San Francisco to OR Border

The coast north of San Francisco is as beautiful as the coast to the south.  It is also sparsely populated and hilly, but has a greater diversity of landscapes and eventually transitions into the wet coastal forest.

Since I took a week off the bike in SF I decided to do a couple hilly 80 mile days to get back into the swing of things.   There is a good climb out of Sausalito, a fun descent down to Muir Beach, and then a Big Sur like up and down section into Stinson Beach.  The riding through the Point Reyes area is more like a rolling country road, similar to New England riding, before heading back along the ocean on the Sonoma Coast.  

The coastal prairie and rock formations on the Sonoma Coast section of Highway 1

Sonoma Coast State Park is a 10-20 mile stretch of coast with a number of recreation areas that are all part of Sonoma Coast State Park.  Apparently I didn't look at the map close enough and ended up riding 8 miles past the hiker biker campground. Maybe I was distracted by the scenery.  I didn't want to ride back, so per the suggestion of a nice couple I met in a trailhead parking lot, I rode a bit further up along the Russian River to Willow Creek Camp, a primitive campground off the beaten path, which I had all to myself.  Luckily there was a lone and very under utilized restaurant near the dirt road turnoff that let me fill up my water bottles.

The next day was another 80 miles of unusually warm and hilly scenic coastal riding up to Elk, a small coastal town, where I stayed with veteran Warmshowers host, Judy.  Judy and family allow cyclists to camp on their property, which happens to be atop a large hill.  A tough way to end a long day, and I arrived too late for dinner, but glad to have a shower and not have to worry about a place to stay.  It was my first encounter with fierce mosquitoes though.

Another cyclist, Maryam, was also at Judy's.  Maryam was heading north from Santa Cruz, where she goes to college, to Orcas Island, where she has a summer job.  Not too many cyclists are riding north, so we decided to ride together the next day up to Westport Landing, just before HWY 1 turns inland into Redwoods territory.  $3 hiker-biker camping, good drinking water, and a nice sunset is hard to beat.

Camping at Westport Landing

After the sun set another cyclist, Derrick, rode by and we waved him over.  Derrick had a lot of tattoos and a flat back tire, which he had been riding on for 10 miles down some steep hills.  He seemed like a nice guy, but not well prepared, as he had no cash or spare tubes.  He was also a tightly wound fellow.  Getting a word in between his rambling stories about the claustrophobic forest and tweekers of Humboldt county was difficult.  We gave him some money and a spare tube and he camped along side us.  Maryam later told me he made her nervous.  Understandable.

Shortly after Westport the road goes inland and into Humboldt County, which is known for two things: Redwood forests and marijuana cultivation. After the climb and descent over the hills we made a quick stop at the drive-through Chandelier tree, and then continued on toward Garberville.  I was planning to camp at the hiker biker camp in Humboldt Redwoods State Park, but Maryam had lined up a Warmshowers host and they agreed to host me as well.

Tourists! 

The Warmshowers hosts, Sam and Shirley, a retired couple in their 70s, told us the road to their off-grid house was too steep to ride and Sam would come pick us up at the highway. Good thing Maryam was with me or I probably would have tried to ride it.  It is a 3 mile ~1200' climb often steeper than 15% grade and not all paved.  I was relieved when Sam said he would give us a ride down when we leave, even though he later joked about being legally blind.

The ride was the start of some top-notch hospitality.  We had a private guest cabin, with a deck over looking the garden and the valley below. After we got cleaned up, Sam and Shirley gave us a bowl of peanuts and wine to enjoy in the rocking chairs on the deck while they prepared dinner.

At dinner we learned a bit about the marijuana growing, which is a big part of the Humboldt County economy. Sam said a 50 plant operation can earn you about $100K per year, and as long as you have less than 50 plants the Sheriff generally doesn't bother you.  I see the appeal!  They also said Garberville  would not be the same without the marijuana money coming in.  The small, but relatively vibrant downtown was one of the reasons they decided to retire there.

The unregulated pot economy is not all positive.  A lot of people come to the area for seasonal work, mostly for trimming in the fall (cutting leaves off the buds with scissors), and so there is a bit of a drifter population.  There are also problems with occasional violence and wage disputes, and environmental damage, when hillsides are stripped and polluted with trash, pesticides, fertilizers, and diesel from generators.  Another big unknown: what happens to the local economy if marijuana is legalized?    

After dinner Sam and Shirley had a very serious question: Do you want the big breakfast or the small breakfast?  We opted for the big breakfast, of course. They dropped us off in Garberville after hugs and well wishes.  Some of the sweetest WS hosts to date.

Peanuts, wine and rocking chairs on the deck

Maryam, Shirley and Sam at dinner

 From Garberville we rode along the Avenue of Giants back to the coast to Eureka.  The Avenue of Giants is one of the best roads I have cycled on.  It winds along the South Fork Eel River with lush redwood forest towering on both sides, new pavement, and hardly any traffic.  The old growth trees aren't everywhere, but in periodic groves that are marked along the road.

Maryam leading the way through the giants

Eureka is a bigger city, and the drifter population is a bit more noticeable, but our experience wasn't anything like Derrick's.  We stayed with Tim, a friend of Melissa, who is a friend of mine that I have never actually met.  I was introduced via a mutual Warmshowers host (Hank in Porterville) and we started emailing about our travels.  She started in Barcelona, Spain, went east, and now is riding around the southern US, heading for Canada.  All by herself.  Here is her blog link: www.theloongwayhome.com.  Her friend Tim was happy to have us.  He cooked us a great breakfast and shared some of his seemlingly endless knowledge of all things nature related in OR and CA.

We didn't make it too far the next day.  About 10 miles up the road we stopped in Arcata, which is a more affluent hippie college town, home to Humboldt State University.  We wandered into the bustling farmers market on the town square and people immediately started asking about our trip.  After a bit of hanging around and eating, a couple, Nina and Nik, started chatting with us as Nina has the same bike as me.  Coincidentally, their friend and roommate, Sprout, was also headed to Orcas Island to work at the same camp as Maryam.  They invited Maryam to crash at their place, and I decided to stick around too.

Nina, Nik and Sprout along with Lela, Lindsey, Jason, Tara and Michael live in a skillfully refurbished farmhouse and duplex just outside of town.  Lindsey recently finished nursing school, and was having a family party the evening we arrived.  So there were a lot of people celebrating into the evening.  We called it quits long before the party ended, so Jason set us up on the couches in the greenhouse, which is attached to the front of the duplex.

Maryam got a stomach bug and was up all night, so the next day we definitely weren't riding anywhere.  While she recovered I offered my assistance to Jason and got to do some lawn mowing and weeding in the morning, and then furniture moving for another friend, Kevin, in the afternoon.  The furniture moving actually made me more sore than cycling, but I was happy to help and see more of the area.  Kevin was very appreciative, which he acknowledged with a bottle of his homemade wine.

Some of the crew at the farm house in Arcata with my bike. 

Maryam was feeling better the next day so we rode on, up to the Redwoods National Park and Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, which as far as I could tell are one in the same (jointly managed).  We camped at the hiker biker area at the Elk Prairie Campground, which lived up to its name as there were actual Elk in the prairie.  There were also other cyclists, and we joined 4 friendly Canadian law students for dinner and conversation.

There were many giant Redwood trees, but the highlight at this park was actually ferns.  After setting up camp we took a bad ass single-track, dirt road, stream crossing, Elk-dodging 20+ mile round trip ride to Fern Canyon.  The canyon has walls covered with ferns, famous for its lush vegetation, beauty and setting for a scene in Jurassic Park.  We encountered no dinosaurs, but a friendly couple from NYC, a hula-hooper, and many mosquitoes.  I dropped my smartphone in the creek, and though fully submerged for a few seconds it is thankfully working fine.

Fern Canyon

Riding by the Elk

Maryam riding through a creek crossing

Hula hooping fairy among the ferns

On the way north we stopped at the Klamath River Overlook, which we were told is a great spot for whale sightings, as the Klamath River empties into the ocean here creating rich feeding grounds.  The ride to the overlook is quite a climb, but well worth the effort.  We saw many whales and met nice people happy to share food with us.  One couple from Wisconsin fed us cherries and cheese, another trio, filming a documentary about local  Native American culture for PBS, shared some locally caught and prepared smoked salmon with us.

The Klamath River Overlook

After some more climbing through the Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park, which is more beautifully forested road, but with much more traffic, we descended toward Crescent City.  Just before hitting town I turned east on Howland Hill Rd. toward Jedediah Smith State Park.  Maryam was continuing north up the coast so time had come to say good-bye.  She was a great riding companion and I hope to see her in Orcas Island when stopping in the San Juan Islands.

Jedediah State Park is a special place.  On my first visit to Ashland, OR to see friends, Ryan and Jess, they brought me to Jedediah to run among the Redwoods, which is the first time I saw giant trees. I was in awe then and excited to ride among the trees on my bike.  Having been there before made me ponder how far I have come.  A big feeling among big trees.

Taking the back way through Jedediah Smith State Park

Big trees and a big stump with my bicycle

In the Stout Grove

Jess and Ryan got my picture with this tree on my first visit.  The tree still stands. 

From Jedediah I road up 199 along the Smith River toward OR.  I remember thinking two things about this road when we drove it.  First, it is beautiful.  The crystal clear blue water, the rocks and the mountains are amazing.  Second, I wouldn't want to bike on it.  There is high traffic, sharp curves and often no shoulder.  It wasn't that bad, so maybe I am getting accustomed to these roads, or maybe the high speed perspective in a car is scarier.  I was still dreading the tunnel ahead though.

I made it to the base of the big climb out of the river valley, planning to camp at Patricks Creek Campground.  Unfortunately it was closed, which was only problematic because all the water was shut off.  Otherwise it was a free place to camp.  I thought about drinking the water out of the river, but just across the street was the Patricks Creek Lodge and Inn, the only place for miles in either direction.  The bartender gave me some water, and so I decided to have a beer.

At the bar, and the only other people at the lodge as far as I could see, were two veterans.  One of them, Mike, is hiking over 7,100 KM around the U.S., one KM for every soldier that was killed in the War on Terror.  You can find them on Facebook (Mikes Hiking for Heroes) or  at www.mikeshikingforheroes.com.   Given how disconnected the general public is from our War on Terror, myself included, I am grateful I bumped into them and wish them well.

Shortly after Patricks Creek, there is a big climb up to the Collier tunnel.  As I have said, I hate tunnels.  This one was the worst so far.  The road is two lanes with heavy truck traffic and the shoulder disappears as the road goes into the tunnel.  So I put on my flashing red light, pressed the button to turn on the flashing light that is supposed to tell drivers to not hit me, and pedaled as fast as I could.  I made it through with only one truck coming by and then descended down into cycling heaven, the state of OR.

The sign should say "Push button and ride as fast as you can"