April 24, 2012
Weott to Mattole
As i'd managed to get some fuel for the stove last night, I was going to head into the Lost Coast today. I was away as usual just after 7, this time having been brought coffee and fruit by Keith.
As soon as I turned off the Avenue of the Giants things got better and better. I was travelling through some more Redwoods, but this time on a much quieter often single track road. Soon after stopping for a mug of tea at a picnic site next to a river surrounded by the Redwoods the road started to climb. And climb. For 7 miles without even the slightest let up, mainly in bottom gear, over road surfaces varying between smooth tarmac to potholes even Sheffield city Council would be proud of to rough unsurfaced road.
Unfortunately rain and cloud spoiled the view at the top, but after an equally long descent I arrived in Honeydew, a small town which had a well stocked grocery store. If only I had known this yesterday... From there, over equally variable road surfaces, although not as steep, I made it to the Campground at Mattole, right next to the Pacific Ocean again.
Today was a hard day, not only for the terrain and the extra supplies I was needlessly carrying, but I hadn't eaten the right type of food last night or this morning to keep my body working hard all day. Lesson learned, it'll be a BIG pot of rice tonight.
I saw a sign yesterday claiming that of the original 2,000,000 acres of virgin redwood forest, only 300,000 acres remain. That's only 15% left. Where has it all gone?
Before I climbed into my tent I went for a last walk on the beach, and saw in the distance a whale who was heading north on it's annual migration. A perfect end to a great day.
Today's ride: 46 miles (74 km)
Total: 640 miles (1,030 km)
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