It’s Not My Fault

It’s not every day that you get to sit in a fire truck. Well, unless you’re a firefighter. But for those that aren’t firefighters, having access to a fire truck is a somewhat special occasion. As such, today was a somewhat special occasion. As a member of the Elk Volunteer Fire Department, Judy has a fire truck parked in her barn. No, not one of the big trucks, but still a fire truck. And she was kind enough to bring it out for our entertainment.

Tess found it amusing how excited Jamie got at the thought of getting to sit in a fire truck. She dismissed it as a “guy thing”. Of course, while she didn’t admire the firetruck as much as Jamie, she did admit to admiring firefighters.

Judy provided a full tour of the truck – including a few anecdotes along the way. It was all very much enjoyed but, after taking more than a few photos, it was time to return the truck to its place in the barn. Judy had to head into town and we cyclists had to get ready to hit the road.

As has become the norm, I had no set destination for the day. With no Warm Showers hosts in the surrounding areas, all I knew is that I would be camping somewhere. Whether that would be done legally or illegally would be determined later.

Regardless of where I ended up, I would be crossing a significant geological border today. Before returning to our accommodations last night, Judy showed us a map of the area and the route we would be following today. That route includes crossing the San Andreas Fault – not once but twice. Spoiler Alert: I made sure to pedal particularly gently in those areas as not to not create an earth-shattering event (literally). It would seem I was successful. If the “big one” hits now, I feel it’s not my fault.

While I wasn’t sure how far I would travel today, I certainly didn’t have any sense of urgency on the road. As such, I took a somewhat uncharacteristic detour to the Point Arena Lighthouse. The detour was about 4 km each way which of course meant there would be backtracking involved. That said, the lighthouse was recommended by Judy and it’s not like I didn’t have the time or energy.

The ride to the lighthouse was easy and very scenic – then again, most of the coastal riding has been beautiful. And while I’m sure the views from the lighthouse would be great, I decided they weren’t going to be $7 great – that’s the going rate to visit said lighthouse. Perhaps if I were a lighthouse aficionado I would’ve paid the entry fee, but as a casual observer I was happy with the views from a distance.

After returning to the highway, my next stop was in Gualala – another small town but it was a small town with a grocery store and a few touristy stops. I was only interested in the former. It wasn’t a major grocery purchase, but I ended up buying enough food to fill me up for lunch while still leaving enough for dinner – whenever (and wherever) that might be.

The “wherever” ended up being the Woodside Campground at Salt Point State Park. Despite it being the long weekend, the hiker/biker area was empty save for one other cyclist. And, at the moment, I have had no contact with said cyclist. Instead, I spent the rest of the afternoon simply relaxing. Of course, by “relaxing” I mean taking photos, sorting through them, and trying to get blog updates caught up – a somewhat futile task as the lack of WiFi continues here at Woodside.

As a point of reference, my stay at Woodside leaves me about 200 km from Oakland and my reunion with Scott (from our meeting at the Glacier Skywalk in Alberta). If all goes well, I should be arriving there on Tuesday. Here’s hoping all goes well.

My big decision of the afternoon/evening came when setting up my tent. Given the location and the weather forecast, I’ve opted to go without the fly on my tent. Rain is nowhere in the forecast and, considering this is an official campground, I’m not concerned about hidden sprinkler systems. Even if there were such sprinklers, given California’s drought and subsequent water-use restrictions, I anticipate a dry evening.

A few hours have passed since I typed the above paragraph and I can confirm that the fly-less tent setup was in fact a good idea. The sun has long since set, and it has left behind a truly beautiful and starry night. To be able to enjoy it from the comfort of my sleeping bag, well … it’s pretty incredible. And I think gazing into a seemingly endless starry sky is a fitting way to wrap up the day … and this entry.

Today’s totals:
Distance travelled: 103.58 km
Ride time: 5:04:49
Average speed: 20.39 km/h
Maximum speed: 64.43 km/h