Sunday, May 5, 2013

Day of rest Crescent City

Took the day off because it is cinco de mayo and that just means even more drunks on the roads.  I enjoyed my time off so far.  Redid my laundry first then pigged out at a diner for my second breakfast before riding around town.  I took a few pics along the beach and of the lighthouse but mostly just slowly cruised around town getting a feel for it.  Here are some of the pics:












Ride day 75 by jimfrogs at Garmin Connect - Details

Ride day 75 by jimfrogs at Garmin Connect - Details


I am a confused senior citizen that messed up the days count.  This is actually day 74 but I am not going back to change it all to correct it, who cares?


Ride Day 76 by jimfrogs at Garmin Connect - Details

 My ride from Patrick's Point State Park to Crescent City was gorgeous once again, 56 miles 5000' of climbing and 85 degree heat that made it sort of like work.  The Pacific coast is very nice all along it.  I did not get much out of Patrick's Point State Park because everything there required lots of walking along trails to see and I just am not able to walk far enough to do that.  So I pretty much sat around resting and watching the big trees blow in the wind. 

I left early in the morning before 7.  The weather was cold at that hour but it was clear with a headwind of 10-15 mph.  I enjoyed the ride despite the tough riding conditions.  Big Lagoon was a good looking area with a saltwater lagoon and the on the other side of the road was a freshwater lagoon.  The beach along there was covered in trees and other debris washed up over the years which made it look even more isolated than it was.  My road was ok but in some areas, like curves, the shoulder disappeared and it was a bit scary.  I had no real close calls but my luck can't last forever.

There were two big grades that were work.  The cold morning quickly turned into hot dry weather blowing in my face.  It made me use a lot of water and my lips got a bit wind burned but not so bad that it lasted until the next day.  I met a few other riders that were interesting to stop and talk with.  A couple from Canada were planning on spending six months riding around the US.  They asked me about where I had been and what the conditions were.  They did not always like the things I said like the 120 degree heat and the high steep climbs along the way.  They told me they wanted to go to all the national parks and I asked them if they knew how many parks that would be, they did not have a clue.  It would take well over 6 months to bike to all the national parks in the country.

After cresting the big grade south of Crescent City, I got to my planned campground and found it closed.  So I had to continue all the way into town in the 85 degree heat and bright sun to look for a new place to camp.  I found a place called Village Camper Inn on the north side of town.  The people running it were nice and friendly so I will stay a couple of days to redo my laundry and rest up before I hit the rolling hills of Oregon next.  I have to redo my laundry because I used a harsh detergent for my last wash and the soap made me get heat rash everywhere I was sweaty which was just about everywhere....More later.
 






















Ride Day 76 by jimfrogs at Garmin Connect - Details