California Is Not Florida

Yesterday’s decision to camp at Burlington Campground in the State Park turned out to be a great decision. Last night was a lot fun and it was great running into Becky and John again – they said if I ever end up in Louisiana I have a place to stay! For those that are geographically-challenged (like me), Louisiana is a LONG way from my current location.

As the group prepared for the cycling day ahead, I managed to herd everyone together for a group photo. Well, almost. Somehow John managed to miss the photo … but he was there in spirit (and via Photoshop).

Jamie, Tess, and I ended up leaving at the same time – and slightly earlier than my typical 9:00 departure. It was 8:45. We rode together for a little bit and I even attempted a few “action” shots during the ride. Sadly, the shadowy terrain and my meagre camera left me with a collection of blurry photos. And not in a good way. Sigh.

I moved on ahead, mainly in an attempt to warm up as the mornings have been chilly lately. At least by my standards.

My first stop was at The Living Chimney Tree which is exactly what you would expect it to be. Even still, the redwoods continue to impress. Oh, and it was free which is always nice. Jamie & Tess caught up with me at the Chimney Tree and then it was their turn to move on ahead as I decided it was an acceptable time to take off my jacket. I know, I know. A pretty bold move.

I didn’t see them again until a rather significant hill slowed their progress and allowed me to close the gap a bit. The rather significant hill was followed by an equally significant descent which was more than a little enjoyable. It also led to the exit ramp for Garberville.

Much like many (or even most) of the towns along the coast of northern California are very small with very few services. Garberville is SLIGHTLY larger than many of those towns and it had a Subway. It wasn’t a stand-alone Subway but rather it shared space with a gas station. These aren’t my favourite stops but it would fill my food needs for the day – even if they didn’t have sourdough bread.

My return to the highway didn’t exactly go as anticipated. Perhaps I should’ve been paying more attention when I left the highway originally. Had I done that, I might have noticed that there wasn’t an on-ramp to the southbound lane. I knew there had to be one somewhere – or, I assumed there had to be one somewhere but it certainly was not within sight. And so, rather than waste time and kilometres going back into town, I opted to take the off-ramp back down to the highway and rejoin it from there. Yes, I got a few puzzled looks from the drivers using the ramp in the correct direction. I was kind of hoping someone would tell me I was going the wrong way which would’ve prompted the appropriate, “How do they know which way I’m going?” response. (Yes, that’s from a movie).

Side note: I still don’t know where the actual southbound on-ramp is located. It remains a mystery.

I once again caught up with Jamie & Tess at The Famous One Log House. I’d never heard of said house but I guess, now that I have, it’s slightly more famous. Either way, they had stopped for some food and coffee. I just stopped for the former. They once again carried on while I had a sub, a CLIF bar, and took a few photos.

The next time I saw them was at the bottom of the first really big climb of the day. They had taken a detour into Leggett in the hopes of finding some groceries and such. That didn’t happen as Leggett can officially be added to the list of small towns without services. At least, not services a cycle tourist would want.

Leggett was significant in the sense that it was a junction point where the cycle route parted from Highway 101 and moved onto Highway 1 – back towards the coast. The only thing between us and the coast were two big climbs. The first was anticipated. The second was a bit of a surprise. I knew it was there but I certainly didn’t expect it to be so steep. According to my cycle computer, both climbs had sections that were as steep as 9%. And these were not short climbs.

I can’t help but compare my ride along California’s coast to that of last year’s ride along Florida’s coast. To say that Florida is flat doesn’t even begin to describe it. Anyone expecting similar terrain on the west coast is in for a shock. The west coast route also gives you more exposure to the ocean. Yes, I had regular sightings of the Atlantic Ocean last year, but nothing like what I’ve experienced this year. It really has been a beautiful ride so far. And there’s still so much farther to go.

As for today’s climbs, they were a lot of work and they took some time but there was a significant reward waiting on the other side. Not only did the beautiful coast views return, but there was also a VERY strong wind coming from the north. Yes, the day would end with a beautiful tailwind. Perhaps the strongest tailwind of the trip. Unfortunately, I only got to enjoy it for a short time as the campground was much closer than expected. Still, I enjoyed it while I could.

The three of us ended staying at a campground a bit north of Westport. It was right on the coast and came with beautiful views. Of course, the wind was still very much a presence which made things a bit challenging when it came time to setup the tent. But we managed.

Tonight will be the first official high-wind test of my not-entirely-new tent. Although, the biggest portion of that test may have already happened as the wind has since subsided significantly and it’s looking less and less likely that I’ll be blown away during the night. Of course, with the sun gone for the day and given our close proximity to the ocean, the temperature has dropped off significantly. And that’s my cue to crawl into my sleeping bag and call it a day.

Today’s totals:
Distance travelled: 116.78 km
Ride time: 6:05:28
Average speed: 19.17 km/h
Maximum speed: 64.22 km/h

Altitude up: 5,175 ft.
Maximum climb: 10%
Altitude down: 5,310 ft.
Maximum descent: 9%