Day 5: Ave of Giants, Headwinds

Today started out with me shedding a little bit of weight, a bottle of spray sunscreen. It's been too cool and especially dirty on the highways to ride at length without a shirt. Last night was also my first shower but it was just barely warm enough to be comfortable. For those who know me well I love showering and letting the hot water soak in for a bit, so this was pretty disappointing. It was cool in the campground and I was in such a rush to dry off that I left my bottle of Dr. Bronners behind, accidentally shedding more weight. Jim, a biker I ran into yesterday, stopped by the campsite knowing that I had camped there. He brought a map for me of the northern part of the coast and some highlights marked off already! On his recommendation I'll try to get to Prairie Creek tomorrow and then ride an abandoned stretch of old Hwy 101 the next day. He was really nice and had some great touring tips and places to see.

I spent quite a bit of time exploring in the early part of the day since the Ave north of Burlington is more impressive than south. I walked the Founders Loop and saw the massive, fallen, Dyerville Giant. All of this reminded me of The Wild Trees by Richard Preston, which if you haven't read I highly recommend. It details how many of the world's tallest trees exist in this park and their greatness was only fully discovered in the last two decades. I snacked at Bull Creek and visited Giant Tree, which is nearby the tallest tree in the world. The ranger informed me that 130 out if the world's tallest 180 trees reside in just this little area.

After saying goodbye to one of the most impressive displays of nature on the planet, I hit the Ave one final time and cruised north. In total today I encountered 9 other bike tourers, all heading south. I have been informed over and over that I'm heading the "wrong way", but until leaving the Ave I hadn't experienced why. Every time I have just explained that I chose the route I want to take because I wanted to start in my homeland and see particular sights, regardless of hardship. Hence the "Current Inspiration" songs. As soon as I got back on 101 I was hit with a ~20 mph headwind. This can really make the going rough, especially when there are no trees to block the gusts. I actually got to the point of wishing for semis to pass me because it meant I would have 2 seconds of no wind.

This was also the point at which I've felt in the most danger. I had to cross the Memorial something-or-other bridge and the railing was only as high as my butt. To add to the concern I was on the highway and trying to stay toward the edge as much as possible, and a cross wind was pushing me towards the railing. My fear was a semi pushing an extra gust of wind at me and if I had hit the railing, with my body's center of gravity being above it, I could have been diving into the river 100 feet below, which wasn't quite deep enough for that sort of thing.

So I powered through and struggled up to Fortuna, where Eel River Brewing Co is conveniently located. I filled up on all you can eat fish n chips and a sampler tray of their beers, then walked down the road to a campground and RV park which had free hot showers! A quick discussion with a hiker, Troy, who has been hiking and hitching for weeks all over the western states, and then to bed early in anticipation of a long Day 7.