During the night I came up with a change of plan...I know most people sleep at night...I do too but it is also when I do my best thinking. So after consulting with Sue this morning we decided to cut our ride short today, stay at a recommended Inn (Thanks Don), and get ready to enjoy 'The Avenue of Giants' tomorrow.
We left the room this morning without the bicycles to go next door to McDonalds to use their Wi fi. Sitting in the parking lot in the dark did not appeal to me...especially in this town. By 8:30 we were on our bikes and riding through the old historical district of Eureka. This town has a tremendous amount of wealth built on the lumber industry. As I was told it is 'old' money. However, it also has a 'homeless' problem like I have never seen anywhere in my life. Both ends of town were filled with 'street walkers' as a 'local' told me they are called. The town has a serious methamphetamine problem and very little is being done about it.
Highway 101 became an expressway again as it left Eureka. Usually that is accompanied by wide shoulders to ride on. So was this one. But we were in for a rude surprise as the shoulder pavement was ground down and we had to ride on a surface rougher than we have ever experienced before. It 'rattled' us for over 10 kilometers. While stopped, adjusting our shorts, another tour cyclist stopped to chat. He was from Britain and was on his way from Canada to Argentina.
Our real treat began when we left 101 and followed the ACA route. They got it right! It may not have been the most direct route, but what a pleasurable ride through farm country. The Loleta area is full of small beef operations. The Eel River Valley with Ferndale at its centre is purely dairy. They obviously can grow grass year round because the dairy herds were really large for the number of acres that made up each farm. And by the way they have done okay for themselves. Ferndale is one of the 'neatest' towns we have ever visited. The houses are Victorian style and the main street looked like we had ridden back in time.
After leaving Ferndale we 'slogged' into a headwind most of the way to Rio Dell. And as per usual when the ride has been a good one, some miserable climbing was necessary to get us to our destination. We were up in the hills and below us we could see nice flat 101.
We decided to treat ourselves tonight. We are staying in the Scotia Inn in Scotia. It was built in 1923. It has 12 foot ceilings in each room and the furniture is some of the original from when it was built. Scotia is the headquarters of the Pacific Lumber Company, a name we have been seeing all the way back to Washington. They have been 'raping and pillaging' the redwood forests since the 1860's. They presently employ 1400 people in their 2 mills in Scotia.
Trip Distance = 59.41 km. Time on the Bikes = 4 hours 21 minutes. Average Speed = 13.63 km (I guess we really were enjoying the countryside). Maximum Speed = 51.60 km. Wildlife Sightings = Deer, Oregon Juncos, Cedar Waxwings, Great Egrets, Red Tailed Hawk, Turkey Vultures, Dairy Cattle by the thousands.
Typical Dairy Heard Near Ferndale
Ferndale Main Street
For Our Swiss Friends
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