Day 38: Crescent City to Prairie Creek Redwoods

September 22, 2011

I got away from the motel at 9:50, just as the sky started to clear. I stopped for a few minutes at the beach south of town. It's right next to the highway. Then a 1200 foot climb begins.

The climb had occasional ocean views but was often fogged in. It also had nonstop traffic and a minimal shoulder. The upper part has redwood trees.

The descent into the Klamath watershed has many panoramic ocean views.

I stopped for lunch at the restaurant at Trees of Mystery, where the main attraction is a gondola that gives visitors a close-up view of the canopy. They also have the biggest statues of Paul Bunyan and Babe (the ox) that I've ever seen.

The only Paul Bunyan and Babe sighting during this tour.

A few miles later I crossed the Klamath river. It's a major river, with headwaters in central Oregon. This area is the homeland of the Yurok Native American tribe.

The 4 bridge portals have gold painted bear sculptures. According to Wikipedia, the California golden bear (Ursus californicus) disappeared from the state of California in 1922 when the last one was shot in Tulare County. The official state animal, pictured on the state flag, mascot of the University of California, was hunted to extinction a century ago.

The only bear sighting during this tour.

I exited onto the Nathan B. Drury scenic drive just as US 101 turns into a freeway. It's the old highway, very narrow, threading through giant redwoods. It was the main highway when I biked this route in 1989. It's much more pleasant now that trucks are on a new road high in the hills.

Lush redwood forest on the Nathan Drury scenic parkway.

One of the larger burned-out redwood trunks.

I stopped at one of the many groves and walked the trail for a while. It was nice to get away from the road, surrounded by the giants.

My last tourist stop was at "Big Tree", the largest coast redwood. The 1500 year old tree is 304 feet (92m) tall and the trunk is 21.6 feet (6.5m) diameter. The October 2009 National Geographic magazine has a spectacular fold-out picture of this tree.

Big Tree is 304 feet tall, 21.6 feet diameter, 1500 years old.

Less than a mile past Big Tree I turned into the Elk Prairie campground, Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park. It has a large hiker/biker area. I arrived at 4 PM and had plenty of time to wash clothes, charge batteries, talk to neighbors, etc.

Today was mostly sunny but I spent most of the day under the forest canopy. The high temperature was 70F, with minimal wind. It was a pleasant day for cycling.

Distance: 35.4 mi. (56.6 km)
Climbing: 2555 ft. (774 m)
Average Speed: 9.4 mph (15 km/h)

Today's ride: 35 miles (56 km)
Total: 1,896 miles (3,051 km)

Rate this entry's writing	Heart	1
Comment on this entry	Comment	0