Redwood Riding

What a gorgeous day of riding. Stunning. Beautiful. Perfect. I’m not even sure if I saw a single cloud in the sky all day. I left St. Paul’s church where I spent the night last night bright and early. I had a lot of miles to cover. I also knew that it was going to be quite hilly. I knew there was one big climb right out of Crescent City, and a few more that I’d have to traverse as well. No worries. I’m always up for the challenge.

Today was the first day that I woke up and began to just hop into the routine of things. I packed things up in an instant, and even had time to simply enjoy my breakfast and relax before embarking on my next long bike ride. A few people have asked me how I’m able to bike for such long hours everyday. Well, it’s pretty simple. Biking is my job. I get up in the morning, pack my gear and lunch for the day’s work. Then I pedal on my way. Simple as that. In fact, it’s a lot easier to think of it that way. The sooner I reach my miles, the sooner my work day is done.

I should really stop complaining about the hills. Everyday I complain about how tough of a day it was, the next day gets tougher. Today, my total elevation gained was 5600 feet. By far the most that I’ve done in one day. Knowing my luck, tomorrow will be even more. Though fortunately, it will be a shorter one. Only 45 miles, and I get to camp in the Avenue of the Giants in Humboldt Redwoods State Park! Can’t wait!

I was quite excited for the ride, because although it would be very hilly, I was eagerly anticipating the ride through the majestic Redwoods. These towering trees are simply magnificent. Towering, and large in their reign, they seem to hang over the world with their height. I made a few pit stops along the ride, first to bike through the infamous redwood. Then I also had to stop and take pictures at a few different Redwoods as well. It’s hard, if not impossible, to get use to the size of these gigantic trees.

 

 

While riding through the state and National Parks, I even managed to see two herds of elk. Unfortunately, the elk were unafraid of cars, however quite skiddish to bicyclists. I didn’t want to pull over to snap a picture, only to have a herd of elk charge me. Believe it or not, I do not want to die at the hands of an agitated elk. Still an impressive ride, nonetheless.

In the afternoon came one of the most startling moments of the entire ride thus far. I almost got in an accident. However, you’d never guess what almost caused it. While riding down a steep downhill at speeds nearing 30 mph, a hawk, which was feeding on road kill underneath a road barrier became startled as I neared. It flew out from under the barrier, and directly into my path. Somehow, I dodged the hawk as it flew away. It was enough to greatly startle me. I literally dodged a hawk. How cool is that? However, had I hit it, it could have easily sent me over my handlebars and caused some serious damage. Fortunately, for myself and the hawk, we both left the incident unharmed. Strange and unusual to say the least.

 

Tonight I’m in Arcata, California. A small town north of Eureka. I was pleasantly surprised with it’s beauty and coziness. My host tonight actually is a great bike mechanic, besides having done a number of tours himself. He actually gave my bike a free tune-up which it most definitely needed. His knowledge of bicycle touring and bicycles in general is second to none.

The weather is warm. Today is the first day I was able to wear the full B4B kit. No longsleeves or pants. Which also means the sun drained a lot of energy from me today. So I am exhausted. Wiped out. Ready for bed. Time to hit the sack. Hasta manana. Tutaonana kesho. Whatever language it may be, English, Swahili, or Swahili. It’s time for bed. I’ll talk to you tomorrow, or the next day, depending on when I get wifi.

Day 9

Mileage: 75

Total Miles: 639