Day 20: Climax

Brutal today it was. According to the maps, Leggitt Mountain is the most difficult section of the Pacific Coast Route. Not only that, but Boyd and I decided to do a double day totaling in 85 miles including going up and down towards a 2000 ft elevated point. I can tell you that my arse and other places were pretty damn sore by the end of the day. Snuggling in my sleeping bag and using my sweaty clothes as a pillow came with a swank feeling of success. 

Boyd and I met another fellow biker, Max. Although we lost Oren and Guillaume yesterday (hopeful regroup in San Fran), we’ve gained yet another amiable nomad. 

Our short temporary goal is to get to a place with wifi by 3 PM today to watch Australia vs. Chile at the world cup. San Francisco is about 200 miles away so the ETA is the 17th.

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                                                                      We did this yesterday

Photogenic Max

Garberville, CA.
A random guy came up to us and told us that we were at the California Pot Capital.

Smooth sailing down Leggitt Mountain 

The Ocean popped out at the bottom the hill

I'm really enjoying Mexican Food farther south we go.

Day 19 (Surplus)

Day 19 took an unexpected turn. Our campsite was in between Eureka and Arcata. While Boyd and I are morning risers and Oren and Guillaume arise a bit later, our two parties split up in the morning. Boyd and I had breakfast at Eureka. We noticed that the next few days there would be minimal services therefore making it difficult to watch the 2014 World Cup. I also had to get to San Francisco to meet a friend so we decided to leave on our proposed rest day. Sadly our group of fine travelers had to break apart. Boyd and I left towards Burlington, CA about 50 miles south while Oren and Guillaume stayed back in Eureka.

On the road again.

Eureka is filled with Victorian Age Style Buildings

Stopped for some monster burritos in Fortuna, CA.

Ran into Smoky the Bear. (Don't play with fire)

Scotia, CA claims to be the world's largest redwood mill.

There was a random penitentiary in the middle of the Redwoods.

Dinner

Day 18

Just a quick 50 mile day towards Arcata/Eureka, CA. Spending a rest day in Eureka. 270 miles away from San Francisco.

Day 17

Nearly at the half-way point to Tijuana. If you are reading this, I want to thank you for following me so far! Or at least checking out how I'm doing. So gracias.

I spent $140 more than I wanted to today. I've been getting several flats recently and I haven't felt confident riding on rough surfaces. This was due to using the regular tires that came with my road bike that only have one layer of Kevlar. I bought some Gatorskin tires that should prevent getting flats but they weren't cheap. 

Yesterday after a 70 mile ride, we spent the night at Redwood National Forest in Northern California (Oh yeah, we crossed the Oregon-California Border!!!). The forest consisted of Coast Redwood and Giant Sequoia Trees. 
Some awesome tree facts:

Coast Redwood Trees:

• Height: To nearly 380 ft.
• Age: to 2,000 years
• Bark: To 12 in. thick
• Base: To 22 ft. diameter

Giant Sequoia Trees:

• Height: To nearly 311 ft.
• Age: To 3,200 years
• Bark: To 31 in. thick
• Base: To 40 ft. diameter

Both these trees start as seeds the size of an oat! 

The ride has been great. Boyd, the guy from Australia has stuck with us and since then, we've started our ride earlier to avoid traffic and wind. 

California is a bit drier than Oregon and also a bit more pricier, but there is more culture in the people and the towns. It seems more alive. I am currently in Arcata and I will be taking a rest day in Eureka!

Oregon has been so kind to me.

The Crew

After a 1000 foot climb...

Was gifted with a flat on the way down the hill. At least there was a great view.

So thug.

Day 16 Last Day of Oregon

Oregon has a reserved place inside of me. The Oregon Coast Trail showed without say one of nature's finest sceneries. It is described to be like the coast of Hawaii without the heat. The sun shone brightly and the wind delivered a cool breeze. I'm expecting myself to come back and explore this state so if you want to join in, contact me anytime!

Here are the photos of the last night in Oregon. The California border is coming up in 5 miles! (Leave any fruit behind)

To exemplify the tail winds. 

Met Boyd (middle) from Australia!

Spent the last night in Oregon in a yurt!

Day 15

Today we biked through the Seven Devils which is basically seven decently sized hills. I wish I had one of those bike computers to keep track of my miles and altitude gain but I'll save that for the next tour. After 55 miles of beautiful nature, we arrived at Humbug National Park. Apparently June 7th is Camping Day so our campsite was free for the night!

Rolling Four Deep

Made some Mac 'n' Cheese! 

For some reason, we had so much spinach.

Essential

Huge spider in the bathroom. It looked bigger in real life.

Day 14

After a shorter day of biking (35 miles) we arrived at Sunset Bay State Park about 100 mile north of the California border. Three other bikers joined us named Drew, Max, and Jeremy. We had a nice time bonding over the campfire.

Sadly did not watch the sunset at Sunset Bay. But here's the bay.

Oren made a home theatre to watch Game of Thrones.

Camp food's starting to get gourmet.

Nomadic Community Gathering.
(Left to Right) Oren, Max, Jeremy, Drew, Guillaume.