What a week!

We are at the home of Betty and Gillete Bechtel, retired to the Sea Ranch in CA just south of Gualala from service to the Church in SD, among other places. They say hi to all their SD friends.

We have had an incredible week. When last we were able to get on line we shared that we were dealing with bike shops. This has not changed, I broke my chain this week and twisted the front derailleur out of whack. But this is minor in comparison to the treats.

On Tuesday we cruised the Avenue of the Giants, the Redwood Ents that hold peace against the Orcs of development in No Cal. If you aren't sure what Ents and Orcs are, ask anyone who has seen the Lord of the Rings. The 32 Mile ride on Tuesday was so magnificent we thought about just doing it 30 more times and skipping the rest of the ride. The trees and the quietly lined road bring one to silence again and again. We will have pictures up when we are in Wi-Fi territory once more.

Tuesday night we were in Garberville, consolidating out energy for the ride on Wednesday over Leggett mountain. While the road North to South is pretty nicely graded, we did climb almost 3500 feet on Wednesday (counting all the ups we rode) before a screaming 16 mile descent down from Leggett. The most important thing is that we two geezers RODE over the mountain. we would not want to do it South to North, but our route was fine.

I developed a hill "breath prayer" that helped me settle into the long climbs: "Hill, Legs, Bike, Spirit." I had to quit working as hard pedalling and just let my legs find the natural stroke of each hill. It was amazing to climb without effort (well almost without effort) but certainly without the exhuastion that came from trying to pound my way up the hills.

We made it to Westport and stayed at a cutle little Inn there. Thursday we rode up and down through coves to reach Fort Bragg, where I spent time getting my gears worked on. The we hopped out to Caspar to stay with Roy and Carol Ann Falk. She is in training for a June AIDS ride from SF to LA and we had a great evening and visit with them.

Today we rode about 57 miles to Sea Ranch CA, just South of Gualala. Exhausting ride up and down and up and down. Made more aggravating by my gears and derailleur still not being adjusted correctly. Plus Rt 1 here is very narrow and without shoulders. A beautiful ride, but one during which you had to be constanting on guard for cars. Both days we both noted that the hills seemed easier to climb and that we were not as winded. Leggett mountain was like crossing an equator of ability. Some hills are steep, but none are like what we have already conquered.

Tomorrow we are off to Bodega Bay, hopefully to get in before some rain settles in. We are both turning in early this evening, but wanted our avid readers to know that we have had a glorious week on the road.