Alameda de los Gigantes

10/17/11
I woke up just as the sun was shedding its light over the fairgrounds. I still think it was a weird place to sleep, but I made it through the night, so I can't complain. Although I was excited to start my day and head toward the Avenue of the Giants, I instead decided to shower, eat breakfast and charge my phone first. I might as well make use of the resources while they're there.

As I retraced my steps of the previous day I realized I didn't take a single picture. Then I realized that I hadn't really seen anything that blew me away. When I finally did set off on the road, I kept a more watchful eye to capture something interesting, so I ended up forcing myself to take a few pictures before leaving Ferndale. Still though, the pictures couldn't hold a candle to the sights I had seen in the days previous. I was Confident that all thy would change as I was headed toward another Redwood forest.

The first 10 miles of my day consisted of fairly flat farmland, but jut a few miles before I reached the town of Rio Dell, I encountered three steep hills. On the first hill I caught up with a couple of local cyclists who just out for a morning ride. We chatted until we got to the top and then I shot ahead to gather as much inertia as I could before the next hill. The weight of my bike helps me gather speed while going downhill, despite the bags adding wind resistance, but they really deaden my stride when I head back uphill. It was around 10am and I was already breaking a sweat.

As I rolled into Rio Dell I was getting hungry. I stopped to drink some water at an abandoned gas station, and to my surprise almost swallowed a spider that had been taking a dip in my water bottle. Yuck! I spit it out and was turned off of my water for the moment. The main part of Rio Dell is only about 8 or 9 blocks long, so I rode to the end of town to see what my options for food were. My first choice, the 101 Cafe, was closed on Mondays so I headed back the way I had come and decided on getting some pizza.

I had only made it about 14 miles, and it was nearing 1:30. Since the day before wad lacking in scenery, I was getting more and more eager to get to the Humboldt Redwoods State Park (Have I truly told you how much I love the Redwoods?!?!). I was only about 9 miles away, and the ride had some small hills but was pleasant. The whole morning I had managed to avoid 101, but now I would be riding on it. Traffic was actually pretty easy going, and the highway followed along the Eel River which made for some good views.

About 22 miles into my day I had reached the Avenue of the Giants, and I was excited! I have of course driven through the forest a number of times, but experiencing it on a bicycle would be a whole new experience. Just as the sun beat down and the temperature was nearing 85F, I entered the shade of the Redwoods and the temperature almost immediately dropped by at 12 degrees. It was quite the temperature change, but it was very welcomed. Before me lay 30 miles of Redwood forest and beautiful weather. I could easily get caught up in it all, so I had to watch my time because sundown was about 4.5 hours away.

Cars were almost non-existent as I rode amongst the giants. I suppose because it was Monday, although with the weather being as perfect as it was, it was hard to believe that more people weren't out enjoying it. I took every opportunity to stop along the way, reading the signs and visiting the information center. I just felt at peace within the Redwoods. I guess that's where their magic lies. As John Steinbeck wrote, "The redwoods, once seen, leave a mark or create a vision that stays with you always...From them comes silence and awe...The most irreverent of men, in the presence of redwoods, goes under a spell of wonder and respect."

The last 12 miles leaving the state park was tough. I don't know if I was just tired or if the little hills throughout the day had added up to a lot of up and down. I could actually feel the weight of my bike for the first time as my heavy legs labored to get a few more miles in. By 6pm I had made it out, but I was feeling bold and there wasn't any campgrounds near by so I pressed on for another 8 miles until Garberville.

Garberville gives me the creeps. There's just an eerie grittiness to it that I don't like. Maybe it's the people that are eerie. As I rolled into town I stopped to talk to a group of vagabonds (more like bums) to ask about camping nearby. They said there wasn't much nearby, and so I inquired about stealth camping. They said their were a lot of homeless around, so even if I found a spot in the woods there was a good chance somebody was there. They also told me that I would probably get jumped and that they would steal my bike. I think they were slightly messing with me, but I took it as a warning. One of them them told me about a spot off the the highway that was good, but it kind of seemed like it could of been a setup. He then offered me the joint he was smoking and said it looked like I could use a hit, but of course I refused.

Garberville itself even smells like marijuana. I'm not sure if it's from all the people smoking it or from the plants growing in the hills on the outskirts of town, but one things for sure...it's there. Actually I guess it's a huge cash crop for Humboldt and Mendocino counties. I had just read an article that day about how people will travel across the country to that area trying to find trimming jobs. Needless to say it attracts a lot of homeless. Some of the homeless there were just homeless hippy types, who don't seem to bother anybody except to ask for change, but there's a whole other element of homeless that I noticed in Garberville, the homeless convicts. I understand they're a product of our prison system and they aren't really able to integrate back into society after being released, but those are the ones that I was worried about.

Since it was already dark I had to figure out if I was going to ride 3 miles up the road and pay $25 to camp or just get a Motel for the night. I opted for the latter, which now because of the hotel stay in Arcata, I was really cutting into my budget. The room was dingy but I felt safe, could get a warm shower, could charge my phone, and would get a good night sleep. After getting some dinner at the Cadillac Wok down the street, I stopped at the grocery store to get some breakfast and snacks for the next day. Then I went back to my dirty motel room and fell asleep.

I'm also very happy to announce that in honor of my completion of 500 miles yesterday, Sandra Jamme decided to sponsor me $1 per mile for those first 500! This is very unexpected and exciting news. I was amazed by her generosity, and very appreciative. I'll soon be setting up a paypal account so that others can sponsor me, to help keep me on the road and keep the adventure going! Thanks again everybody for reading.

Miles: 62

RRD: a pair of reading glasses set atop a mile marker and an unopened can of Coca-Cola.

-D
http://www.trackmytour.com/b5k7d