Sleepy

The final 5 miles heading into Sam Taylor SP were a beautiful shaded bike path, among the first I've traveled since leaving Kent, WA. It makes all the difference to be away from the traffic, which can be quite annoying and nerve-wracking, with each passing car representing potential instant death and all...

The park is on a river and the day was still quite warm, so I jumped in for a refreshing swim, layed out in the sun to dry, then took a nice long shower and collapsed in my tent at the early hour of about 8pm! It was still light out! But the gods would not have me sleep undisturbed...

This particular site had wooden lockers to stash food in, but they should have used steel, because in the middle of the night, I heard a terrible racket coming from one of them. I feared it was a racoon, but soon heard the little chirping bastards- MICE! I opened it up and found they had gotten into my cocoa and thankfully nothing more. I made like a LOG till 9am.

After doing my laundry, I made pretty quick work of the rest of the ride. I happened upon some little towns like Tomales and Point Reyes Station, but got a pretty off-putting vibe in both~ very superficial and overly trendy. It was like people were 'posing' at the sidewalk cafe instead of just having coffee and chatting. I did find another winery and did a tasting. I think it was called the Point Reyes Winery. Very small operation, with no distribution outside their tasting room. I found the wines delightful, but I think anything liquid and cool tastes like heaven after a couple hours on the bike. If I knew anything about wine, I'd ramble here, but I don't. The Chardonnay was tasty- not as 'oaky' as most. Hey, I'm learning something! Oh, the pic is outside the winery in a cranny. 

Day 28, Sunday, Bodega Dunes SB to Samuel Taylor SP

I started the day with a stop in the nearby town of Bodega Bay to do some laundry. Coming up the hill into town, I got talking to this nice brotha who owns the candy/kite shop in town. He has done the tour before and had some good suggestions for me. As I was leaving, he ran into the store to get me a bag of yummy yummy salt water taffy! Excellent road food!

By the time the feast had finished, the fog had lifted and I had just enough time to roll into camp at Bodega Dunes. There was an obnoxious group of loud ladies next door, but with the help of the Ipod, I was quickly back in the twilight zone of rhythms and misty mysteries.

And, for your amazement, astonishment, and wonder... THE NON TWIN TWINS!! I was sure they were twins, but, apparently, the one on your right is two years older. I still don't believe them. Couldn't help but have some German genetic engineering type thoughts...  

And then it happened again... With darkness falling and the fog too thick to cycle through, I sought refuge from the road in this turnout, where a couple RV's were parked. The old reliable conversation piece bike soon had me talking to a couple guys who were outside the RV's, and before I knew it, I was invited to a 7 course all I could eat Philippine feast! There were shrimp, potatoes, vegetables, soups, barbeque ribs, salad, and even a prune cake for dessert! Coffee, the whole nine. Not that I've ever lost faith in humanity, but if I had, this trip would surely have restored it. The three white folks in the middle are from Germany. They rolled up after we were eating, but still got some corn on the cob- did I forget to mention that? I sure did. They rented a motorhome and are touring LA to Seattle- what a strange nexus. It's all coming together... 

As I was cycling along in the fog, the ethereal effect was taken a step further by a rhythmic drumming, which I followed to this roadside picnic area overlooking the water. It's a sheer cliff behind the drummers and the water can only be seen intermittently amid the fog. Magical... 

The fog got SUPER thick for my last 8 miles or so. I snapped this pic stuck by the side of the road, too scared to get hit. I have a red flashing light on the back of my left pannier, and I put my headlamp on my helmet backwards, but I still don't think I'm all that visible, especially in the fog. 

Old car. Any experts out there? 

Wish I could channel Robert Frost for these ones... 

she sings a song so sweet it makes you forget, and then you try to hold on too tight and it becomes a picture and you the observer again... 

Smallest post office ever- Stewarts Point. I stopped at the equally charming General Store in town and loaded up on a variety of caloric items, including but not limited to wheat thins, yogurt, cherries, plums, cheese, turkey, tortilla, and an assortment of beverages. I sat on the porch and made mini sandwiches using wheat thins, cheese, and turkey, watching harley riders come and go, which is what most people mean when they say 'biking the coast'. There are a LOT of them out here. Looks like fun! Maybe next time... 

More fog summons me forward~ 'pedal into my soft, fuzzy labyrinth and I'll make sure you're born tomorrow..." 

Just across highway 1 from the campground, on the ocean side, the river empties into the ocean in depicted dramatic fashion. 

Day 27, Saturday, Gualala Point Regional Park to Bodega Dunes State Beach, 45 miles

The beautiful Gualala Point campsite in the daylight! Check out them trees!! Wild, eh? Spider legs! And that's Simon, a fellow wandering psychologist. ~Coincidence of coincidences, he teaches Educational Psychology for the University of West Georgia, where I'll be matriculating in the Fall. He teaches at a branch campus tho- different city. We hit it off pretty well and chatted it up for a couple hours. He has offered me a couch to crash on when I hit Atlanta:) The road giveth, I tell ya... now I'm just hoping the logging truck don't taketh away...

... I met some nice folkse who insisted on buying me drinks and then driving me to my campsite :) This is a self-portrait at 50 mph in the back of a Dodge pickup. They dropped me off at the entrance, and I found the hiker biker site in the pitch black. Good times...  

When I got into the town of Gualala near dusk, I stopped at a BBQ joint and had some eats and learned that they had some blues starting at 8, so I decided to stick around check it out. Turns out the music was mediocre, so I was going to make a run for camp before dark, but... 

When the fog lifted, she lifted! Nearing Gualala, I was treated to this almost blinding late afternoon glisten!! Like Downy for my drying clothes! If only the wind could brush my teeth... Pine needles maybe... actually, on the subject of hygiene, I am using that Dr. Bronner's Minty multipurpose soap (All One or None!) for darn near everything. I even used it to brush my teeth when i ran out for a day. Worked great! And nothing compares for showering- I've come to joyfully anticipate the minty cool sensation and then climbing into my nice fuzzy fleece sleeping bag. Ah the simple pleasures. 

Highway to Heaven?

I rode most of the day in a dreamlike fog. (insert mental health joke here) The effect was both comforting and disorienting. I enjoyed the extra element of 'unveiling' the road as I traveled, but I was somewhat disappointed to be missing the views of the coast. The fog did make for a nice cool temperature and refreshing 'showered' feeling... ~ah the lengths to which I go to avoid basic hygiene. The temps have been staying in the low 60's or lower on the water, and they rise dramatically when going inland at all.

Day 26, Friday, Mendocino to Gualala, 50 miles

The Little River rises and shines, near Mendocino