Leggett, CA

In Eureka at the KOA we rented the movie Syriana and watched it in the tent on the computer. Isn't technology wonderful! Hap figured out a way to put the computer in the "loft" of our tent so we can lay down and just look up at the screen. Now all we need is a remote control! When we got up the next morning it was sunny and beautiful out. Temperatures were in the 80's. This was Labor Day so the campground had cleared out and was really empty. We have been staying away from KOA's because we haven't had good luck with them. But this one was really nice. It even had the hiker/biker rate ($16) - our 10% discount for our KOA card. They had a pool and hot tub too. We messed around in the morning and decided not to ride today because we figured everyone was driving home. I sat by the pool for awhile and Hap worked on the computer. Then Hap came over to the pool and we both looked at each other and realized we were bored. We didn't know what to do since we weren't riding. We could have ridden into town, maybe 5 miles or so on the highway but said no that doesn't sound like fun. We played cards for awhile and then another couple showed up on their bikes. They have the same tent at us so we need to be careful where we are sleeping! We enjoyed very much having other cyclists to talk to. For dinner we ordered pizza that was delivered. It was ok but alittle high priced.
During the night we woke up to a pretty steady rain shower. But by morning it had cleared up and was sunny and beautiful. We left the campground on Rt 101 south and rode into Eureka to a Crepe and Coffee houes. I had crepes with peanut butter and nutella. Hap had cheese and spinach crepes. While we were eating three other cyclists who were riding down the coast stopped and ate with us. We all left Eureka and headed south. Today's ride was mostly on the freeway of Rt 101. Your typical four lane highway. At least we had a nice berm to ride on. As we are heading south it is getting alittle hotter. We stopped in the little berg of Orick for some burgers and blizzards. I asked her to make me one as good as the ice cream shop in Ashville does. Of course it was peanut butter and chocolate! We both thought it was the best one we have ever had. It was great! Hap had a peaches and cream blizzard. A side road to Rt 101 is the Avenue of the Giants. We remembered this from our previous two trips on the coast. People often ask us what our favorite trip is. But I don't think we can decide. But we can say what some of our favorite places to ride are. And one of our favorites is the Avenue of the Giants. It is a 32 mile stretch of old Rt 101 that meanders through the giant redwoods. Picture riding through an alleyway of huge trees, with all types of ferns and vegetation around you. There isn't much traffic because it is more of a scenic road. It is just beautiful with the sun trying to peak through the tall trees. We did a fair amount of climbing today but nothing too bad. We stopped for the night at the town of Redcrest right in the heart of the Avenue of the Giants. It is a cute little town of maybe 100 people (don't quote me on that one!). We had stayed at this campground on our very first cycling tour in 1986. That was before we knew anything about touring! We didn't carry a stove or much equipment at all. On that trip our book said that there was a cafe in town so we were completely surprised to find that the cafe had burnt down when we got there. For dinner that night (21 yrs ago) we picked up cans of beef stew and green beans, built a little fire and cooked in the cans. They also had peacocks running lose around the campsites that going under our table while we were eating. It was a very funny night. So staying here again was really alot of fun. And made us realize that we have come a long way (or HAD WE?). While we were setting up a couple pulled up in a car and started getting soaking camping gear out of the car. They said they had been at Crater Lake and had a terrible storm. Everything was just dripping. As it turned out they were from Kentucky just on the other side of the Ohio River from Cinncinati. They asked if we had eaten and we said we are always EATON! I mean no we have not eaten yet. She brought over their two burner stove, a big pot and all the fixings for chilli and gave it to us. She said we have had this for two nights so you can have all the stuff, we aren't going to eat it. About that time another couple on bikes pulled up and set up their tent. We invited them over to help us eat all the chilli. It was a great evening.
This morning we walked across the street and ate breakfast at the cafe. They must have finally rebuilt it after the fire! Then took the tent down and headed south to continue our route on the Avenue of the Giants. It was perfect cycling weather today until about 3pm. We got off the Avenue about then and returned to Rt 101 which is still a four lane highway. We stopped at Garberville for lunch at a grocery store. Hap noticed that the front headset was lose again, so we went across the street to a gas station and borrowed a tool to tighten it with. After Garberville it got hotter. It was 93 degrees. There was alittle more climbing today which wasn't bad except for the heat. There were a couple of sections of Rt 101 that went into two lane and was very narrow. But thankfully they had alot of pullouts which we used alot. You never know Melvin might be driving in California now! (Melvin is the guy who hit me on my bike). We got to the Standish Hicky State Park. Across the street was a little store so we went in for some cold drinks. They had some fresh watermelons so of course we had to have one of those! When we got into camp it was pretty much desserted. We found the hiker/biker sites and set up camp. There were a couple of other cyclists that we asked for help from. We asked them to help us eat our watermelon. It took alto of arm twisting! For dinner we had mashed potatoes, peas, corn on the cob and cheese and crackers. A good dinner to end a good day. Until next time.