Redcrest to Garberville, California: The Avenue of the Giants
We rested well last night. It's not clear if this was because of the soft bed, the propane heater, or the soothing influence of the redwoods standing all around the cabin.
The temperature in the morning was just at freezing, and it did not go up much until afternoon. In the deep forest, this was really chilly, but we were grateful that there was no rain. So we dawdled our way down the Avenue of the Giants, stopping to gawk at the huge trees that line the way.
Of course the first thing that grabs your attention is the shocking size of some of the trunks at ground level, followed by the massive size and height if you stop to crane your neck backward. But other aspects are almost as impressive: There is the blackness of the wet trunks against the green foliage, and the overall effect of the forest, as opposed to the individual trees. Then there is the Eel River, always to one side or the other, and the sound of brooks running down. There is the space between the trees - often completely clear of underbrush, so that one can stoll among the giant trunks as if on a park path.
The little towns that are along the way offer few services, and may be shrinking. Fifty years ago and more, the towns were thriving because they offered necessary services for travellers between San Francisco and Seattle. But now there is I5, and besides vehicles move faster, reducing the need for motels. However, particularly now in Winter, the few cars on the road make this a primo cycling route. The scenes of the winding road with the big trees standing alongside provide a postcard like invitation at every turn.
Even dawdling along, we used up" the Avenue all too soon. All that remained was to carry on to Garberville and find a luxury accommodation and restaurant in anticipation of New Years. As it happens we just somehow took a cheap motel and take out stuff from the deli of the nearby grocery store. We still always compare to the tent and Kraft Dinner, so we don't fgeel deprived at all in here.
The trip almost came to a crashing halt, though, as we pulled out the maps and tablet to see about where we would go and what accommodation there would be for the next few days. We wanted to stay in Leggett, to be close to the Leggett hill on the way to the coast. And we wanted to stay in Westport, the first place to perch once on the coast. Numerous phone calls turned up all sorts of closed or out of business places, until it seemed we had no place to go. We considered the prospect of continuing straight down 101 to San Francisco, but really did not want to leave the routing layed out in all our maps and books. Besides, there is a bakery in Mendocino that can not be missed.
At last, though, we found a B&B in Westport that had a room. There is no place open to stay e between here and there, so our game tomorrow is to do 80 km over some of the gnarliest hills so far. What else would onne want to do on New Years Day?
The 2500 year old tree house room in Redcrest. It's a stretch because it was dug out from around the roots.
