Miles biked: 44 (909.9 overall)
Roads taken: 101 South, Newton B. Drury Parkway, 101, Patricks Point Drive.
Places stopped: Motel restaurant in Orick (for filling breakfast).
I finished up my extended stay in and around Crescent City, CA, and the hospitable Redwoood hostel by spending a final day with my hiking/exploring companion Corby.
We hiked 4.2 miles round-trip down and up the Damnation Creek trail, a steep grade that wasn't easy but at the same time offered up-close views of towering Redwoods. Tuesday night, we camped at the Mill Creek site about midway between the city and hostel and right off the 101.
And when I woke up Wednesday morning, I felt ready to get back on the bike -- finally. So Corby drove down the winding slope to the hostel for what seemed like the 117th time and dropped me off, peace-ing out after we'd agreed we have to do something similar again.
Then, after several minutes of preparations, I was heading south once again on the 101.
The riding was bland until I reached 101 -- well, that other 101. What's called the Newton B. Drury Parkway used to be the 101, but now it's a scenic alternative, for a good 8 miles or so, to the actual highway.
And, boy, did I enjoy it -- for obvious reasons.
After steadily climbing for about a mile, I started going down. And the easy riding didn't stop.
The scenery was beautiful, with huge trees hanging over the sides of the road and gorgeous forests to my right and left. But I wasn't stopping. Not when I was able to cruise, effortlessly, for a good 6 or 7 miles.
I did notice that I passed by several signs indicating groves named after people. It was an interesting theme of the day. I can just imagine there someday being a "Jake Lloyd Grove."
Well, maybe not. But here's what I do know (since it happened): When I finally reached the end of the old 101 and merged back onto the real thang, I had a huge grin on my face.
Just like that, my odometer had gone from 12 miles to 20. And it had happened in roughly 17 minutes.
After a filling breakfast at a motel/restaurant in tiny Orick, I pedaled past three lagoons -- freshwater, stone and big -- as I winded my way on the hilly, narrow road toward my destination for the day/night.
And then, before it was 1, I arrived at Patricks Point State Park. I considered going farther, since it was so early, but determined that there really was nothing I could gain from doing so.
And, ultimately, there was no better place to spend the night. Or afternoon, for that matter.
That's exactly what I did.
The park is huge and has many trails, which ate up the majority of my afternoon. I hiked a loop, mostly on the Ridge trail, walking about 5 miles and taking dozens of pictures.
Wedding Rock, in particular, which sits high above the ocean, is a great spot to get married -- or, for single guys like me, just sit up on the rocks and observe the water to my right and left as well as all the cool rock formations in it.
Then I had to climb several stairs to reach the top of Ceremonial Rock, which is farther within the park but offers expansive views of the park and ocean. (And I ran into a high-school biology group there, of about 100 kids, that drove all the way from near the Nevada border to spend a week in the park.)
And, finally, I made it to Palmer's Point. Unfortunately, it was nearing high tide. If it was low tide, according to a few people I met, several tide pools are created in which you can see different forms of marine life.
That wasn't my only disappointment of the afternoon. Walking back to my campsite, I overhead a couple dudes, Elon and Matt, talking about a "party." Being a reporter, I, of course, questioned them about such an outing.
They quickly, being nice, laid-back hippies, invited me to a shindig in Arcata. Alas, there was no way for me to make it to the joint, which, according to the fellas, would be overflowing with nurses.
But plans not working out aside, it was a fun-packed day of biking and hiking.
Until, of course, the rain started lightly falling on my tent as soon as I called it a night...
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