Day Two Hundred Fifty-five, Date Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Time in Saddle: 5:44
Distance for the Day: 43.40 miles From Miranda To Westport, CA
Accumulated Trip Distance: 12,403 miles
Altitudes: Starting/Ending 201’/1208’, Highest: 1910’ Accumulated: 4009’
Speeds: Avg: 7.5 mph, Max: 36.9 mph
Weather: 49° overcast but without rain
Expenditures: $25
I woke and got up at 6:54am – a little later than usual for me – the late night blogging at the 3Ps must have finally caught up, but I was now fully rested. It was solidly overcast this morning, but it didn’t feel like it would rain. As predicted, the traffic noise from the local road died out late in the evening, and the noise from Hwy 101 was too far away to be of much bother, so I got a decent night’s sleep. I packed up and was ready to roll by 7:04am, and continued on through the last third of the Avenue of the Giants, which ended in Garberville. Along the way, I stopped briefly at The Legend of Bigfoot Gift Shop to get a couple of
drinks, and also picked up an interesting, scallop-shaped Andean ocarina flute (I like flutes), just for the heck of it ($10), and continued on. I stopped at Garberville at 10am to get a mini mart breakfast of hot cocoa, and a couple of pre-packaged pastries ($3), and to recharge my notebook. The next time I stopped, it was at a mini mart in Leggett where I got a late lunch (burger and food/drink items - $12) at 2:20pm, and left at 3:02pm. From here, my route split off to the southwest from Hwy 101 onto Hwy 1; it was a bit of a climb – up almost a thousand feet in elevation through dense forest on narrow, winding road, before it began to go downhill,
again. Traffic was very light, though, so I didn’t have any problems.
At 4:50pm, I found a stealth camp on the downhill side of Leggett Hill; a gravel pile (I love gravel piles) in a lot off the road looked like it might have potential. But there was a trail at the back of the lot that I could ride and get still further from the road. I didn’t go very far – just far enough to be well hidden from the road (N39 48.659’ W123 47.343’). Traffic was light, and would get lighter as it became darker, so the noise level would be minimal. I set my tent up on a moist carpet of pine needles, and hopped inside by 5:15pm with munchies, soda, and book. I read until about 9pm before saying goodnight to myself. This was a nice site, as I could read without worrying about anyone seeing my light. Also, this site was almost disturbingly quiet. No sound at all. No wind, dripping water, birds – no nothing! I felt like I was in a soundproof studio – very odd, indeed. In fact, it was a bit spooky, but in a good way.
My legs today and yesterday were a fair bit more painful than usual with the somewhat heavy climbing, today; I just had to kind of grin and bear it. I would have thought they would be better after having rested a few days, but I think I’m noticing a trend that whenever I stop cycling for more than 3 or 4 days, starting back up again is a painful process. The pain was from the muscles, not the knee joints, so the usual leg stretches didn’t help. Maybe just before I finish, I’ll figure out some quick and easy solution for the relief of muscular pain. Oh, this was a little disappointing: before hitting Leggett, I saw a highway sign that said, “199 miles to SF” (progress – yay!), but later, after going past that sign at least 5 or 10 miles, once I got onto Hwy 1 heading for the coast, I saw another sign that said, “208 miles to SF.” Anti-progress – phooey! This must have been a longer route – not too surprising, as coastal routes tend to wind around a bit more than inland routes – but still.
Time in Saddle: 5:44
Distance for the Day: 43.40 miles From Miranda To Westport, CA
Accumulated Trip Distance: 12,403 miles
Altitudes: Starting/Ending 201’/1208’, Highest: 1910’ Accumulated: 4009’
Speeds: Avg: 7.5 mph, Max: 36.9 mph
Weather: 49° overcast but without rain
Expenditures: $25
I woke and got up at 6:54am – a little later than usual for me – the late night blogging at the 3Ps must have finally caught up, but I was now fully rested. It was solidly overcast this morning, but it didn’t feel like it would rain. As predicted, the traffic noise from the local road died out late in the evening, and the noise from Hwy 101 was too far away to be of much bother, so I got a decent night’s sleep. I packed up and was ready to roll by 7:04am, and continued on through the last third of the Avenue of the Giants, which ended in Garberville. Along the way, I stopped briefly at The Legend of Bigfoot Gift Shop to get a couple of
drinks, and also picked up an interesting, scallop-shaped Andean ocarina flute (I like flutes), just for the heck of it ($10), and continued on. I stopped at Garberville at 10am to get a mini mart breakfast of hot cocoa, and a couple of pre-packaged pastries ($3), and to recharge my notebook. The next time I stopped, it was at a mini mart in Leggett where I got a late lunch (burger and food/drink items - $12) at 2:20pm, and left at 3:02pm. From here, my route split off to the southwest from Hwy 101 onto Hwy 1; it was a bit of a climb – up almost a thousand feet in elevation through dense forest on narrow, winding road, before it began to go downhill,
again. Traffic was very light, though, so I didn’t have any problems.At 4:50pm, I found a stealth camp on the downhill side of Leggett Hill; a gravel pile (I love gravel piles) in a lot off the road looked like it might have potential. But there was a trail at the back of the lot that I could ride and get still further from the road. I didn’t go very far – just far enough to be well hidden from the road (N39 48.659’ W123 47.343’). Traffic was light, and would get lighter as it became darker, so the noise level would be minimal. I set my tent up on a moist carpet of pine needles, and hopped inside by 5:15pm with munchies, soda, and book. I read until about 9pm before saying goodnight to myself. This was a nice site, as I could read without worrying about anyone seeing my light. Also, this site was almost disturbingly quiet. No sound at all. No wind, dripping water, birds – no nothing! I felt like I was in a soundproof studio – very odd, indeed. In fact, it was a bit spooky, but in a good way.
My legs today and yesterday were a fair bit more painful than usual with the somewhat heavy climbing, today; I just had to kind of grin and bear it. I would have thought they would be better after having rested a few days, but I think I’m noticing a trend that whenever I stop cycling for more than 3 or 4 days, starting back up again is a painful process. The pain was from the muscles, not the knee joints, so the usual leg stretches didn’t help. Maybe just before I finish, I’ll figure out some quick and easy solution for the relief of muscular pain. Oh, this was a little disappointing: before hitting Leggett, I saw a highway sign that said, “199 miles to SF” (progress – yay!), but later, after going past that sign at least 5 or 10 miles, once I got onto Hwy 1 heading for the coast, I saw another sign that said, “208 miles to SF.” Anti-progress – phooey! This must have been a longer route – not too surprising, as coastal routes tend to wind around a bit more than inland routes – but still.
2 comments:
thanks don...enjoyed your exploits immensely.
Hi sfballach: You're welcome! I'm glad you liked it. ;~Don
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