Day 1

August 26, 2001

Eureka to Marine Garden Club Grove

49.3 Miles

The morning was cool and cloudy; just how I remembered Eureka. I had the free continental breakfast in the lobby, and then finished packing.

Then I set out. I rode through town until I hit a grocery store. It was early Sunday morning, but it was open. I stocked up on provisions for the trip. I got some mini bagels.

I got out of Eureka, and took the optional route off of 101. I'm pretty sure we drove this route before. I went through farm land, and the through some hills to Rio Dell. I stopped at a gas station to use the bathroom, and bought a drink, and had a picnic on a patch of grass.

RedwoodGot back on the 101 until the Avenue of the Giants. It was amazing. The trees were giant. Lots of shade. Not much traffic. Perfect cycling.

I arrived at the hiker/biker campground near Weott. There was a place at the entrance to put your money. It was only $1. Five years ago it was $2. I went in. There was no one else there. There were no showers, but flush toilets.

I set up my tent. Then a guy named Stu rolled in. He was staying at a campground down the road. They didn't have hiker/biker sites, but would let you take a regular site for a buck. He had finished his ride for the day, and was just riding around the park. He had cycled the length of Route 66. This was his third time doing the coast. When he'd done it northwards, he would get up at 3:00, to be on the road by 4:00 to beat the headwinds.

He rolled off, and I rode to the campground two miles down the road to use the shower. I stopped next door at the information centre. They had a truck carved out of a redwood. They had talks every night. That night was going to be "Is sasquatch real?"

I rode back to the store in Weott for ice cream. They had redwood perfume.

I went back to camp and cooked dinner. Then I walked to the store for some dessert.

Back at the campground, I was reading when Joshua rolled in. He was from Seattle, and heading for San Francisco. He taught Karate to kids. His ancestry was Norwegian. He was using a Bob trailer. He said he was getting used to it. It caused problems going down hills.

A little while late, Jeffrey arrived. He was also from Seattle. He was a racer, and was averaging 120 miles a day. We spent the evening chatting.


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Last updated: September 24, 2001