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.