Dysfunctional but a Great Place for a Bike Ride

Ever since crossing the Oregon-California border I have felt more comfortable. While still a few hundred miles from home the contours of the land are familiar, as are the redwoods, the California plates on the cars and, truth be told, the beers. Fish Tail Ale and Manny's has given way to Boont Amber Ale and Lagunitas IPA. When I flick on the TV the Giants are on rather than the Mariners. Today is my first full day back in California and I'm struck by a thought: our state may be dysfunctional, our budget is a disaster zone, gerrymandering has created districts where only the most extreme can be elected leading to a polorized, paralyzed and ineffectual legislature. The proposition system...well, let's just leave it at. Despite all of that, however, it's a fantastic place to ride a bike. I wake early, check out of the hotel and roll back to the Eureka Old Town for a decent coffee. Found one here.

The first few miles out Eureka are on Highway 101 but they are fast as the roads are flat and the tailwind is strong. Despite moving at 25mph the air seems completely still due to the tailwind and I tick off ten quick miles, taking me to Tompkins Hill Road, wherre some guys at a bike shop in Eureka told me I should hop off to avoid the highway. I do so but do not pay attention to where I'm going and miss Eel River Drive. Staying on Tompkins Hill Road teaches me the source of its name as the road climbs 750' in two miles. I realize I'm off track but just then another cyclist comes up and asks if I need help. I explain my situation and he assures me that there's not much more climbing and I can drop back down to Hwy 101. So it goes. Another few miles down 101 and I exit again at Avenue of Giants. There's been a lot of hyperbole on this trip. Every restaurant in Oregon had the World's Best Chowder or World Famous Fish and Chips. Corvallis was the innovation capital of the world. Avenue of Giants, however, perfectly describes exactly what it is - 30 miles of lightly trafficked, spectacularly beautiful riding through thousands of towering redwood trees, accompanied the entire way by the sinuous Eel River.

The Eel River Goes Straight for a bit

And Then Curves Around

If this ain't the Avenue of Giants I Don't Know What is.

This is bike touring at its best and I meet a number of others on the road. I thought Seattle to San Francisco was a long trip but I meet four guys and a woman does an MS ride from Seattle to San Diego. I meet a couple from the UK riding from Calgary to San Francisco. The man was towing a Burley Trailer with their son in the back. I asked how the boy liked hanging out in the trailer. As I did do I looked back and saw him stick his face up into the screen with a huge smile. He liked it just fine. Then there was the group heading from Vancouver to Mexico. Fially I came across Chris. He had not spoken with Scott P so He was riding up from San Francisco to Arcata before cutting east and riding to Ann  Arbor, Michigan!

As I rode along it occurred to me how fortunate I was to have the opportunity to ride through this amazing part of the planet, to have the bicycle available to me as a form of transportation and recreation and I thought of Mike's Bikes. Matt Adams is on the board of the Marin County Bicycle Coalition and a co-owner of Mike's Bikes. If you haven't been to Mike's, check it out. With shops in San Rafael, Sausalito, San Francisco, Petaluma, Palo Alto, etc., etc. they have unmatched buying power, great prices and a huge selection. Matt and his partner Ken have done a fantastic job over the years raising thr bar at all the shops and installing experienced, professional and courteous staff. But this isn't just a plug for Mike's. It's a plug for what you can do through Mike's. A few posts ago I explained how just doing half your local rides to the store or school or the barber could make a huge difference. Even if you do take on that challenge, you might still have a bike lying around that not's going to be used. If so, take it to Mike's. They have created the Bike Africa program. Under this program they have staff who identify potential entrepreneurs in Africa to establish bike sales and service operations. Mike's collects donated bikes until they can fill container. They throw in various parts, tools, etc. and it all gets shipped to Africa. Over there, staff provides instruction in bike repair, business management and other areas. The container of bikes and parts is dontaed to the new small business owner. Give a man a fish and he can eat for a day, teach him to fish and he can eat for a lifetime. It's hard to believe how little access there is to something as simple as a bicycle in Africa. People walk for hours on end to accomplish daily tasks. Mike's is making a difference and you can too.

Today's leg to Garberville was 72 miles with 4,000' of climbing. Tomorrow it's off to Mendocino and back to the coast. Slightly longer distance and more climbing. It's going to be a tough ride but Mendocino is one of my favorite places in California so it will be worth it to arrive.