Today was moving day. Time to say goodbye to Crescent City and relocate to Ferndale. We had to pack up our stuff, which included the typical stuff six people would need for a week long trip and then my slightly larger pile of clothing, equipment and supplies. We had a delicious hearty breakfast thanks to Maureen, and we did our best to leave the place as good as we found it with all the Halloween décor in place. Needless to say we had a slightly late start out of Crescent City, and then a one hour drive to our starting point of Orick.
We set off around 10:35am with bright hopes. I knew there were some lagoons at the beginning of our day and was looking forward to seeing some birds. Instead we were socked in with fog. We saw a few cattle egret and heard some mallards. We also saw a herd of elk.
To be quite honest, the first fifteen miles set the mood for the day. It was really difficult. Some might say it sucked. Had it not been so foggy, we might have been distracted by fabulous views. But we had no views, and it was a tough trip. We spent that first bit on the 101. Due to the thick fog we spread out, keeping just enough distance to hear each other. We all had blinking lights, Dr B had his noodle, and Maureen was prepared to curse at anyone that came too close. I was going much slower than usual, averaging 4-5 mph. The shoulder was often missing entirely, but most of the time it was right about the size of the wheelchair. This caused me to constantly hit the rumble strip. The sip and puff was being temperamental and I found myself constantly readjusting. This constant effort limited my ability to even speak to the team. I tried straddling the rumble strip at times as there was often debris in the shoulder that had to be avoided. I found it best to look twenty yards ahead, and try to relax somewhat. Focusing closer caused me to make micro adjustments that caused me to swerve into the road a couple times. It was all stressful, but for me the worst was the elevated areas with a cliff on the right, rumble strip on the left, and semi trucks whizzing by. It felt as though I was fighting for meters. I would not recommend this section for a power wheelchair.
We were thrilled to leave the 101 and move on to Patrick’s Point but it was short lived. The surface was really disappointing. It seemed patchworked with asphalt, then chip seal, then dirt, then really rough dirt. The good news was there was no traffic. The bad news was we had to sit in that cold fog waiting on a construction flagger.
We rolled into Trinidad for lunch and I was frozen to the point of sleepiness, so I sat in the car with the heater blasting to get warmed up. Despite my mom’s concern and the teams eagerness to drink beer and check out the new digs in Ferndale, I was determined to get a few more miles. We’ve been behind schedule a tiny bit each day, and I really didn’t want to fall further behind.
We headed off from Trinidad on Scenic Drive which alternated dirt and pavement for several miles. The views would have been fantastic if we could have seen through the fog. Jimmy got his fourth flat tire. My mom went to help him. Helping Jimmy is one of my moms favorite things.
As we approached McKinleyville, the temperatures warmed up a few degrees and we got on the Hammond Coastal Trail. Bike paths are my jam, and although there were some bumpy drainage bump areas, my spirits lifted, and I encouraged the team to keep going. Maureen did great today, and I told her she should be awarded the most improved rider of the trip. Shortly thereafter she ran into me and her title was revoked.
We sailed into Arcata, and it was hella cool to be in familiar places and around so many dreadlocks. I was amongst my people! The bike route goes right through Humboldt State. While we were cruising through Arcata, Jimmy zipped over to the bike shop to buy some new tubes. He got his 5th flat just after leaving. Mom found him conveniently at a brewery where he was installing the new tube.
We stopped in Arcata at 6:45 pm. It was a long day. We went 38.86 miles and are now five miles behind schedule. It wasn’t all bad. What we gained is the appreciation of completion. Theodore Roosevelt, a big fan of getting outside is credited as saying, “Nothing in the world is worth having or worth doing unless it means effort, pain, difficulty…”. I can’t wait to see what tomorrow will bring.