San Diego - American Goal Line

Our last day of riding into an American Campground was a beautiful one.  We started out in an urban scene with some wild, but brief, hills to get onto the bike path.  The roads took us past the most beautiful beaches I've seen in the US yet - in that I saw my first American bikini clad beach babes.  Finally!  Wow. We stopped for lunch at the boardwalk and enjoyed the view.  :)
There were a few bridges to cross, but given that we had a couch with a fellow named Giri arranged for the evening, we resolved to stay by San Diego bay at the restaurants and shops for a drink.  Yum!

Erin with a 32 oz Margarita on the San Diego Boardwalk (we shared)

The area was nice, lots of little shops including a sock shop, a hot sauce shop, and a fudge store.  Tempting!  Could really use some socks.  :P
We left around 3:30 to trek towards our couch for the night and found ourselves going through downtown. It was great watching all the costumed downtowners while cycling through.  We had a few rolling hills and a surprising distance to go but within a couple hours we were very close.  Giri's house is on the side of a very steep valley so that presented some challenges in getting there.

Giri's house was amazing!  His two goats were very sweet, and the milk even sweeter.  We got our own rooms (wow!  Thanks!), made curry together, and met his two cute children and wife, Uma.  i noticed in the morning of the ride that my tire was going low, and discovered during repair that I had picked up a nail.  Oops!  Still, as our groups only flat, the Schwalbe tires 3 of us have, and the Armadillo tire Erin has all have proved quite excellent.

We learned that Bryan's parents had stopped by and were shortly in touch with them  to take a drive to Phoenix for a week off of our cycling adventure.  Wow!  What a treat!  Fun in the sun poolside?  Sounds good!  :)

Helicopters over our camp the previous evening at camp in San Elijo.

San Elijo State Beach

San Elijo State Beach

The ride to San Elijo took us mostly off the highway and onto our very own bike paths and military base because Highway 1 disappears into gravel and the fast moving freeway.    Before we officially entered Camp Pendleton we rode the Old Coast Highway which had been turned into a bike lane then all of a sudden a giant helicopter swoops down on us not 150 meters above our heads seemingly only there to check us all out. I guess we do look a bit like a dangerous slow-moving convoy from above.  Nonetheless we could cleary see the pilots and basically every detail on the aircraft. The whole time I thought they were going to jump out of the side and tackle us to the ground in some crazy military exercise.

After being waved through the base we ended up in Oceanside around lunch time.  We had heard about a wonderful all you can eat buffet called hometown buffet and were eager to find it and gorge ourselves. The directions we got said it was about three miles down the road with various turns and such. We didn't think that was so bad so we set out.  The three miles went by as we went up and down hills and still no buffet.  We confirmed that there was such a restaurant and got new directions from random people and kept going.  By the time we arrived, about 6 miles later, we were super hungry but the place did not disappoint. Everything you could ever want plus we made rootbeer floats.  I even made myself poutine! (which I have not had since Canada as no one ever has gravy, fries and cheese in the same place) We left three hours later feeling overly satisfied and not at all ready for the extra miles we added to our day.      

We arrived at the campground early enough to see the sunset and catch a glimpse of the surfers catching the last waves of the evening.  

Campsite by the water

sunset

Doheny State Beach

The ride to Doheny took us out of Los Angeles, through the industrial area and into the suberbs.  We stopped at Huntington Beach for some lunch and continued on the wide bikepath along the beach to Newport and Laguna Beach.  The guide book underestimated the hills a little because they were sure big and rolling.  But riding through these two resort cities was some of my favorite parts.  The white houses with the ceramic tiled roofs stacked on the side of the hills were amazing.  Prime real estate right there.

Going throuh Laguna Beach we met another cyclist as we were stopped at a stoplight debating which way to go. He didn't really look like other cyclists we've encountered.  He had antlers mounted on the front on his handlebars, with very little equipment just a couple of back panniers. He wore a straw hat, leather jacket, white baggy pants and worn out shoes. And he said he was on his way home to Argentina from Wyoming and he had to be across into Mexico the next day because his visa was about to expire.  He had a lot of riding ahead of him. Luckily for him he was a gorgeous Argentinian and would probably not have any problem hitch hiking.  We arrived in Doheny late enough we just set up camp, made food and went to sleep with the sounds of the amtrak ringing in our ears. 

L-A-LA EL EL A! L.A.!

Like Bram Van 3000's song, but with less drinking!  We made it to Venice beach around 11am after (luckily) getting off the highway.  About half an hour after snacking and talking at the beginning of the bike path there was a car accident at the major intersection.  And man were the cops and tow trucks on it fast to clear this major artery into L.A.

We followed the bike path along the beach and I at least had fantasies in my mind of a sandy Bay Watch like scene awaiting me, but the wind had picked up and the beach goers ranged from clothed, to wearing warm fuzzy coats and hoods.  Disappointed.
Still the area is an exciting contrast of dirty transients that sleep on the beach, and wealthy starlets (usually porn starlets, lol) there just to be seen on the scene.

Erin enjoyed a $1 float, and I bought her a new bathing suit (of questionable quality - dam!) and then we continued our short bike ride towards the couch we were planning to stay on that night.  The bike path frustratingly winds bath and forth on the empty beach and the wind had picked up so that we were expending a lot of energy not making a lot of progress.  Erin was feeling tired and couldn't keep up as Bryan and Maggie raced ahead.  We ended up going all the way to the end of the strip of beaches at Redondo.  Close to our couch, but sans Bryan and Maggie!  We biked inland to the highway and got directions to a McDonalds (there had been talk of internet and $9 for 40 McNuggets) that was the wrong direction for progress but closer than the alternative McDonalds.   We cycled back there and found Bryan and Maggie about to leave in our direction!  Time for some nuggets and some cohesive city riding.

Cities are pretty fun to ride in as traffic is often stopped at lights and things that are effectively only a suggestion for cyclists.  In fact, in California an all way stop is only a yield for a cyclist!  Great!  There's also a law in California we heard that cars have to pass more than a meter away from a cyclist.  Well that would be nice, anyway.

We arrived at Ed's neighbourhood around the designated time of 5pm but couldn't find his place as described.  The adress was a 243## number, but the streets jumped from 242 to 244.  What the heck? We canvassed the neighbourhood and waited at a house that was close to the right number and otherwise fit the description.  Ed arrived a bit late (rode the bus rather than driving one of his two trucks), and had sent an update email with the corrected typo address which Maggie had not received.

What a splendid host!  We cooked dinner for him, enjoyed stories about his trips to the baja and watched the game (football, we were hoping for an upset victory).  Ed is a fireman and, on the weekends, a whitewater rafting guide.  Fun!

Tomorrow, we cruise out of LA, through Long Beach, and back into the parks!

Malibu RV Park

From Emma Wood we pedaled to Ventura to pick up some supplies and ended up spending a bit of time puttering about trying to find white gas for Bryan's stove.  We had a long day ahead of us as we were set to get into LA and we were not making the best of time especially since at lot of it was going through city. We hustled through it though taking a short lunch break at a picnic table across from Wendy's in Oxnard.

As we got closer to the edge of Malibu the landscape changed a bit and giant hills of rock came soaring up. 

Deciding we were making good time in the afternoon we went the extra 10 miles to be able to stay in Malibou rather than on the outskirts. This was one of my favorite parts of the trips so far.  Riding beside houses that were perched on the edge of the cliffs over the ocean was amazing.  Hard to believe that people live like that.  Such large gorgeous houses painted in pastels.  The houses also varied quite a bit in their design which is quite the change from most developments where its just cookie-cutter houses.  One house high on the hill had a cicular window on the end of a cylindrical room.  It would be pretty amazing being involved in the design and building of these houses. So many challenges to deal with because of the proximity to the ocean. But I guess it works... 

We stopped at Zuma Beach for some pictures then headed up the hills toward the RV park, which are not well labeled in the guide book.  The park had the best view of the city to the right and left as well as the ocean right in front of us as we were in the highest site on the side of the hill. Free wifi and really hot showers were thrown in with the $50 premium but I think it was well worth it.  Gorgeous sunset and sunrise ended and started the next day. 

Emma Wood State Beach

Since we had a short day yesterday we had to make up for some lost time so it ended up being approximetly 50 miles or so and we had to navigate Santa Barbara.  The terrain was in our favor though, just a few small hills to climb over with nice flats in between.  While in Santa Barbara we went to Stearns Wharf and said good-bye to George as he was off to find the local hostel.  Here Bryan and Maggie shared some fish and chips and we set off to find a McDonalds.  We found out previously that you can get shareable meals which can consist of 20 or 40 nuggets at 5 or 9 bucks.  Thinking this was a great idea we got 40 nuggets; 20 each.  To make the meal a little better we added a banana (and ate it in the mcdonalds!). We thought that Maggie and Bryan would meet up with us to help eat the nuggets but they didn't find us in time.  We set out again and once we made it back to the main road lo and behold, there they are.  Uncanny. We continued on out of the city and made excellent time on the flat freeway with a bike lane.

Stearns Wharf

We arrived at Emma Wood but were told to go an extra mile or two to the campground as the first stop was just a 'point of interest.' The guy said we could follow the bike path but warned against a set of railway tracks that we would have to haul our bikes over.  We decided that wasen't so bad or at least better than going up the hill so we set out again. At the end of the first path, we picked up our bikes over the tracks only to encounter an almost vertical mountian bike path up to the next path.  Knowing we didn't want to backtrack to the road we started hauling. Nothing like trying to push 80lbs 4 times up a hill.  The boys did most the work as I was having enough trouble getting mine over the tracks.
Finally we ended up at the campground, paid a mere $10 for us all as there was no one around and no real description given for what the $10 was supposed to cover, and set up camp under the trees.  It was good we didn't pay much as it wasn't that nice.  Hard dirt ground, no showers or hot water and toilets that were one step up from an outhouse. But it was a place to pitch a tent at least.

Ref-ref-refugio!

October 25, 2013.
Our trip plan book is a common one, our trip is too.  So you'd think we would see the same folks over and over.  Certainly we've have some good times with some folks: Oli, Amie, Jim, Marlene... One fellow however has dogged us since Washington.  George Cheribus from Athens started his journey the day after us in Vancouver, we met him first at Twin Harbors, then again at Big Sur (I know, big gap!) and more recently at Lompoc.  And here, again, he is in the same place at Refugio.  Why is this a rarity?  A couple reasons.  First, we are not at the "conclusion" of a book day.  Which is to say, the book describes certain places as reasonable starts and stops that would provide a good day of cycling, time for the sights, and a nice place to lay your head.  Neither Lompoc nor Refugio are such places.  Second, we are going bloody slow. The book describes 50-70 mile days, while we usually do a 30-50 mile day.  More so lately since we have given ourselves a schedule for getting to San Diego to meet Bryan's parents and get a ride down to Phoenix.
But George has a week left, and is flying out of LA, which is relatively close.  So he's going very slow.  Which is just our speed!  We stopped for lunch at Refugio, and got stuck we told him.  It's true.  Refugio is a gorgeous combination of deafening surfside camping, sun, cliff views, and palm trees.  While setting up camp, a camping neighbour gives us each a bottle of beer.  Given the generosity, even Erin partakes.  We spend the afternoon laying around on the beach, and Erin paints the scene.  Children, beach umbrellas, surfers, ans sunshine.  Wonderful!

Oceano to Lompoc

Wednesday October 23 to Friday October 25, 2013

The ride started beautifully.  We went through farm fields mostly and Bryan was clever enough to beg some strawberries from some harvesters along the way which went a long way to rejuvenating us.  As you can guess from the ominous warning from yesterday's blog post, Erin was not feeling at her best energy wise and we were a bit slow going.  Even so, we took an early lunch off the highway in a dead-end lane in the open sun while viewing the 700 year old oak trees the area is known for.

At that time we resolved to make the day a shorter one if possible and braced for the hill ahead.  The thing about hills isn't that they are so much more work, though they are, nor that they are less satisfying to climb due to the slowly changing scenery, though that too; mostly, the thing about hills is that moving slowly really reduces your ability to keep cool.  And as we started climbing out of the valley back towards the shore, we hit about 1pm and the sun came out from the clouds and our body temperatures soared.  It was an exhausting climb, if short, and the trip down the hill on the other side was all the sweeter due to the incredible view that we were awarded with.

Arriving in Lompoc, we found a larger town with good services, a campground, and many amenities and stores.  We went to the campground, leaving Maggie at the library working on her blog and couch requests and found a campground that only charged $5 a night!  For the site, not by person!  Rest day!  The shower token machine was broken so we got free showers to boot.  yes!

We also had a run in with the dollar store here and basically had to take a rest day to avoid hanging plastic bags of food off of the bike panniers.  I had resolved to empty the sack of prickly pears I still had and then harvest more.  I tried boiling them down but the seeds clung mercilessly to the flesh.  Made a big pot of prickly pear seed corn meal that was pretty hard to eat.  Found a prickly pear cactus on the other side of the river from the riverpark rv campground and harvested a dozen pears that we tried roasting in the fire to remove the spines.  Marginally successful, mostly because you end up with a pretty smokey tasting fruit.

On the way out, we realized we were next door to a massive concentration of prickly pears!  Doh!  We could've experimented a ton more in our time.  Oh well.  The addition of a dollar store set of tongs sure improved the harvesting process.

Oceano

October 22nd, 2013

Some parks have all the amenities. Hot, not warm, showers. Electricity.  Fresh clean water.  Grass.  Tress.   

San Simeon had warm needle showers that tried to pierce your skin.  Fortunately, after a long ass ride over crazy rolling hills we got to look forward to a couch to sleep on!  We first went into Cambria looking for the world famous cambria bicycle shop.  It has moved to San Luis Obisbo unfortunately.  Cambria was filled with freaky scarecrows on every subject the artists involved could think of from bicyclist scarecrows in front of the skeleton of the cambria bike shop all the way to a wizard of oz themed foursome in front of the school.  

We left Cambria with plans to have fish and chips for lunch after a 21 mile ride.  The hills were very generous though! Rolling, calm, good wind. We were in Morrow Bay for lunch by 11 am.  Bryan and Maggie had left later than us (they stopped for coffee) and actually failed to catch up with Erin.  She is getting faster/stronger indeed!  The fish and chips were good, and I processed some prickly pears to go with them.  Yum?  Lol.

We went to the Albertson's grocery store and met bryan and maggie who had just had an excited time at the dollar store.  Half their shopping items for the lowest prices we've seen!  Of course the constant and cruel temptation for junk food and sweets plagues you harshly in there and we too fell prey to it.  

After our shopping we headed on to Oceano and after 30 miles met a delightful host named Bonnie who did the same trip as us 25 years ago with the first edition of our book!  Maggie cooked her dinner and me and Erin pigged out on our New cheap food (pack of 500g of gnocci for $1?  Yes please).

Erin was starting to energy crash from the sugar she ate after the dollar store though... ominous!

taking a break on the side of the road-also eating local strawberries from a mile back down the road!

San Simeon State Park

Monday October 21

We made it out of the Big Sur area and expected to find some grocery stores to restock our food.  Alas, none.  Small towns have terrible shop hours, and the stores that are open have premium pricing.  Dam!  We should've stopped at the Hearst Castle (largest private collection of art) but didn't largel due to the urgency of finding food for dinner and getting to the next campground.
I found more prickly pears! My strategy for them now includes rubber dish washing gloves, a big paper bag, and a specially designated knife that we found on the road and cleaned up (the road giveth, the road taketh away - but mostly giveth). I harvested probably 40 pears.  They are more colourful than the last ones and VERY sweet.  Figured out how to cut them and serve them without burning the spines off first.  Erin got 2 splinters on her tongue.  Oh dear.  It is an interesting proposition pulling needles from someone's tongue.  Good thing we have tweezers!

I managed to cobble together another meal with some expensive corner store groceries, the pears, the black bean flakes, and the last of our pasta.  Erin is still hungry.  She seems to be eating a lot lately.  As soon as we get to a real grocery store, I will feed her right back up!  Racoons, herons, moles, gophers, condors, hawks all were largely featured.  Also, we went right by the ELEPHANT SEAL beaches and heard them belching  challenges at  eachother.  We've been setting up the tent without the fly on to keep the condensation down and simplify things.  Ideally under a tree to minimize condensation.  Set it up under some kind of maple tree (except the leaves feel thick and fuzzy) and pill bigs were crawling all over it and our stuff all night.  Gross. Actually, we were pulling bugs out of our stuff for days.

Left out the husks of our prickly pears for the racoons.  Hope those bastards regretted raiding humanity at least for one night.

the little creek we bathed in at Kirk Creek - knee deep, and a bit chilly

Big Sur Valley

Friday October 18, 2013 - Monday October 21, 2013.

Big Sur is not as bad as it sounds.  It is named after the river, not the mountains. That being said, our ride through the park was a lot of going up above the foggy clouds, back down through the clouds, and then below the clouds as well.  The fog seemed to roll in around 9 am, and stick around 3 or 5 hours.  The area has jade!  On the beaches.  Beautiful green rocks that we collected from the beach and road ways.  Just what we need on our bikes in the hills: rocks.  

There are a few very small grocery stores in the big Sur strip.  And they all charge 2-3 times the normal retail rate for food.  Bastards.  There are tons of redwoods here, as in most moist places along the california coast.  The beaches are beautiful.  We stayed first at the Pheiffer state park, then at the Kirk Creek national park.  We had a rest day here after a couple of the big hills were done.  No fresh water!  We had to fill our dromedary from a creek and then run it through our hand-pump ceramic filter into the other 10 liter dromedary.  Lots of work, but there's nothing that replaces fresh, clean drinking water.  

We met a couple friends we made on our trip earlier (Jim and Morene who had recommended Erin change her front crank - her knees are a lot better now) and shared a meal with them (we ran out of propane, and they let us use their stove so we fed them) and our water with them at Kirk Creek.  They ran out of food at Kirk Creek and only ate a box  of rice-a-roni for dinner.  We showed them the 2 front panniers me and Erin carry full of food.  Of course, since they had run out, carrying lots of food suddenly seemed like a fabulous idea.  But we generally run a LOT heavier than others that are touring due to our preparedness.  

We were actually a bit tight on food too but found a big bag of black bean flakes left by previous cycle tourists in the coon-proof box.  Even had a note saying they didn't enjoy the taste.  I'm thinking they didn't have the recipe right (often people use too much water) or didn't have our spices.  Because those flakes were fabulous on pasta.  YUM!  But ya, we basically ate all our food.  Uh oh.  Bryan and Maggie made friends where they took their rest day at Pheiffer and were fed two dinners there.  They're still doing great for food.  It was nice to be light for the hills though.  Yow.

Fog. not a lake that the old tourist thought it was..

Monterey

Thursday, October 17:

A big ride today.  We discovered "moss landing" which is in amongst the farmers fields we were riding through.  Wow!  What prices on produce.  Incredible.  3 red peppers for a dollar.  10 mini artichokes for a dollar.  It was crazy.  I'd love to live driving distance to the place.  We got on the freeway again and this time got a yelling at/talking to by a state trooper.  Oops.  Back on the up and down bike paths.  Actually, they're really good around Monterey. 

What a town!  The town is based aroud a bay and the bay is INFESTED with seals.  They sink ships by jumping up on them in such quantities.  The place is filled with the din of seal barks.  We saw the Monarch butterfly tree in town.  More like a small orchard of cleverly arranged comfortable trees for the butterflies so that they tend to congregate and rest there.  Still, quite nice.

Then up a brutal hill in town and to another couch host. Yay!   James and Rachel were awesome.  Rachel is a beautiful blonde on her way to being a doctor assistant (or something, a new-ish position that is basically like a doctor but with less diagnosis and treatment dutiesknowledge).  James is in love with doing everything he can as fast as he can do it.  And getting his MBA in environmental business.  Cool!  sounds like something I would do.  He couldn't shoot down my wave-power generator idea with his most immediate criticisms but then I didn't provide many details.  I'll have to draw up a non disclosure agreement so we can talk more.  ;)
Next stop, Big Sur!

Lighthouse in Monterey

2000 km!

Santa Cruz-Soquel

October 16th,

We got a couch to stay at!  Super lucky.  Was a long, very hot ride in partially urban settings.  Going thru Santa Cruz on the number 1, the highway became a freeway at some point which apparently means no cyclists.  Freeway is an ironic name for the road though since we were passing all the cars on the parking lot road.  I think that's the real reason we're not allowed on the freeway - too much road rage from all the idiots that haven't figured out that a bus or bike would get you there sooner.

I harvested a large number of PRICKLY PEARS in my ongoing quest to live closer to the land (try to prepare to survive the baja).  They are well named.  Those bloody tiny prickly slivers easily penetrate any exposed flesh.  I burnt them off with the stove but it was not 100%.  Got about 15 of the prickly beasts.  Mostly green, they were still quite sweet.  Yum! Also tried prickly pear pads.  These are super gooey when cooked and must be an acquired taste because I couldn't figure out how to make them not taste like mucous from the back of my sinuses.  Ya - yuck.

Stayed with Ciara and Jamie.  Two awesome people who hung out with us, played catan, talked, etc.  They even had dinner ready for us when we arrived.  Thanks!  

suculent plant on the roadside

San Francisco! and Half Moon Bay

October 15th,
San Francisco is hilly.  Not too bad in the city, but definitely around the city.  It is also a very very popular tourist destination.  There were a ton of people thereO taking photos and riding bicycles on the sea wall.  The ride up to the golden gate bridge was reminiscent of the photos of old Spanish cities from movies and pictures.  

The city itself is very similar to Vancouver in its bike friendliness, cultural feeling, art focus, tourism focus, and proximity to the ocean.  We rode through, ate some fish and chips and sandwiches on the dock, observed the ridiculousness of pigeons, and split up.  Bryan and Maggie wanted groceries, Erin wanted art supplies.  The Dick Blick was a bit of a disappointment in that they did not stock as much as, and certainly not more than, they do online.  However, Erin picked up burnt sienna as well as a couple other colours of water colour paints before we proceeded to the rapid transit system (the BART).  

We got off at Daly City and went to the local grocery store for a couple makings of dinner before hopping on a bus into Pacifica.  Wisdom would've put us on another bus to Half Moon bay before sunset, but we rode the last 25 miles, arriving around 8pm in the dark.  We expected to meet Bryan and Maggie but they were absent.  We ate, set up camp and went to bed.  We tried going fly-less under a tree and had great success with both staying dry and keeping down the condensation.  New strategy:  no fly on the tent under trees!

  

coolest looking tunnel ever! like entering a spaceship!

sunrise in our tent at half moon bay without the fly

Corte Madera

Monday, October 14:

We headed south through the valley and Fairfax on a slow incline hill after our night in the redwood forest.  Once we crested the hill, the ride down was FAST and very steep but the trip quickly became an urban one.  We were diverted into bike lanes and side streets in a complex series of turns and steps as the highway became a freeway and riding it illegal.

By 11 we were ready to head into Marin City and then across the golden gate bridge.  However we stopped to communicate with Bruce and Sarah (two people we met at Richardson Grove) about staying at their place just south of San Francisco and ended up going to the bank and then discovering that there is was an REI and lunch there ready to be partaken in.

The other big question, when our attempts to contact Bruce and Sarah proved fruitless, was where to stay for the night.  With the national park closed, San Francisco becomes a large urban wall as the hostels are expensive and the parks are pulled out past the suburbs.  We really leaned on REI's staff for some answers but the best idea we got was to stealth camp the hills north of San Fran for the night and then continue in the morning before dawn. Then one of the staff, Joe, offered his place for the night.  We rode back north and stayed in Corte Madera at his very beautiful house in the redwoods.  He let us sleep in the bottom floor, gave us a box of clif bars, and bought ingredients for breakfast in the morning.  Lucky!

Tomorrow, into and hopefully through San Francisco.

Crossing the Golden Gate Bridge the next day

Samuel P Taylor State Park

Sunday October 13th, 

With Rigel's chain being a bit weak we rode to the closest bike shop which happened to be in Point Reyes about 30 miles away.  I rode a good portion of the way by myself as I missed the picnic tables on the side of the road that everyone stopped to make food at.  I arrived in Point Reyes quite tired as I was trying to catch up with everyone and so didn't eat lunch until town.  I circled the town twice looking for everyone and the bike shop but couldn't find anyone.  I thought they had left me behind, but I was hungry so I parked my bike in front of a mexican restaurant.  Then Rigel rides up and everything was explained.  

Once we got to the bike shop we found out Rigel's chain was long past due for a changing.  Bryan and I also changed our chains as they turned out to also be stretched.  After puttering around the cute town we headed up the hilly road to the campground where we spent the night cooking and sleeping under giant redwoods.  Next stop San Francisco!

bridge on the bike path leading to the campground

Bodega Dunes State Park

Saturday October 12th, 

Since Bruce and Lynn were leaving their house by 7 it was an early morning for us.  Luckily we didn't have a tent to take down or sleeping mats to roll, all while our hands and feet are freezing from the brisk clear morning. but once on the road the cold hands happend anyway.  It was really nice to have an early start as we made quite the progress by late morning.  Talking about my art the night before gave me some good ideas for what I want to start working on but it made for many stops for pictures.  

We were just starting to climb the one big hill of the day when Rigel broke his chain.  We had the right tool to fix it so we figured it out and were back on our way. Then a little while later snap! there goes Rigels chain again.  We fixed it again and it turned out it was the same link.  We moved on but a little more warily this time.  We made it to Jenner and noticed the chain was about to break again. Rigel put it right again and started climbing a hill, and then guess what? It broke again. Rigel got a little angry and decided to walk the rest of the way to the campground (about 10 miles).  Luckily for him it was mostly downhill so he could coast.  

Once we got to the campsite Rigel tired to fix his chain with Bryan's spare links but the chain was still stiff in the place it was rejoined. One of the other bikers at the site gave Rigel a spare quicklink to use and some useful information on how to fix broken chains.  Turns out you don't put the old pin back into the link and should only use quicklinks.  A quick link is a link that just slides right into place without the use of tools.  Very handy.  Didn't see much of the campsite or dunes since we were a bit busy with the chain.

really sharp looking plant in the morning sun

Gualala err..Bruce and Lynns'

Friday October 11th, 

Since the books day was extremely hilly and accounted for about 60 miles we decided to cut it a litte shorter and end up at one of the many campgrounds dotting the final 20 miles of the day.  We road by the road we could have taken to Point Arena Lighthouse but decided against it because it went back north and we could only assume it would have added way more hills to our day. We did manage to see it from the distance though.  We arrived in Gualala and spent some time picking up some groceries and while we were loading our bikes up again this lady came over and asked where we were staying for the night.  We honestly didn't know which campground we were going to end up in so we said 'don't know yet' She then asked 'Do you want to come stay at my place?' We were quite surprised, but immediately accepted.  We got directions and turned out we only had to bike another 7 miles or so south.  We cooked up a nice pasta for supper (we eat pasta almost every night), talked about my art, and lazed about in their hot tub before hitting the hay in their loft bedroom.  Bruce and Lynn's hospitality was greatly appreciated by all of us.  

wind swept trees..or maybe they grow like that?

Manchester KOA

Thursday, October 10th, 

We set out from Van Damme around 9 ready for a hilly ride, and a hilly ride we got.  It was absolutely stunning the whole way.  I described it as a deluxe prairie as on the left there were grassy hills dotted with trees and shrubs while on the right there was hardly anything but sheer cliffs and gorgeous sandy beaches.  I couldn't figure out if there was any way down to them, seems a waste to have a beach you can access...I kept fantasizing about living in one of the cliff top houses and waking up to the blue ocean, but then I think about cleaning the ocean spray off my windows...

The road barely gave us a shoulder to ride on and we often encountered signs saying 'narrow winding road next 21 miles, watch for bicycles' Some of the worst parts were when the road goes inland on a downhill then does a hairpin turn and steeply climbs the cliff back to the ocean.  Just awful.  Luckily for the most part the drivers give you enough space.  Going by our guide book we went through the steepest section on the whole coast; a set of three switchbacks that carried us up a canyon.  Rigel and I decided it was better to walk it.  The day ended at the KOA with all the amenities. Hot free showers, nice camping area, outdoor electric burner cooking area, and the best part; hot tub! The KOA was a lot better than the state park down the road which had outhouses and no water. :( Overall a great day!

one of the three crazy switchbacks on the steepest hill

Van Damme State Park

October 8th, 

We had planned a rest day today but with the wind being so windy, we decided to move on.  Bryan and Maggie left early, whereas Rigel was quite sore from the day before and I wanted to paint the amazing view that I woke up to.  It was a gorgeous cliff and beach that I had the pleasure to poke my head out of the tent too.  And I proceeded to paint it from the comfort of my sleeping bag.  So we took our time, made breakfast and left around noon.  

In the afternon we headed south, hitting the major town (pop 7000) of Fort Bragg.  Along the way, the road made some CRAZY dips and dives. Highway 1 in California really tries to hug the coast, and wherever creeks empty into the ocean a valley occurs.  Rather than making a large bridge across the gorge, the road hugs the gorge inland dropping sharply in elevation until a short bridge (in the form of a culvert) can be achieved. This makes for wild drops and extreme corners that steal all your momentum and then steep uphills with an onshore headwind.  Brutal. Exhilerating.

Did some shopping in Fort Bragg for groceries and then headed to our campground of Russian Gulch.  Campground was closed, and we found a note from Bryan and Maggie saying they continued on the extra 4 miles south of Mendocino to Van Damme State Park to camp.  We got there around 6pm, made dinner and set up camp and went to bed.

Gorgeous trees that arched over to make a wonderful canopy/tunnel over the road on the flats. Delightful.

Westport Union Landing State Beach

October 7th, 

Leaving Richardson Grove it was time to start the ride of the highest hills yet peaking at 2000 feet.  We sarted at around 1000 feet and went up and down for some time before reaching Leggett.  Here we took the turnoff to Highway 1 and started up the giant hill.  It was a 4 mile hill at 7% grade.  Rigel and I started out before Bryan and Maggie but they caught up sometime in the middle.  I guess even my lowest gears are no match for the speedy Bryan.  It was a windy uneventful top of the hill as it did not have any viewpoint but all the same we made lunch (turkey sandwiches and energy bar)and then headed down the hill.  It was a different sort of hill than the ones we had been on.  Starting off it was quite steep and curving, then it turned to crazy switchbacks where you had to slow right down in order to take the turn, then flattened right out and went uphill forcing you into a low gear, then a crazy downhill again.  It was like a roller coaster but without the bit of safety from being in a regularly maintained machine. To follow that big hill was a nice big hill to end the day.  It was about 700 feet.  Rigel was just pooped by the end of it.  It was like the hill that never ends. Steep switchback after steep switchback.  But we got through it and at the bottom was greeted with a beatiful view of the ocean.  With the raging wind at our backs we made our way to Westport Union Landing State Beach.  It was a lovely $3 per person, with the best campground view of the ocean you could want and friendly neighbours.

Richardson Grove State Park

October 6th, 

The morning we wild camped we packed up quickly and made it out to the road without any issues.  We continued along the Ave of the Giants until Phillipsville then crossed over back to the 101.  We didn't stay on it long as a man told us to take the Redway up to Garberville as we would avoid a really steep hill that in his words "would kill us".  We were thankful because although there was still a really big hill, it was quieter and we got to be back in the redwoods.  

Throughout the day we passed over many high bridges with spectacular views of the forested mountain sides and meandering creeks.  I wish I stopped to take a picture of every one, they were so gorgeous.  The hills were large but not very steep so I could (finally) put my bike in a low gear and just glide up the hills.  It is finally a pleasure to ride my bike.  Who knew I was just always in too high of a gear. I wish I knew more about bikes so that the last month was not so hard on my knees and mental strength.  Very happy I spent the $364 on my bike.  

The day ended at Richardson Grove State Park and to our surprise, was somewhat closed.  It is a large campground and only one part was still open which was a short hilly ride away from the closed hiker/biker area.  We didn't see any rangers anywhere and there was still water available so we stayed the night.  On the trip to the bathroom (in the open section) we meet a couple that were out camping for their wedding anniversary; Bruce and Sarah.  It turned out that Bruce once worked at a bike shop and helped me to become even more comfortable on my aero bars and saddle.  Sarah gave me some coconut water that is high in potassium to help with the muscle burn as well.  Thanks Bruce and Sarah!! Once we finished talking to them we rode back to our site where Bryan and Maggie had an egg curry dinner waiting for us. Yum! (it was their turn to cook)      

Avenue of the Giants

October 5th, 

Getting an early start at the KOA we headed to Eureka to stock up on our staple foods and explore the well kept Victorian homes.  We found a great (although expensive) natural foods co-op so we were able to stock up on our bulk foods such as minced garlic and onion. The days ride was a real treat with my new low gears.  It made carrying my old cassette not so bad. I was able to shed even more layers since the temperature got up to about 86 degrees..(don't know what that is in celcius but it was HOT) There weren't too many hills but I couldn't believe how much water I drank.  Just kept refilling my bottles.  The 101 had turned into a freeway so there were not very many trees to provide shade until we got to the turnoff to the Avenue of the Giants.  Having not really read much of the book for that day I didn't know what I was in for. Turned out it was not giant hills but the giant redwoods again.  Phew!

We met up with Bryan and Maggie right before the turnoff and decided the day was quite draining with the heat and to start looking for a nice spot to camp as we knew we didn't want to ride to Burlington campground. We found a nice clear spot on an old overgrown service road and made camp.  This was our first 'real' wild camp.  Rigel was quite worried we would get caught so he kept his voice down and used his headlight at a minimum. Some other bikers had told us that with the federal government being shut down rangers were going about kicking people off the park that had decided to drive in and squat. I was not worried as we were far enough off the road no one would see anything.  

Eureka KOA

October 4th, 

With the knowlegde of bike shops in both Arcata and Eureka, we got an early start riding out of Elk Prairie (even having a yummy breakfast at a small cafe in Orick). We decided to not circle back north out of the campground and headed south on the biking trails fully loaded and ended up not reaching the 101 for almost three miles. The trail was wonderful as it went through the redwoods and we found out our tires are pretty puncture proff as we rode over sharp rocks, sticks and branches. Just about to the 101 we came across a large herd of elk in a field; biggest we saw for the time we were there.  

It was a bit of a hilly ride coming out of the park but with all the adjustments we had made I was able to use my aero bars a fair amount.  We passed a couple of lagoons where on one side was the ocean and on the other was freshwater only separated by a thin bit of land.  This was the first day in a while that I was able to shed some of my five layers of clothes I had been wearing.  The weather was absolutely georgeous! Hardly a cloud in the sky! We stopped in Trinidad at The Lighthouse (small restaurant/cafe) and had their famous mashed potato waffle cone and homemade ice cream. Delicious. 

Finally making it to Arcata by early afternoon we found the bike shop (Lifecycles) and set to figuring out how I could make it easier to go up hills.  The cheaper option of changing the rear cassette was exhausted as the guy said I already had the lowest gears I could for my bike.  Bit of a bummer but then he decided I could change my front crank and cassette to a smaller, mountain biking one and get a more significant change to the gearing.  This sounded great to me so I shoveled out the $364 in order to make it happen.  They guys there said I could also drop some of the weight I was carrying and that would help too.  Compared to all the other cycle tourers we have met, we are travelling in quite the luxury with all our bags of food and tarps.  

That night we stayed at the KOA kampground by Eureka where we enjoyed the wifi, showers and hot tub at $34 a night (of course split between 4 isn't so bad)    

one of the well kept Victorian mansions in Eureka

Elk Prairie

October 2nd to October 4th 2013

Obama was lambasted by congress on october 1st and couldn't pass his new budget.  We were hoping it would be temporary because Oregon's Redwood state and national state parks was federally run and therefore closed.  Now that we were entering another park, we hoped that the campground was going to be open.  Actually, our thoughts were not so sophisticated as that.  Erin battled the hill.  It was agony.  Slow, long.  Halfway thru, the elderly couple (retired grandparents) passed us going up the hill.  Embarassing.  Erin was full of bile and hatred as the agony makes cycling not beautiful, or fulfilling but rather a torturous wheel ploughing her leg bones into each other.  

The ride back down the hill after all the hills was incredible.  It was a lengthy, serpentine route that required minimal effort.  The redwoods cast such a shadow though that we turned on our lights to be more visible to the many tourists in the park.  The trees are so big as to dward Erin on her bike and cars alike (See photos if they're attached).

I had fun photographing Erin and the trees and the cars while riding down the hill.  Elk Prairie is beautiful enough to warrant a rest day, and so we took one to enjoy the sights.  Erin painted, I cycled down to the coast and hiked the fern canyon, Maggie hiked down to the coast and also up the fern canyon (meeting me there at the precise moment I arrived, as unlikely as that is). Bryan lazed around camp refusing to cycle or hike on his down day.

Chatrelle mushrooms were plentiful in the forest since the rain occurred so shortly ago.  Yum! I am developing a love for foraging for food during our voyages.  I can spot an apple tree now by the silhouette alone without even the colours of ripeness.

Rigel's hike to Fern Canyon

Crescent City, California

October 1st,

We were set to finally hit the redwood forest.  Mill creek campground awaits us!  We started late having done laundry in the morning, but only 30 miles or so to go.  We made it to Crescent City by 3:30 or so and were looking for internet to update the blog.  Unfortunately, we learned that the camp ground closed! It was, in fact, double closed. Once for being out of season (oops) and once because the federal government is run by children in the USA. 

Puttering around until 5:30, it got too late to chase the errant couple up the hill only to have to problem solve a place to sleep so we were excited to learn about a state campground in town (fuck you coos bay) in Shoreline RV park.  Erin immediately hit it off with the grumpy, drunk, site host.  He gave us a bottle of smoked salmon, which is better than the glares we learned he gave an older cycling couple we were neighbours too in the park.  Jim and his wife had set up already, knew we were riding with Bryan and Maggie and saw them earlier riding through town (around 3pm) to go up the hill (a giant hill, bigger than we'd done thus far in one go. 1100 feet).  They also gave Erin a shoulder massage, encouragement, and advice about changing the front crank on her bike from the road bike set up to a mountain biking setup.  Now Erin had hope for handling hills in the future without the agony and frustration.

The campground was nice, if simply, $22 for the two of us with all the amenities though we only used the toilet and fresh water. Oh, and wifi!  More updates followed here.

In the morning, since we guessed we couldn't stay at Mill Creek (checking Bryan and Maggie's spot we knew they had anyhow), we would have to do both the whole big hill and a subsequent medium sized hill and hope the next campground was open.