Day 39 Klamath to Elk Prairie Camp Ground: A Short Day

August 11, 2017

We really wanted to camp at Elk Prairie, so even though it was going to be a short day, we figured we would get in and have time to go for a walk around and enjoy the park so it would be worth it.

Knowing it was a shorter day, we slept in and spend some time at the little gas station/store next door to have coffee and use their wifi. We didn’t end up leaving Klamath until 11:00! However, the weather remained foggy and cool so we weren’t too worried about getting overheated in the afternoon.

on the bridge leaving Klamath there are two golden bears, they symbol of California

The ride involved a couple of hills (one 500ft and another 600ft) so we took our time and just chugged along. The second climb was not so bad as by then we were entering the park and the road was not too busy.

our route took us off the 101 and into the park

After we hit the summit of the second hill, we began coasting into the park, which was lovely. The trees were so enormous, beautiful and ancient and when there was no cars we felt like we were in some magical place. Actually, we were! What an amazing place this is and what a privilege it is to ride through it!

We stopped several times to take pictures of various trees we had heard about or thought looked interesting.

this is the corkscrew tree. Three trees have grown around each other - pretty massive

Jim standing next to "The Big Tree". Funny part is, there are so many bigger trees when you go into the forest for a bit

As we stopped, we ended up chatting with folks who were there, so it took us a long long time to get to the bottom where the camp ground was. We were pretty sweaty from riding up, and by now the sweat, combined with the dampness of the trees caused us to be chilled to the bone. We were happy to finally arrive at the hiker/biker site for Elk Prairie – another awesome site to camp in. We have been so lucky with these sites! Each one is unique and feels so special.

As we went to set up, we looked over and there was our friend, Matteo! He had stayed an extra day to go hiking and after talking with him and another biker, we decided to change our plans and stay an extra night here as well. There was a great hike out to a place called Fern Canyon that we particularly wanted to check out. So, plans made, we went for a short walk before coming back to make dinner.

our late afternoon walk just a little ways into the forest helped us to decide we needed to spend an extra day in this beautiful place

the bark of these amazing trees is so thick that they are virtually impervious to invasions by bugs or bacteria. They are also fire resistant - amazing!

As we walked by, another two riders came into the site, both wearing jerseys with the symbol of Wales on them. When we came back, we chatted with them and found that it was a father/son duo. They were doing the Pacific Coast ride together, as the father said that his son was bored with some of the trips they had taken in the past couple of years and just wanted to stay home (he’s 13). Good for him, deciding that what his son needed was an adventure, and what an adventure they were having! Before taking on this challenge, the son had only ridden 12 miles at the most and now they were regularly putting in 50 – 60 miles each day – amazing! It was great to hear about their adventure and to see his son chatting with other cyclists in the camp. I can’t imagine topping this for a summer adventure!

Later in the evening, we noticed that there were Elk on the roadway across from where we were, so we jumped on the bikes to go and have a look. The herd was pretty cool and must be used to all of the tourists who stop and take pictures as they graze. There are signs everywhere to stay back, and looking at those antlers, I would think it was a fair warning. I sure wouldn’t want to confront an angry elk!

a series of elk pictures - there were so interesting to watch

then some idiot decided to fly his drone over the elk so he could get some really cool video. Problem was, he wasn't satisfied with hovering way above them. Nope, he flew it right over their heads, very much disturbing them - smart guy, this one!

We wrapped up our day with our nightly game of Gin and some of the fudge we still had from Klamath. Tomorrow will be a day of hiking instead of biking – fun!

Today's ride: 28 km (17 miles)
Total: 1,456 km (904 miles)

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