on the coast though, so there wasn’t too much to look at except for the occasional strange building such as the lodge at St. Orres.
By lunchtime I had made it to the town of Gualala, which had a supermarket and enclosed pizza parlour. Amber and Steve were here too, so I chatted to them about their plans for San Francisco which would soon be approaching. They left allowing me to try and get a wi-fi signal which again proved impossible. They don’t like providing it for free too much in California.
There are a lot of dead animals along this part of the highway, mostly deer and skunks though you can tell the skunk a long time before you see it. Whatever potion it creates to warn off enemies must be released when it dies. Really quite foul.
Just I was starting to falter I got to Stewarts Point which had a charming store originally opened in the 1850’s but had closed just three years ago. Luckily they had also just reopened! Allowed me to get a drink and plan my next move as I now doubted I would get to Bodega Dunes as had been my initial plan. Salt Point State Park was another 10 miles down the road and was a nice big site; the only problem being it didn’t have any showers, but did have a sign warning of mountain lions. Just $4 though and I
had it all to myself for most of the afternoon till Russ and Laura, a couple I briefly met in Manchester, showed up. They are trying to live a life based around cycling having both quit their jobs and now just try to raise money wherever they can. Nice people and a pleasure to spend the evening talking with them.
After a fairly decent night’s sleep I was eager to leave early the following day, hoping to make up for some of the miles I missed out on. Though the nights are cold and early afternoon is extremely hot, the morning weather is often ideal for cycling and is the best time to try and get the miles under the belt for the day. First point of interest was Fort Bragg which I decided against looking at, partly as I have 
seen many forts before and partly because it was over 200 yards off of the highway. No point in tiring myself unnecessarily. Maybe could have done with a quick rest though as from then until Jenner, 10 miles farther on, it was some of the steepest coastal work I have had to do. Outrageously beautiful though.
Had expected to see Russ and Laura who left before me, but guessed they must just go quicker than me. Instead another solo rider fairly flew by me as I was struggling up one particular hill. Always surprises me to suddenly come across a new rider who I haven’t seen at any of the campsites or on previous days (though obviously he was travelling really light as well). He just overtook and carried on. I’m starting to realise that I’m actually the slowest rider out there…
Then there was an amazing downhill all the way into Jenner where sea lions were basking on the river bank for some sunshine and a few shops allowed me to get some lunch. The bays after Jenner were stunning and attracted many surfers and other sun worshippers. Was nice to take a break and watch for a little while, even though I can’t really see the attraction.
The rest of the day then went a bit weird. After stopping at Bodega Dunes and deciding it was too early to finish for the day I was forever looking for a good place to stop and just 
couldn’t quite find it. The road cut inland over lots of farms (hilly farms, obviously) and all the promise of a night by the ocean disappeared. I considered staying in Tomales after taking a break in the William Tell pub, but the prices were of the three-digit variety. Something I can’t really afford.
Hoping I could stay at each village that was just a few miles farther on I realised I was now not too far from the Samuel P Taylor State Park. The recommended last stop before hitting San Francisco. Therefore if I made it there today I could be crossing the Golden Gate tomorrow. And if that doesn’t get you motivated then God help you.
It took a long time and I was ready to drop by the time I got there. It was already dark and I struggled to put my tent up and make dinner in the dark. Wishing I had a head torch for those moments. Still, I had made it and was greeted by Steve and Amber who were now becoming quite good friends after seeing them so often. We talked more about plans for San Francisco and agreed that if we got there tomorrow together then we should all stay at the same hostel and have a night out. More motivation! I was pretty excited and struggled to sleep for some time, San Francisco has always been a city I’ve wanted to visit and now it was just under 30 miles away.
Oct
04
2009
by Mr Cubes
Garberville to MacKerricher State Park (67.6 miles)
MacKerricher to Manchester KOA (45.4 miles)
Total Miles: 3,455.6
After a day’s rest in Garberville to recover the legs a bit, I wanted to get some good miles in again. This meant a 70 mile day in intense heat over 2 massive hills. Bring it on.
By 10am it was already really warm and turning into a great day for riding. Along this part of the 101 the shoulder is so wide that I virtually have a whole lane to myself. Which is great as the road is busy with lots of lorries rumbling past at 70mph.
All of a sudden, the highway slimmed down to just one lane and went into Richardson Grove. First thing I noticed was The Legend of Bigfoot store, where eager tourists can buy fictional souvenirs. Not really sure what the point of it was, most of the things I saw on offer were completely unrelated to bigfoot.
Again, I should point out that this is marijuana country and I guess then it all makes a bit more sense. In the village of Richardson Grove was a few more stores and a house made out of a single redwood log. While I was looking at this a hippy came over to ask me if I was interested in joining the bike ride they are having to save the Grove from a planned expansion to the highway. I politely declined. The smell would be horrendous.
After bumping into another aging hippy on a bit of a climb I was ready to leave the 101 in favour of Highway 1 which turns off at the town of Leggett. Highway 1 starts with a long steep 
climb for over 4 miles before a stunning 10 mile descent where I almost lost control a couple of times as I tried to get the racing line. Luckily the road was really quiet allowing me to ride out in the middle of the lane. Another big hill followed, steeper but shorter and then dropped down to the coast again. The last few miles to the campsite were tough going but a nice bit of road to ride along. By the time I got there it was getting late and starting to darken so I quickly made noodles and showered before introducing myself to the other 2 Canadian cyclists at the site, Amber and Steve. As it turned out, I would get to see quite a bit of them over the next week. But then it was time for bed, absolutely knackered.
The next day’s riding was all along the coast and a stunning piece of coast it was too. It started off pretty cold and for the first hour I rode with my woolly hat on, something I had not worn since Northern Alaska.
Treated myself to an expensive omelette in Fort Bragg. A cheap looking diner that had desires to be so much grander. Everything was organic, took ages to cook and included a glass of orange juice at $4.50. An outrage!
As I left I saw the World Famous Skunk Train. Anyone actually heard of it? I have no idea what it was, why it’s called a 
skunk or how it is world famous, but after a couple of toots of it’s horn it disappeared and I returned to riding out to the coast. First town to pass through was Mendocino which someone had told me was famous for something, but I have long since forgotten what it might be. The tiring thing in Northern California is the lack of bridges. Not something I ever thought would trouble me, but instead of the bridges there were now big switchbacks where the road turns inland and drops down to cross the river at sea level before climbing back up to the top of the coast again.
Stopped at a tiny tourist village called Elk in time for lunch and had a European styled one with an Italian sausage ciabatta sandwich, with a complimentary French onion soup. Lush.
Then followed the biggest switchback of them all, dropping from 500ft and then 
climbing back again in just half a mile. Tiring stuff. Was then really flat and fast and out of nowhere appeared the Manchester Kampsite of America. Thought I should check out the prices and they were only charging $9 so signed straight up for that. Some other cyclists were already there and not long after Steve and Amber turned up too. I spent the evening making the most of the free wi-fi on offer and watching an American Football game that I totally do not understand. Still, I’m sure I’ll get used to it.
Oct
01
2009
by Mr Cubes
Redcrest to Garberville (32.9 miles)
Total Miles: 3,342.6
Having realised that the reason I had been so cold at night lately was my tent door zip being broken I was now in a position to make a temporary fix and had a much warmer night.
It’s still chilly first thing though, so instead of sitting around making up my porridge for breakfast I opted to cross the road to visit the Eternal Tree House and adjacent cafe. Well the tree house was open, but sadly the cafe wasn’t. Now having my mind set on a cooked meal I chose to cycle onto the next town Weott where I was sure I’d be able to grab something.
Wrong again, Weott had apparently suffered a massive flood in the 1960’s and never recovered. Just a 33ft post marking the high water level and a couple of 
houses. So onto the next town…Myers Flat which at least had a few stores. And a drive through tree. Unfortunately, and not sure if you’re noticing a theme here, all of these were closed. Except for a small coffee shop and market with a remarkably grumpy cashier. As this was now the only option I thought I should at least get something, but all he had to offer was one chocolate muffin. Well, that would do for now, so I took a seat outside in the hot sunshine and started to nibble away. A few minutes later the same cashier came rushing out screaming “What’s the big fudging deal about coffee anyway? What? They want a hug with it? It's just fudging coffee. Get the fudge over it!" Though there weren’t so many fudge references. I was amazed that in a town with a population of about 13, this guy had managed to get stressed out. Made me quite glad I don’t even like coffee…
Next stop was Miranda which looked much more promising. Several stores, a high school and a cafe! Yay! After failing once again to get a US Flag sticker for the bike, I went to the cafe and ordered a Mexican omelette. Americans really do know how to make a good omelette and I’m yet to have one that wasn’t hugely enjoyable. Just as I was finishing the entire high school population squeezed into the cafe which apparently doubles as the school cafeteria. I made a quick exit.
The last part of the Avenue of the Giants was quite enjoyable, though there was another town that was entirely closed down. I made that a total of five towns on the road and only one of them was actually providing any sort of service. Strange.
After this, it was back onto Highway 101 and struggling through the heat. The road was really fast though and I made good time to Garberville. The sun had taken it out of me though so I thought I should have a look around and try to find somewhere cheap to stay. Best deal seemed to be with the Sherwood Motel which also took the novel approach of changing their wi-fi password EVERY day. Garberville seemed an odd place, mostly young hippies and homeless people. There was also a very strong smell of marijuana which probably explained the hippies.
Was quite a nice place though and I finally managed to get my flag sticker here. I was planning to get a sticker for each country I pass through, but if I struggled so much in a country as proud of their flag as the USA, what hope for the rest of them?