Day Eighteen

Fortuna to Leggett/Royal Tree Villas, 80 miles

Absolutely the best day of the ride. First, the Avenue of the Giants. Second, 80 miles, hills and all! Third, Johnson and the Royal Tree Villa.

I got a good early start today because promised to be a toughy. Heading inland up the South Fork of the Eel River equals no more fog/more sun/more heat. Rivers wind and highways prefer up and down. Cheaper to build, shorter to drive. So, hills. Today’s distance, some 80 miles, is longest planned distance of any day so far. It’s here, ready or not, because the schedule is relentless. I must get to Ukiah tomorrow, to rent a car and drive 600 miles to my niece’s wedding, a can’t miss affair. 

The first 15 miles was in bottom land with small dairy farms and woodlots.By the way, I’ve been thinking and reading about the agriculture around here, trying to figure it out. I’ve learned that cows love this moist coastal bottomland. Happy cows make excellent milk. Umpqua ice cream and Tillamook ice cream and cheese come from cows grazing in moist coastal bottomlands, and these are exactly the conditions along the northern California coast as well. Dairy farmers here are having a rough go, however. Land prices, climate change, and pricing set by massive agribusiness are taking their toll, and who knows how long they will hold out. I’m not sure if the farmers here have formed their own powerful cooperatives like Darigold and Tillamook. It will take a whole host of countermeasures to keep this local dairy community viable and profitable enough to carry the economy here. 

Next, the massive redwoods of the Avenue of the Giants. This portion of the once vast Redwoods forests was protected around 1921. The Avenue snakes along the Eel River as state route 254, parallel to US 101. It actually was US 101 prior to the highway being rerouted and engineered as a 4 lane highway. US 101 takes almost all traffic off the Avenue, making for relaxed, easy riding without much traffic. The trees are of course truly massive and the canopy creates a cool, light filtered micro climate. In sections where the road is exposed to full sun, usually when it runs right next to the river, it feels like the temperature climbs 20+ degrees. Coming back under the redwood canopy, particularily after a sweaty climb in the sun, causes an immediate chill until my sweat evaporates. 

I didn’t rush my ride through the Avenue, and noted several nice campgrounds in the redwood groves to revise on another (not cycling) trip here. But alas, I reach the end and was coughed back onto the divided highway, with fast traffic, unending up and down, and hot sun. I stayed patient, stopping to rest halfway up the longer hills, not wanting to get too deep into the fatigue well. The road just kept going up and down, which you have heard enough of. 

I was late and I realized I would likely be caught out after dark. My rechargeable rear red blinky light lasts about 10 hours and today was longer, so I began to put in on a battery to recharge whenever I took a break. The shadows lengthened, which cooled my ride, and my legs stayed strong right up to the end of the ride. The end came after dark at the Royal Tree Villas. I had called a few days ago to reserve a room. The manager just took my name and phone number, no credit card to hold the room, so I called him early this evening to say I was still coming. He said “take your time! Get dinner in town before you get here. All I have is junk food for sale! I’ll be up until midnight! Don’t worry!” I rolled in at 8:25 PM. Johnson was super cheerful. So was his dog. Everything about the place is happy. He took $10 off my room rate because I worked so hard to get here. The place is home spun but very nice. The room included Cup o’ Noodles and a hot water kettle, so I had something hot and tasty to go with my dinner of chocolate recovery mix and sardines in hot sauce. Bottom line: visit the Royal Tree Villas and meet Johnson. He’s worth a trip to California just to say hi and have a chat. 

Today was a crux day and everything came together. I haven’t reported on my bike in a while, mostly because it’s totally bomber and everything is working. No flats, squeaks, and because of the drive, no grease. The only issue is it’s kind of a pig, more of a 15-40 mile-a-day bike and not a 60-90 mile-a-day bike. So I’m working pretty hard, but the rock solid steadiness of the bike—zero problems—counts for a lot.