A Lot of Distance Covered in Six Days

It's Wednesday and we're decompressing in Fort Bragg, CA for a much needed rest day after riding for six days straight. At this point, I really don't know the total amount of miles we've covered in those six days but the minimum  mileage was 70 miles and the maximum was 95. All I know is that we've covered a lot of ground since we left Lincoln City, Oregon last Wednesday. I could look at the route itinerary I created but I am somewhat tired. If it weren't for spell check, there would be a ton of typos.

This ride has been really beautiful. The Oregon coast was absolutely grand and truly spectacular. My absolute favorite morning was leaving Bandon and riding along the coast with the early morning light illuminating the beaches and rocks in the distance. I took a ton of photos that day and was a little concerned that I would not finish the ride that day. The other grand part of this ride has been riding through sequoia forests. One day after a long climb, we had a gentle descent through what seemed to be thousands of sequoias. Even at 20 mph, it was a wonderful and surreal experience gliding through the base of these magnificent trees. In some sections, pine needles rained down on us like snow.

Yesterday, after a couple of big climbs on Highway One, we rode on an absolutely beautiful section of Highway One called Shoreline Highway that overlooked miles and miles of the Pacific coast. The first ten miles was spectacular riding but then we headed inland for some serious hill rollers and at the point my legs were starting to get sore with 15 miles to go. I think this is what we will be doing for the next three days all the way to San Francisco but after 80 miles of riding tomorrow, we will have relatively short rides for the next two days. I am really looking forward riding through Mendocino tomorrow and through Marin county. It will be like the old days for me.       

I have come to realize that riding by bike on the coast is really the best way to go. You get to see more than you would ever in a car and you can stop anywhere to take in the scenery. Granted, you have to get used to the constant traffic of camper vans, cars and logging trucks but for the most part everyone is fairly nice and considerate. 

This is probably my last post until the weekend. I will have my wonderful correspondent Emily posts anything new in the following days.