After we entered California, the road took us into a forest and did not let us out for days. Redwoods are the tallest trees in the world; next to them our loaded bikes looked like toys. On this stage we woke up in the fog, took a side road we did not need, made a friend on the road, lost him, and found him again in a place we never expected. And on the same day I ate the worst Subway of the trip and a burger chosen as the best on the West Coast.
- OrickCrescent City → OrickA sign: San Francisco 326 miles. Night: Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, deep in the forest.
- EurekaOrick → Eureka KOABlueberry pie, a sandwich and chips. Night: Eureka KOA and the hot tub.
- RedwoodsEureka → Fortuna → BurlingtonSubway in Fortuna, an unnecessary side road and meeting Brian. Night: Burlington State Park.
- GarbervilleBurlington → Garberville → Standish-HickeyThe worst Subway, meeting Brian again, the best burger. Night: Standish-Hickey State Park.
- MendocinoStandish-Hickey → MacKerricherBack to the ocean, a campfire and a guitar. Night: MacKerricher State Park.
| Harris Beach → Prairie Creek | 103 km | ↑ 900 m | ↓ 870 m |
| Prairie Creek → Eureka | 80 km | ↑ 580 m | ↓ 640 m |
| Eureka → Burlington | 113 km | ↑ 1260 m | ↓ 1200 m |
| Burlington → Standish-Hickey | 71 km | ↑ 1170 m | ↓ 940 m |
| Standish-Hickey → MacKerricher | 70 km | ↑ 850 m | ↓ 1070 m |
| Stage total | 437 km | ↑ 4760 m | ↓ 4720 m |
I could not keep a daily GPS log: in 2011 power banks were hardly a thing, and with GPS tracking on the phone battery died within an hour, which would have made recording the rest of the tour impossible. So these are approximate values from Google Maps cycling directions along the route I rebuilt from the location points on my phone. On the few days where Google pushed the route onto other roads, distance comes from my own route and climbing from an elevation model. Ferry crossings are not included.
Orick · 326 miles to San Francisco
Near Orick, a road sign put the whole calculation in front of us: Eureka 57, San Francisco 326 miles. That is about 525 kilometres. My legs decided to pretend they had not heard it. That night we stayed at Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, deep in the forest. When we woke up in the morning, the tent was surrounded by fog.
Eureka · A pie stop and another hot tub
On the way to Eureka we made two stops: one for blueberry pie, one for a sandwich and chips. On a bike tour there is no fixed lunch time; any time you are hungry is lunch time. In the evening we reached Eureka KOA, and a hot tub was waiting for us. The second hot tub after Astoria! My love for KOAs was growing every day.
Redwoods · A wrong turn and Brian
In Fortuna we filled our stomachs at Subway, as usual. Then we turned onto a side road and made a detour we did not need at all. I saved that spot on my phone with a name that was not very polite; I can't write it here :) Just before that wrong turn, we met Brian. Like us, he was riding south by bike.
In the evening we camped under the redwoods again, at Burlington State Park. It was a small campground, but it was full of cyclists. Brian did not make it; he had a flat tire. There we met two women who were travelling to raise money for education. I was surprised to learn that one of them had studied at Robert College in Istanbul. Robert College, in the middle of a forest in California! The conversation quickly turned to food. They were really lovely people.
Garberville and after · The worst Subway, the best burger
We never warmed up to Garberville. The Subway there was the worst of the trip, both the staff and the place itself. Later we learned that the town is famous on the West Coast for its weed. Let's just say there was no chemistry between us and the town.
But Garberville also had a nice surprise: Brian, in front of the Subway! He was in a great mood and changing his tire. He told us that the day before, two old ladies had picked him up in their car, put him in a hotel and paid the $60 themselves. We had been feeling guilty for leaving him behind on the road. It turned out there was no need.
In short, Brian had a much better night than we did.
After we left Garberville, right across from the campground where we would sleep that night, we found a funny-looking place with a parachute on its roof: Best Burger and Brownie. They told us a magazine had chosen them as the best burger place on the West Coast. I don't know if that is true, but the burger was really amazing, and the Blue Moon beer was very tasty. Then came the brownie sundae: a hot brownie with ice cream on top... There was also a concert. The girl working there was very friendly with us and even invited us to a movie, but we could not go. To be fair, after those hours in Garberville, anything would have made us happy :)
Hickey and MacKerricher · Campfire and guitar
We spent the next two nights at Standish-Hickey and MacKerricher state parks. At MacKerricher a man was playing the guitar by the campfire. Brian made the fire, and we had hot dogs and noodles. It was also the last time we saw the two fundraising women; they were going to stay in the next town for education. Showers were 50 cents for 5 minutes, as usual. In the middle of a forest, by a fire, with people you met on the road... These are the best evenings of a bike tour.
After Leggett the road left the forest and went back to the ocean. A deep blue bay on the Mendocino coast, a short break by a lake... San Francisco was now ahead of us, and the Golden Gate was only a few days away.
- Where we slept: Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, Eureka KOA, Burlington State Park, Standish-Hickey State Park, MacKerricher State Park. For their status today: Where we stayed
- Prices in 2011: showers in state parks, 50 cents for 5 minutes.
- Lesson from the road: Don't think an unknown side road is a shortcut. And don't forget the people you meet on the road; one day they appear in front of you in some town.
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