Bike Shops and Sunshine

Woke up today to find the sun out, the sky blue and the pavement dry all at the same time! Woo Hoo! So we got up early to head off to the Revolutions Bike Shop in Arcata, where Sean put a new tire on my bike, replaced a kinked cable to the front brake, and trued the back wheel. The bike felt smooth and off we went through Arcata to Eureka.

We went by Samoa and Manila (who knew they were in CA) and then into Eureka, the broken glass on the ground capital. Dave's front tire picked up a shard coming in over the bridge. So we stopped and replaced the innertube. We found the historic Carson Victorian home and took some pictures, then sought out a bike store so Dave could have a back-up tire should his now be shot.

All in all we spent two hours on tires and bike repair. Then off towards the Avenue of the Giants. We had a great ride along 101 with the wind at our back, turning off at Loleta to find some lunch. Loleta had no places to eat, despite advertising a cheese making factory. We continued on the little side road to Fernbridge where we found a great little Market and Cafe. Big, airy, and filled with the aroma of freshly baked cakes and pies. We got a table and had a sumptuous lunch looking out at the Humbolt Creamery and wishing they had already finished the renovations of their ice cream plant.

We briefly thought of going into the preserved Victorian town called Ferndale (shown famously in the film "Outbreak"). But the wind was coming up so we decided to continue on the back road towards Rio Dell. It was a great ride along the Eel River, with the only real hazard being the hunks of manure that spotted the road all through the dairy farms. Remember that Creamery, we met all those cows. With ever stronger wind whipping at our back we zoomed towards Rio Dell until the last three miles when we had to climb out of the Eel River Valley and up to the town and 101 as it rose towards the Redwoods. We were glad we skipped Ferndale.

Rio Dell erupts in a fancy town sign and a boulevard (the old, pre 1970s highway)leading us to a nifty little motel called Humbolt Gables Motel. The fellow running it was thoughtful and well organized and the room is nice. A long day and very productive, almost 45 miles.

As the wind picked up and the temps cooled off we made a quick trip down the road to DJ's for a malt and some sandwiches for later....lunch was sooooooo huge we only really need a snack later.

Tomorrow we will head into the Avenue of Giants and hope to reach Garberville. The day after that is the ascent to Leggett, at 2000 feet the highest point on the pacific coast. You all need to pray hard for us on Wednesday.