BAC Seattle to San Francisco

(Note from a previous post when I said that Jeremiah entertained us all night. You should remember that Jeremiah was a Bullfrog).

20100716 – Brookings, OR to Orick, CA

We left Oregon and entered California this morning. The weather was very cool and foggy, especially at 6:00 when I got up. I postponed leaving until 8:00 because of the fog, but it wasn’t lifting so I left anyway.

We rode along US 101 for five miles. Then we got onto side roads that had very little traffic. The major surprise of the day occurred as we approached Crescent City and rode past the Pelican Bay prison. My pace picked up until I was way past it.

The route through Crescent City took us eastward on top of the bluffs looking out at the ocean. There was too much fog to see much of the sea. I noticed several large houses close to the bluffs and couldn’t help thinking about the houses that fell onto the beach in Pacifica. There were a few for-sale signs.

The oatmeal that I had for breakfast was wearing off after 30 miles, so I meandered through town until I could get someone to direct me to a coffee shop. A nice woman pointed me to a bakery. I stopped and ordered a double espresso and an apple fritter. I sat on a bench outside of the bakery and imbibed while checking my email on my iPhone.

Leaving Crescent City, the route put me back on US 101. The refreshments that I had helped push me over a1300-foot climb. The shoulder was very narrow or non-existent on the climb which worried me a lot. I went from fog and cool to sun and hot at altitude. This pattern repeated itself for the rest of the ride.

Approaching Klamath, I pulled of of the road at one of America’s favorite destinations. Paul Bunyan still talks to the tourists at the Trees of Mystery. I met Rich there and we both chuckled at the reactions of the little kids.

 

 

We rode on through Klamath and eventually left US 101 for the Newton B Drury Scenic Parkway. This road took us through an ancient redwood forest for about 9 miles. I stopped a few times to take photos. Traffic was very light and the cars that we saw were driving slowly in order to see the trees. Riding a bicycle through the redwoods is spectacular – something I will never forget. And we have more in a few days.

 

 

At the end of the Parkway and back on US 101, we had to be on the lookout for elk. I was fortunate to see a herd next to the road at a tourist area and a large bull a little farther down the road.

I pulled in at the Palm Motel and Cafe around 2:45.

Here is a link to today's route.

This is an old motel right out of the 50’s. The rooms are OK. They are reasonably clean, have hot and cold running water and free high speed internet. The indoor swimming pool has been drained.

We had our Happy Hour outside on a patio. It was Ben’s birthday. Judy got a cake from the cafe and lit the candles so we could all sing Happy Birthday to him. My cake is sitting next to me. I will have it for late dessert.

I had dinner at the cafe with Ron. I had a salad from the salad bar, a ground beef steak with mashed potatoes smothered in sautéed onions and gravy, and soft ice cream with chocolate sauce.

It looks like it will be an early night for me. It’s closing in on 8:00. Time for reading and sleeping.