Miles biked: 24.8 (934.7 overall)
Time on bike: 2 hours, 13 minutes, 45 seconds
Maximum speed: 28.2 mph
Roads taken: Patricks Point Drive, Trinidad Scenic Drive, 101 South, Clam Beach Drive, in McKinleyville: Central Avenue, Murray Road ... Hammond Trail, Fischer Avenue, Mad River Road, in Arcata: Janes Road, Alliance Road, 11th Street, back to Janes Road, Vaissad Road, V Road, Karen Road, Sherri Court.
Places stopped: Gas station in Trinidad (for Power Bar and muffin), gas station in Arcata (for directions).
Friday, to get it out there right away, was one of those days when the final destination was in mind almost the entire ride.
I awakened around 6:43 a.m. to the constant pattering of rain hitting my tent's rain fly. I considered, for a nanosecond, going back to sleep. But then I told myself, "You can't let the weather dictate your schedule. Do what you gotta do."
And I thought of the warm shower waiting at the end of my short ride. Yep, that's right, a family in Arcata with Ann Arbor connections to my family had graciously offered to put me up for two nights while I wait for Dad to fly in Saturday night for a few days of hiking.
So I made my best effort to keep everything dry, stuffing the sleeping bag before I even exited the tent the first time -- I've realized that I can sit upright inside the tent to do such things -- and packing up as many of my clothing items as well.
Of course, I knew the tent would be completely drenched. But, I figured, it'd dry out over the course of a few days. As long as everything else stayed relatively dry, I'd be doing all right.
It took me a full hour to get everything packed and on the bike, but then I was off -- pedaling in a rain shower that showed no signs of moving elsewhere.
I stopped in Trinidad, 6.2 miles down the road, soaking wet, for a banana-nut muffin (to eat then) and a Power Bar (in case I needed it later). And then I got back on the 520, thinking only about the mission at hand.
Pretty soon, however, my mind was solely focused on the scary road conditions of the pretty-sounding Trinidad Scenic Drive. And it was beautiful to my right, with waves crashing on rocks down below, but I had to watch the road in front of me for huge pot holes and sections that weren't paved and had lots of dangerous pebbles.
At one point, I wished I had just stayed on the shoulder of the 101 and pushed it toward Arcata. But I survived the treacherous drive and, after a few miles on other roads, reached the peaceful and decently paved Hammond Trail.
The bike path took me to the outskirts of Arcata, where I biked on a few more roads toward town.
That is when I realized that I was off track and had no idea how to get to Marnin's house. Thankfully, a gas station attendant knew exactly what I was looking for and provided me with correct directions.
And not too much later, I was warm and cozy on a drizzly Friday morning.
I got all my stuff together, posted some pictures online and then headed to the downtown of the fairly small town to find a bar.
It was only 4 in the afternoon, which out here meant two things: Game 7 of the Wings-Ducks series was on as well as Game 6 of the Magic-Celtics battle.
I had picked the perfect day to end early, giving myself ample time to find a pub and the familiar sounds of sports games.
As it turned out, I was biking by a place when all of a sudden, I heard a chorus of cheers. When I turned around and peaked in, I noticed a gang of guys and a girl wearing Red Wings jerseys.
I figured I had found the place to be.
I've learned, from this trip, that Detroit Red Wings fans are all over the place -- especially on the West Coast. And I learned, Thursday, that they're just as pumped up about their hockey team as people are back in Michigan.
This made for an exciting evening spent in the bar watching several games.
And get this: When they were all over -- when the Rockets had held on to beat the Lakers and send that series to a Game 7 -- it was only just after 9.
I got on the bike and headed back to Marnin's.
It had been a long day.
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