We left our lovely Super 8 motel and started a 75 mile day that began with a big (reaching 11% grade) and long (almost 4 miles) climb. We climbed 4,600 feet, one of the biggest days of the trip,
We rode along the Coast for most of the ride, At the top of the second long climb we had an incredible view of the rugged California Coastline and listened to a symphony of seals playing in the surf.
The highlight of yesterday's ride came when we entered the Redwood Forest. The road was closed to traffic (road cleaning) but bikes were allowed. We had the entire 10 mile route to ourselves except for the few trucks and dozers cleaning debris from the road. The redwood trees are truly Giants.
It was quite chilly riding through the forest, hovering around 50 degrees..............50 degrees feels much colder when you're traveling 18 - 20 mph!
About 20 miles from Arcata we came across a wonderful sandwich / burger / Ice Cream shop. We sat outside on the patio in the warm sunshine and enjoyed lunch before heading out on the final 20 miles.
We arrived at our second "lovely" Super 8 motel (bad) around 2:00 pm, showered and then set off to do laundry and scout out a dinner spot. Laundry got done but dinner options were not good, McDonalds, Carl's Jr, China Buffet...........so Sherman, Tim, Michelle and I took a ten minute cab ride to a wonderful restaurant near the Humbolt University campus.
Bedtime continues to be no later than 9:00 pm.
More big trees tomorrow!
Best,
M and Big
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