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Day 15 - Border War on HD - Crescent City - Arcata CA
Starting Week 3 of Border War on HD ...
Curtis and Jeanne Carter arrived right on time, with their crew cab F350 Ford truck ... the ideal SAG vehicle.
Pastor Russ offered a prayer, and we were off on another adventure!
Hwy 101 South of Crescent City to Klamath was just as described - unsafe for bike riding. The steep grades and lack of shoulder to ride on made us very glad we were in the truck.
Arrived in Klamath, with its famous Golden Bear Bridge spanning the Klamath River, replacing one destroyed in a 1964 flood. There's a life-sized (or bigger) pair of bronze bears guarding each end of the bridge.
Instead of staying on the 101, and going up a giant hill, the Carters took us to the Newton Drury Parkway. It ran parallel to Hwy. 101. The Carters threatened us (jokingly) with "abducting us" and taking us even further, but they "released" us a couple of miles down the Drury Parkway. The sun hardly shines through the heavy forestation of redwood, hemlock, and spruce trees. Temp may have only been 40 degrees or so, so we had to bundle up.
While bicycling along through one memorial grove after another, each named after its donation patron; it was almost eerie, so tranquil, with only occasional sunlight breaking through the trees. Little vehicle traffic, although we passed a couple cycling north, and some cyclists cycling south passed us. I contemplated Woody Guthrie's "from the redwood forests..." We rode about 6 miles like that, and then emerged into an open meadow at Prairie Creek State Park. I spotted a solitary pregnant cow elk, grazing.
Passed three bull elks in the driveway of a mobile home community.
Arrived in Orick in good time. Population down from 650 to just 400, only one of four churches still active.
Between Orick and Trinidad we passed Humboldt Lagoons State Park. Lots of marsh grass growing there.
Ate lunch at the Rest Area in Trinidad. Visited with some young handicapped men on a work clean-up assignment. We were able to get in from the wind, which was nice.
Pretty flat ride through McKinleyville into Arcata. I could smell the odor from the eucalyptus trees that towered above the road, providing a windbreak. It reminded me of the 101 Hwy in So. Calif. near Oxnard.
Had really good directions to the home of Tom and Mgt. Stafford. We surprised Mgt. by arriving a bit early! The Staffords were like "second parents" to Stephanie Hedrick, a friend of Marie's from Colorado Springs.
Their home is lovely, with beautiful gardens with running water and a pond. I bet John Rollin from last week's stay near Florence and Tom would have enjoyed swapping gardening conversation.
My bicycle chain was very gummed up from today's ride. Tom was gracious enough to hold my bike while I cleaned the gears and chain, and then lubed it.
We walked around the block to the Staffords daughter Kathy’s home. She hosted us for dinner. Very yummy.
Another day completed, by the grace of God.
From Humboldt County, where we are beginning to see signs giving distance to San Francisco,
Love from the Redwood Highway,
Marie
Amanda
Charlotte
Today's mileage - 46.86 miles plus 30 SAG
Cumulative mileage - 712.40
Road Change report - 5 cents
Day 16 - Border War on HD - Arcata -Redcrest CA
What a great day we had today! We actually had the opportunity to stop and enjoy some of the wonderful attractions in this part of the country.
Our day started with a wonderful breakfast of eggs, bacon, cantaloupe, strawberries, toast, jam, juice, milk, and coffee. It was finger lickin’ good. Our hosts in Arca, Margaret and Tom Stafford, were absolutely wonderful and made us feel welcome and comfortable in their home.
We got off around 7:40 am staying on Hwy 101 around Humboldt Bay to Eureka. Tom had given directions for a few shortcuts that let us save time in the morning rush-hour traffic and see the famous Carson Mansion in Eureka.
The Carson Mansion is a lovely old landmark on the waterfront in Eureka that was built in 1885 by a pioneer lumberman, William Carson. Today it is called the Ingomar Club. The home was built in the Victorian tradition though is has a heavy European influence in its design. It is two-tone green with a black wrought-iron fence and symmetrically manicured gardens and lawn, really lovely.
It was about 59 degrees when we left Eureka and headed for our big challenge of the day, Loleta Hill. The hill is very steep and about a mile and a half long. We were also getting a little bit of a headwind at the time. At the top of the hill it was time to put on the rain gear.
We had rain/sprinkling mist from Loleta Hill to Fortuna where we got off the highway in search of the visitor center. By the time we found it, it was closed for lunch. The library was next door so we parked under its eaves and had lunch and waited out the light rain.
By the time we left Fortuna the sun was out most of the time and we now had a tailwind (we really like that). Most of the real estate that we passed through today was pastureland with cows (they were brown) and sheep. I know the difference between the two, but that's all (hamburgers and lamb chops).
We were making really good time today and decided to stop in Scotia to see if we could take a tour of the Pacific Lumber (PALCO) Mill B. We were too late for the tours but were still able to visit their museum. It was really fascinating.
Scotia is a company town owned and operated by the lumber company. A few businesses (pharmacy, market, and cleaners) are leased out by PALCO, but everything else is company owned and operated. There are approximately 1300 inhabitants in Scotia. Originally Scotia was called Forestville but the name was changed in 1888, named after the home land (Nova Scotia) of many of them
From Scotia we had a short ride to the beginning of the Avenue of the Giants. It's the "old road," 25 or so miles winding through magnificent stands of coastal redwoods.
Still being tourists we stopped at the Immortal Tree. The tree shows marks of floods, fire, ax, and wind. These trees are able to survive almost anything. This particular tree contains over 100,000 board feet of lumber. It was really amazing!
From the Immortal Tree we had about a 3-mile ride to the cabins where we were going to stay. You would think that they would be a relatively uneventful 3 miles, but noooooooooo!
Starting up the very steep hill to the cabin, Marie had a problem. The bolt that holds the seat onto the adjuster brackets snapped and broke. Marie had to walk up this very steep hill pushing her bike the entire way.
When we got to the cabins the owner, Louie, had a bolt that we could use in place of the busted bolt, an answer to a very fervent prayer.
The cabin was very nice, though expensive. Our cabin had 2 full size beds, bathroom, living room, and kitchen.
We were very appreciative of the comfort. In our estimation this has been the best riding day of the trip, so far.
Today's mileage - 53.67
Cumulative mileage - 766.07
Road Change report - 43 cents
In the heart of the redwoods,
Amanda
Marie
Charlotte
Day 17 - Border War on HD - Redcrest - Leggett CA
Another eventful day, full of contrasts and surprises!
The morning began with a tranquil ride, continuing the ride through the Avenue of the Giants. Each grove of trees seemed to have a commemorative routed sign with a donor patron’s name. Passed one with Charles Newbold -----" on it; didn't get the last name. Thought of Dwight and Ardie Newbold.
The Avenue pretty much parallels the 101, but meanders quite a bit. We must have crossed over different forks of the Eel River 10 times.
First town along today's ride was Weott, which was flooded in 1964, but re-built on higher ground.
The Visitor's Center was closed as we passed by at 8:30 a.m. Charlotte remarked that it had been under construction when she passed through in Sept. 1999.
Myers Flat came next, a friendly town with a very helpful knowledgeable Postmistress, Debra Lake. I had a couple of souvenirs to mail.
About 6 miles further, there was another town, Miranda, with a public junior high, high school, and a 7th Day Adventist School.
The Avenue ended at Phillipsville - a memorable 32-mile ride, well worth seeing. Only wished we could have taken some of the trails deeper into the redwoods.
We took the turn-off for Redway, off the 101, to supposedly avoid a hill, but it was a hill of its own.
It seemed to be getting hotter and hotter. Much dry grass with dry evergreens were evidence of the drought. Finally we reached Garberville, a kind of throwback to hippie days. Garberville is readying for the arrival of 6000 or so Harley-Davidson folks for the "Ride Through the Redwoods" this weekend.
In Garberville, I checked for E-mail messages. Got tragic message from Gerri Herbst, who hosted us in Marysville two weeks ago. She shared that unexpectedly the Williams Family (Wayne, Annette, Shane, and Casey) lost their son/brother Ian to pneumonia. Annette and Shane were with us SAGging two weeks ago, but they had returned to Pullman WA. Our hearts and prayers go out to this special family.
As the ride progressed, I noticed that the screw that holds the seat on my bike was working loose. It creaked when stressed (mounting and dismounting, especially in low gears). I was becoming more and more uncomfortable with what might happen. The seat angle was shifting too. Mandy said she'd ride my bike, while I rode her bike "Flash." Tried that for a while.
We stopped at the World Famous Tree House, where we called our hostess Helen Traina from the Presbyterian Church in Leggett. Helen has a pick-up truck, so she drove out about 8 miles and SAGged me and my gear into the outskirts of town, at the Peg House. We caught up with Amanda and Charlotte there. From there, we loaded Amanda's and Charlotte's gear before driving on a few more miles to the Presbyterian Church.
The church is set in a meadow surrounded by trees. Helen and another church member Janet provided us with bedding, and food from the church's food bank.
Mandy whipped up some pasta, spaghetti sauce (with chicken), green beans, and applesauce. Cheers for the chef!
Slept on "mattresses" of pew pads. Very cozy. We could hear the traffic on Hwy 101, but it was comforting.
Today's mileage - 58 miles (including Marie's SAG)
Total cumulative mileage - 816.55
Road Change Report - 3 cents
With hearts aching for the Williams Family, asking for prayers from all concerned,
Amanda
Marie
Charlotte
Day 18 - Border War on HD - Leggett - Willits CA
Today there will be 2 stories within the daily message. The reason for this momentous occasion is that we split ourselves up today into two groups. In the first group was Charlotte and Amanda, and the second group Marie and Helen (a.k.a. angel of mercy).
Marie's bike seat continued to be a problem. It needed "the right" bolt. Helen thought that her salvage yard mechanic might possibly have what was needed. We had an appointment to meet him at the salvage yard at 8:00 a.m. but he didn't show up until 8:45 a.m. Unfortunately he didn't find what was needed.
Although Marie was willing to take the 12:30 pm Greyhound bus to Willits, Helen, being the kind-hearted person that she is, volunteered to SAG Marie and all of our gear to Willits (approx. 45 miles south), where there are a couple of bicycle shops.
Part I - Amanda and Charlotte's day
Amanda and Charlotte got a late start (9:45 a.m.) but boldly took off. The ride today was very difficult, lots of hills and curves. We had a big climb coming out of Leggett and didn't even get to the top before we had to stop and peel off layers; it was a real scorcher today!
Because of the late start and the fact that we didn't have to carry gear, we really pushed to make good time.
For the first two hours we were climbing uphill. We crested Rattlesnake Summit (elev. 1,796) at 11:20 a.m. with just 13.88 miles under our belts. As usual the scenery was wonderful with a creek paralleling 101 most of the way.
By noon, going downhill from Rattlesnake Summit, we made it to Laytonville with 22.11 miles completed.
Lunch was uneventful as we watched the Harley motorcycles go by Northbound (headed to the rally in Garberville).
We had awesome mostly flat road for the first ten miles out of Laytonville. Then the hills started again. We really lucked out and they only lasted about 6 miles. The last of the ride was flat and easy coming into Willets. We arrived at about 3:30 having traveled 45.26 miles at an average speed of 10.2 miles per hour.
Part 2 - Marie's (and Helen's) day
Helen and I made good time to Leggett, in her Toyota pick-up. Found SunCycles bike shop on the North side of town. It was decided to replace the whole seat post, since the mechanic didn't have the proper bolt either. He sold me a $30 unit for $15. I left the bike there, and Helen and I drove maybe 1/2 mile to St. John's Lutheran Church, where Pastor Conyer met us. We unloaded the gear, and after a hug, she drove off, back to Leggett.
The Lutheran Women's Missionary League group began to arrive for their monthly luncheon, and I was invited to join them. Good food and fellowship, and an opportunity to share about the ride.
I took a nap, then called to see if my bike was ready, and it was. So I set out on foot to retrieve my bike. And who do you think just turned the corner? Amanda and Charlotte!!! Perfect timing! They went on to the church; I picked up my bike, and rode to the post office to mail the faulty seat post and some souvenirs back to Colorado. Also stopped at the newspaper office and gave them a Press Release.
We all rode to Safeway to get food for dinner tonight, and for tomorrow.
Showers in the parsonage after dinner!
Today's mileage - 45.26
Cumulative mileage - 861.71
Road Change Report - 29 cents
Ready to ride as a trio tomorrow. Still clicking off those miles, nearing San Francisco ...
Your Bikers for the Cure,
Amanda
Marie
Charlotte
Day 19 - Border War on HD - Willits - Cloverdale CA
Another scorcher in the land of the eternal bike ride. It was in the 90's when we pulled into Cloverdale this afternoon.
We got a very early start this morning, 6:30am; part of our strategy to beat the heat. We managed to crest the Ridgewood Summit (elev. 1,953 ft.) at 7:45 a.m. The pass wasn't as tough as anticipated since there were two areas of the road that were not steep but were more sloping.
Coming down off the summit we encountered a really scary stretch of road that was under construction. God was good and helped Amanda to keep her balance when her front wheel got caught in a groove in the road and she hit one of the cylindrical orange construction pylons (at a speed of about 20 mph). The bike swerved wildly for a moment and then she brought it under control and made it out of the construction zone in one piece but a little shaken.
From there our day was blissfully uneventful and mostly down hill. We did ride on some really rough road shoulder in the Ukiah area. That jangled our fillings a bit but nothing more. From Ukiah we rode over a few respectable hills and into Hopland for lunch.
In Hopland we encountered lots of Harley Davidson motorcycles. There is a Harley rally this weekend in Garberville CA, a town we passed thru a few days ago. We must have had easily 500 - 1000 Harleys pass us on 101, them heading north and us heading south. It was an awesome sight and sound. Highway noise is very tiring for us and Harleys are very loud.
We also saw a Bocci Lawn (Italian lawn bowling) in Hopland. There were lots of wine tasting shops, trendy stores, markets, and some casinos. The town is charming and really caters to the trendy set.
Throughout the day we were traveling through Mendocino County along the Russian River. Mendocino along with Napa and Sonoma are the major wine producing counties in northern California. We are currently traveling in Sonoma County.
From Hopland it was a short 14 miles into Cloverdale. We had only a few tough climbs into Cloverdale, one being the hill up to the Lutheran Church where we are staying tonight.
We made such good time today, arriving around 2pm, that we were able to take the bikes into the bike shop, the Cloverdale Cyclery. The shops owner is Dave Reynolds, a member of the Lutheran Church that is hosting us tonight. Dave is a very sharp fellow who really knows his stuff.
The bikes were generally in very good condition. The cranks on Amanda's bike were tightened and Charlotte's rear wheel needed truing but that was about it. Dave is dreaming of the day when he too can take a trek across the country on his bike. Charlotte put him in contact with the International Christian Cycling Club that can be contacted over the Internet. We highly recommend Dave; he's a great guy.
Pastor Curtis Binz and his family (wife Vicky and sons Josiah and Daniel are hosting us for well-needed showers and dinner. We will be sleeping in the church, an arrangement we appreciate since it allows us room to spread out our stuff. We also leave fewer things behind that way.
We will be aiming for another early night tonight, gotta think strategy for the heat.
We have dropped from elev. 1300 feet in Willets to 333 feet in Cloverdale.
Today's mileage - 50.79
Cumulative total miles - 912.5
Road Change Report - 39 cents
With Love from the road,
Marie, Charlotte, and Amanda
Days 20 and 21 - Border War on HD - Cloverdale - Windsor CA
Left Cloverdale after a prayer with Pastor Curtis Binz and his younger son Danny. Followed Asti Rd. out of Cloverdale. Almost immediately we were into the true "wine country" of Sonoma County. Both new and old mansions were set amongst the manicured vineyards. Passed the famous Asti Vineyards, which were founded in 1881.
After awhile, Asti Rd. turned into being called The Old Redwood Highway, the "old road" that parallels Hwy 101. Saw an old building across the 101 with an ad for "Dr. Pierce's Medical Discovery." Charlotte and I recalled the day we saw an ad for "Dr. Pierce's Medicine for Weak Women" back in Washington State.
Rode through Geyserville and Healdsberg, kind of trendy little vineyard towns, with B & B's, artsy- crafty shops, etc. Marie was feeling hungry so we stopped at McDonald's. Talked with a nice home-schooling family from Fresno. Then we left for Windsor. Ride didn't take long before we reached the town limits. Rode maybe 5 miles further, to the home of Charlotte's former GJHS student and friend Teddie Dufford Pierce. Arrived about 10:30 a.m.
Dropped off film to be developed, ate lunch, did laundry, and cleaned the bikes (including chains.)
Dinner began at close to 9:00 pm, so bedtime was soon thereafter. Amanda bid on a plane ticket home from San Diego on Priceline before she watched a movie with Teddie's family.
Slept in Sunday morning ... first time in a week. Went to 10:00 a.m. Worship Service at Sonrise Christian Church. Great sermon, comparing how the church (believers in Jesus) needs to be a spiritual hospital, with a labor and delivery room, a nursery, a surgical ward, a recovery room, and a training ground. Very friendly folks, good peppy music, etc.
Picked up our developed film; brought back memories from Everett WA through Oregon and to Arcata CA.
Got more details arranged for tomorrow and Tuesday.
Teddie's bicycling friend from Jazzercise (Sunny) came over for dinner and "bike touring talk." She is training for the same 500 miles in 6 days AIDS fundraising ride in Alaska that Tannis and Shirley from Days 7 and 8 (Longview WA to Portland OR, and Portland towards Sheridan OR) will be doing. Gary cooked some wonderful salmon. Sunny gave us some pointers on the bike ride tomorrow.
Ready to begin the next week of riding.
With love from the "wine country" of Sonoma County,
Your Road Warriors
Amanda
Marie
Charlotte
Road Change Report - 39 cents (Mandy found a new North Carolina quarter)
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