Lazy Daze

10/16/11
Sleep in a warm, dry hotel room was great. I still woke up around 7:30, and headed straight for the dinning room of the hotel to get my hands on that complimentary continental breakfast. While I was eating, a couple about the age of my parents sat down and we started talking. They were traveling from the bay area and had a son a few years older than me that just finished his degree in anthropology, a lifelong goal, after going back when the recession hit. I guess some good things came out of it all. They were really interested in what I was doing, and told me to keep it up while I can. A lot of people say stuff like that, "Do it while you're young," "Travel while you're still single," and the like. I'm wondering if this is people's actual advice or if they're just paying lip service. I mean, I'm going to do what I do either way, but I'd also like to think that whether I have a family or I'm 60 years old, that I'd still be finding unique ways to see the world. I guess it makes me think that there are a lot of people out there wish they would have seen more, and just kind of give up on making it happen at some point. Or maybe they use certain excuses to self-sabotage themselves from achieving their goals. It's pretty sad really.

Anyway, after breakfast I went back to my room and had to repack all my panniers. I changed up my strategy from the first time I did it, hopefully making things easier to get to when I need them, while also trying to keep both the left and right sides balanced. I also took the opportunity to throw some stuff out. I had some AAA maps that were still damp and getting moldy, and a few other things that the wetness had ruined. I'll be able to pick up more maps for free along the way, so I wasn't worried about it.

I spent all the time that I could getting ready, and checked out precisely at 11:00. From the hotel it was just a few miles to downtown Arcata, and I took the side streets which have a very convenient bike lane. I was actually very impressed with how bike friendly Arcata was, but I guess it makes sense since it's kind of a hippy college town. Anyway, in downtown Arcata it was first goal to get a cycling map of the rest of the way to SF. The first place I went was closed on Sundays, the second place I went was all out, but the third was just right. The kid at Revolution Bicycle Repair was super friendly. Besides helping me with the map, he also gave me the heads up on a stealth camping spot about 40 miles away. I wasn't sure I was going to make it there, but the suggestion was much appreciated.

Across the street from Revolution is Wildberries Market. It's a whole foods-esque place, but probably more like a co-op or something. I got a latte there and sat in the back dinning area where I could also keep an eye on my bike. There were a lot of people on their laptops back there, so it seemed like a good time for me to charge my phone and get caught up on the blog. After finishing two days worth of adventures, I was getting pretty hungry so I decided to get some soup and a salad and stay a little bit longer.

By the time 3:30 rolled around I knew that I had to get out of town if I was going to make any progress. I followed 101 to Eureka. In Eureka the bike route breaks off of the main road, heads through a small industrial area, back around the marina, and then through the old town downtown area. From there I decided to take my own detour and cruise through the old town area. Eureka seemed like a decent town with a little bit of history, but I needed to pedal on!

The bike route follows 101 down until the south Humboldt Bay and then I took the Tompkins Hill Rd exit and followed that for several miles. All the way from Arcata the roads had been pretty flat, and I was making really good time. Tompkins Hill Rd was a nice ride, free from traffic and flows steadily through farm areas. Crossing to the other side of 101 the road turns into Eel River Dr. There was a slight hill on the road, but it wasn't bad considering it was the first one of the day.

Eventually I stopped to snack and decided where I was going to stay for the night. My map said there was camping in Ferndale so that's where I headed. The rest of the ride went through flat farmland. They were mostly cattle farms with the occasional sheep or horses along the way. I've never been one for the smell of a cattle farm. Maybe it's an acquired smell. Either way, I found some the farms I passed by to be overwhelming. I'm not sure if there were just too many cows in a small area or maybe they were just dirty, but I found myself holding my breath as I passed by a couple of them.

At about 6:30pm I rolled into the cute little dollhouse town of Ferndale. It kind of just appears out of nowhere. It seems like a nice town. All the store fronts are well kept and done up in such a way that preserves the towns history, which I guess dates back to the mid-nineteenth century. The town has a few parks and a nice cemetery. Walking through downtown you can notice several church steeples rising above all the shops off of Main St, like there's a city ordinance that prevents buildings from being any taller than the churches. I stopped by a market to get some snacks, and asked if there was any camping nearby. The woman behind the counter didn't know, but was nice enough to call her dad and ask him. They directed me to the Humboldt County Fairgrounds just on the edge of town.

The fairgrounds are kind of a weird place to sleep. Everything is out in the open and there's a lot of activity happening in the surrounding area. I guess the benefits are that there is power and water and you don't have to worry much about critters trying to steal your food. I suppose that this was as good a place as any, so I set up my hammock, ate my food, took a warm shower and worked on the blog before going to sleep.

I also just want to make note that I think I had just passed 500 miles by the end of my ride today. That's another good milestone to get passed. I think the next major road mark will be getting to SF, still about 300 miles away with the route I'm taking.

Miles: 35

RRD: a dead snake

-D
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