Back to the Ocean

I awake to another perfectly sunny day and enjoy a hearty and delicious breakfast courtesy of the friendly people at the Eel Rive Cafe in Garberville. Pack up the bike and do a quick run down 101 to Benbow, a name that certainly derives from the snaking river from which the cafe cribbed its name. Some day the name will have to change to Oxbow, as the Eel River is a perfect example of how oxbow lakes are formed.(If you want to know more just send me an e-mail). I run across the group doing the MS ride from Seattle to San Diego and decide to ride with them a bit. This is the third MS tour they've done, including one clear across the US from west to east. It's a very relaxed group and a few of them make regular use of the phrase "right on!" We can mostly follow country roads to the town of Leggett, where I'll break west to cross the coastal range back to the coast. Unlike the Oregon range, this route requires some climbing but I've already gone from sea level in Eureka to 450' in Garberville to 920' in Leggett. To get to the 2,000' summit, therefore, only requires another 1,000' before the descent comes...and what a descent it is. I had been warned about the road by several people. "It's narrow and twisty and cars can't see you around the bends." Objectively they are correct. The road winds its way through forests of redwood, oak and bay trees and there's not enough shoulder to hold up a single spaghetti strap on a halter top. But twisty roads slow down cars and the traffic is light. Once clear of the summit I have the speed advantage on this type of road, especially against the trucks. For ten miles I carve through the turns and only one car manages to pass me the entire time. Another 1,000' climb separates me from the ocean and the descent drops me onto the California coast; sun shimmering off the waves. The 28 miles separating Leggett from the coast had been variously described as sketchy, risky and uncomfortable. Instead, they were sublime and possibly my favorite section of the entire ride from Seattle.

Last Shot of the Eel River

While I have been generally comfortable on this ride, hours of holding your head up - because it's important to see what's in front of you, can start to tighten your neck and shoulders. A common mistake of newbie cyclists is to ride with their arms stiff and shoulders set in a permanent shrug, whereas keeping your upper body relaxed is key. I once read that one way to accomplish this is to keep your jaw slack as it's hard to have tense shoulders with a slack jaw. The weakness of this theory is that it's also hard to keep your mouth closed with a slack jaw and cruising down the road at 20 miles hour with your mouth open is almost certain to result in something flying in that you really don't want there. At the end of the day, just focus on keeping your shoulders loose and move your hands around on the bars to switch positions.

Of course, the final area of potential discomfort is your backside. Bike saddles come in all shapes and sizes...just like asses and it's worth it to take the time to find one that fits you, well, not like a glove, so to speak as that conjures up the wrong image but you get the idea. Most shops carry demo saddles and will let you try different types until you find one that works. I have Prologo saddles on two of my bikes and Brooks on another. If weight isn't a key consideration Brooks is a great way to go as the leather molds itself over time to your particular dimensions. One you have a good saddle don't forget the chamois butter for rides of longer duration!

Back to ride, flying down Highway 1 with the wind at my back the toughest parts of the day are behind me when I come across the Pacific Star Winery. Well, this is a vacation and I've never been to a winery perched on the coast so I decide to stop. Sally, the owner greets me with a couple of questions about where I rode from. In tell her and she asks how bad it was on highway 1 across the mountains. I really don't get the issue with this road. As we are talking Sally points out a flock of pelicans soaring over the waves. Pelicans (Alcatraz in Spanish, in case you ever wondered what the name of the island meant) are the ace flyers of the coastal bird world. They follow each other in close formation, each bird drafting off the one in front. Then they drop low over the waves taking advantage of ground effect (again, feel free to e-mail if you want to know more) to remain aloft with minimal effort.

Pacific Star WInery and a Big Abalone Shell

In any event, I forgo the tasting in favor of a half glass of their Chardonnay, which is bright and fruity rather than the typical California oak and butter. They have a red table wine called It's My Fault and I ask about it. Turns out that some geologists were doing survey work and discovered a previously unknown fault running off the San Andreas directly below the winery, so they named it the Pacific Star Fault. It's all fun and games until the ground starts shaking!
After my glass of wine it's 25 miles of hammering to get to Mendocino. Most of the ride passes quickly and enjoyably until I get to Fort Bragg. The town appears to be recovering. There's a new bike shop and adventure sports store. Good move as there are multiple opportunities for these activities in the area. Of course, there's also abalone diving and I see numerous divers as well as fish and game inspectors. The ten miles between Fort Bragg and Mendocino, however, are marred by narrow shoulders and constant traffic but then I arrive at one of my favorite spots on Earth.



Mendocino was a whaling village in the 1800's and is now a major tourist destination for people from the Bay Area. just south of the town is the Stanford Inn by the Sea. I've been in hotels on every continent on the planet...well, except Antarctica but I don't think there are any hotels there anyway, and the SIBTS is one of the best. Beautiful wood-paneled rooms with fire places, views of the ocean and really comfortable beds. The Ravens Restaurant has amazingly good breakfasts (as long as you don't mind vegan)and I plan to have a big one before tomorrow's century ride to Bodega Bay. But first, it's time for a massage. I booked it when I booked the room and it is sublime. Thanks Robin! 76 miles and 7,000' of climbing melt away and I'm feeling much better about the big ride mañana.

The Mendocino Coast

The Mendocino Watering Hole

And the View Looking out from Dick's