From One Great Night To Another

My night under the stars was an overwhelming success. Okay, technically there was a thin layer of tent mesh between me and the stars but it was still stunning. I generally wake up frequently throughout the night either to roll over or to re-inflate my mattress. Last night was no different except that each time I did so I was greeted by the moon and stars. I could get used to that.

Much like yesterday, there was no official destination in mind for the day. The big plan was to cover enough distance to make Tuesday’s ride into the Bay Area somewhat short.

As has become the norm along the west coast, there weren’t a lot of towns or services along the way today but there were a few helpful stops.

Having only eaten a bagel (with peanut butter) for breakfast, I stopped at a small grocery store in Jenner. I considered it a successful stop although not a particularly healthy one. It was definitely a stop which proved you shouldn’t go grocery shopping when hungry. That said, the chocolate milk and double chocolate fudge cookies were very enjoyable.

My next stop was in Bodega Bay where there was another grocery store. This time I was a little more health-conscious in my selections. I ended up with oranges, bananas, yogurt, and some more bagels. Side note: Naval oranges that end up having seeds is a big pet peeve of mine. Yes, I know. First world problems.

On my way out of Bodega Bay I made another unscheduled stop (then again, pretty much all of my stops along the road are unscheduled). As I made my way through Bodega Bay, there were several shops advertising “Salt Water Taffy”. To be honest, I’d heard of such taffy and I may have even had it at some point in my life, but I wasn’t really sure what it was. As I passed “Patrick’s Salt Water Taffy” I decided I’d find out. Turns out, what it is is delicious. And it comes in SO many flavours. I ended up with a mixed bag of chocolate flavours and a bag of this week’s featured flavour – Root Beer. As much as I enjoy chocolate, I think the Root Beer taffy was my favourite.

As I left Bodega Bay (for real this time), the route turned inland a bit. The departure from the ocean resulted in a noticeable increase in air temperature. It suddenly became hot. Very hot. Not TOO hot, but definitely a significant change from what I have grown accustomed to along the coast.

With the sweat pouring off me, I stopped in Tomales for a water refill and obligatory WiFi search. Only the former was successful. However, in the process I met Richard and Evelyn – two cyclists from Oakland that were on day two of their journey to Vancouver. In honour of their trek to Canada, I offered Richard a mini Canadian flag pin that I had on my handlebar bag. He was very happy with my offering and in return offered to buy me some ice cream. As bartering goes, I think I made a good trade.

After a not-entirely-brief visit with Richard and Evelyn, I returned to the road. It was a somewhat short return before I found myself stopping again. There was a white pickup truck parked on the side of the road and two of its occupants were rummaging through the contents in the back. As I passed, the woman called out, “Would you like some ice water?” Moments later I was stopped beside their truck accepting a very cold bottle of water from these roadside good Samaritans.

Refreshed from the cold water I continued on my way, still not sure where I would be spending the night. A recurring theme of late. A quick stop at the Point Reyes Ranger Station yielded no great leads. Apparently the hiker/biker sites in the area get reserved months in advance in this part of California. Said sites are also well off the highway so, booked or not, I had little interest in trekking seven miles to get to a campground. I thanked the woman I was speaking to and told her I’d just continue south and see where I end up – finishing with, “I’ll probably end up camping somewhere I’m not supposed to be … shhhhh.” She smiled and nodded and I was on my way again.

“On my way” included passing the Olema Campground. For my own amusement I decided to stop in at said campground to inquire about biker-friendly sites. Side note: Olema Campground is a “Good Sam” endorsed campground which is pretty much code for “expensive”. Sure enough, the woman behind the counter told me there were “biker-friendly” sites available and they were $44. I tried (unsuccessfully) to stifle a laugh and said, “Uh … no.” Clearly we had differing definitions of “biker-friendly”. I returned to the road moments later – but not before refilling my water bottles at one of their MANY vacant sites.

The sun was due to set around 7:40 so my new plan was to continue pedalling until 6:00 pm (i.e. 90 more minutes) at which point I would begin seriously watching for roadside camping options – and if something more legitimate came along sooner, well … that would work too.

I ended up making surprisingly good time and covered quite a bit of distance by 6:00. So much so that I found myself passing through Stinson Beach … a destination I really had no intention of reaching today. However, not only did I reach it, I went beyond it. Stinson Beach is apparently a very popular beach as the traffic was backed up extensively. I was glad to be on my bike where I could just pedal past all the idling vehicles.

The downside to passing through Stinson Beach is that I knew there was a very big climb on the other side. A climb I was perfectly happy to leave until tomorrow. That didn’t happen. It was clear that camping at Stinson Beach was not remotely feasible given the size of the crowds currently occupying the area. So, it was either backtrack or climb the hill.

The hill was quite a bit of work but the views were beautiful – especially with the sun working its way towards the western horizon. By about 6:30 I had reached the top and shortly thereafter happened upon what appeared to be a good spot for some wild camping. Yes, it was right beside the highway but it was far enough from town to make me believe that I could have an uninterrupted night. Spoiler Alert: That was a reasonably accurate assumption.

I decided to wait until after dark to set up my tent as to not draw any attention to my not-entirely legal plan. That was also a good decision as a few people did stop their cars to take in the views from what would eventually be campsite. I even took a few photos for a couple that wanted a shot with the setting sun. Of course, sunsets do not make for good portrait backdrops as the backlighting is more than a little overpowering. And so, me being me, I improvised and suggested they turn around and face the sunset to get a nice silhouette shot instead. The guy seemed indifferent but his girlfriend was very pleased with the shot. As for me, I was very pleased when they decided it was time to move on.

By the time the sun actually set I was alone on the cliff’s edge. The sunset was beautiful. The temperature was surprisingly mild. The ocean waves provided the soundtrack. And it was an incredibly clear night again. It was truly a very peaceful setting. At that moment, I couldn’t imagine it being any better. And so, I enjoyed the moment.

Of course, the moment eventually passed at which time I reassessed my plan of setting up my tent. I had intended to repeat last night’s fly-less set up but instead I opted to not set up my tent at all. Instead, I decided to camp under the stars. The ground was more than a little uneven so I still used my air mattress and groundsheet but, other than that, the only thing protecting me from the elements (and by “elements” I mean a mountain lion attack) would be my sleeping bag. The peaceful moment that had previously passed had returned again.

I can honestly say that I don’t remember ever sleeping under the stars like this before. If I have, it must not have been as notable as tonight’s experience because I can’t imagine forgetting this night any time soon. And with that, I’m turning off my laptop to enjoy another starry night in California. Yup. Life is good.

Today’s totals:
Distance travelled: 136.18 km
Ride time: 7:10:00
Average speed: 18.99 km/h
Maximum speed: 57.89 km/h

Milestone Alert: I have now pedalled over 7,500 km on this trip.