Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Come hill or high head wind.

The last week and however long its been since our last post have been great.  Before we left for this trip, the part I was most excited for was biking through the redwoods. That being said, they did not disappoint.  We first saw the massive trees the day we entered California. We had just a hint of the trees and it was enough to keep me pedaling for more.  The Avenue of the Giants is the famous drive through the redwood forest.  As soon as we rode into this grove we instantly became tiny.  Our jaws were dragging on the ground as we slowly took the smooth winding road a midst trees that were around to witness the birth of Christ, and the invention of the bicycle.  There was a quiet reverence within the trees, calling us to hop off the bikes and wander on foot.  One day was just not enough for us, so we decided to make camp and stay to play for an extra day.  When the sun went down, the backlighting from the many campfires surrounding us gave a show of tree shadows dancing the night away. The next day we bouldered redwood stumps, went on a hike, took a dip in the river, had a picnic in the woods and enjoyed our time out of the saddle.  The redwood trees lived up to every bit of the hype and almost left me not looking forward to the rest of the trip knowing we just biked through what I expect to be the climax.  But the rest is still unknown and yet to be experienced; who knows what will be the real climax.
As we ride we have been meeting several other bike tourists who are going the same route-ish.  Some start earlier or later and have different end points based on deadlines or budgets but we find ourselves running into several of the same bikers again and again.  Of all these we have met only one other touring with a baby, who we quickly befriended and then intentionally planned to meet up for camp three nights in a row.  Most of the State parks have "hiker biker" sites reserved for those who arrive on foot or bike.  Therefore most nights in the campground become a bike party, where we all hang around the campfire (with or without a flame) and talk about the big hills, thrills and chills.  The last several nights have been the same pack all traveling separately and arriving to camp at various times, but then we gather and socialize... its been great to share this with friends from all over.
We made our way out of the redwoods and back to the coast, now on the famous 'highway one'.  Windy, hilly and no shoulder adds a lot to the challenge but the extreme traffic we fought due to Labor day weekend will  not be missed.  
My brother Keith has joined us on his bike!  His bike goes a lot faster than ours due to its 1100cc engine, but he camps with us and then spends his day exploring, covering in a day what it takes us a week to accomplish.  It's his second time seeing Leo, and they are already good friends, which lets Mary and I set and clean up camp a bit faster.
Coming up next, San Francisco.... I hope its not hilly there.


Bike touring babies, Teddy age 12 mo, and Leo age 9 mo

There are two elk in this picture and only one is a statue.  I was terrified but "Just ride fast" Mary said.

An example of what we eat on the road



a diaper change with a view

Mary redpointed this stump she rated it a T2

Family of tree huggers

Avenue of the Giants.

This sign did not exaggerate, This was a halter top kind of road due to the lack of shoulders.

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Uncle Keith, has been super helpful playing with Leo around camp.

3 comments:

  1. Love reliving this area through your tour! Sorry to hear about that aweful holiday traffic- that just takes away from being able to REALLY enjoy that gorgeous view! FYI- san fran is not flat lol... but the last few miles going into the valley there are absolutely incredible! going from the beautiful ocean view up and over and dropping down into the city! you're going to LOVE it! Thanks for updating the blog! stay safe!

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  2. How exciting! You are coming to my area, San Francisco :). We just starting family cycling with our two toddlers. You guys look great, I'm having trouble with my daughter (23 months) keeping her helmet on when she's in the trailer...great blog! Will check back to see your adventures in my area.

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