I stayed in a Motel 6 in Coos Bay. They are simple, but very clean and relatively inexpensive despite the soft AUDvUSD,
Walk to Brewery
It was a short walk from the Motel to the local Brewery, which as it turned out, was that only place in town that was serving food on Sunday.
The beer was good and they served a reasonable salmon meal.
Bus to Brookings
I ended up deciding to take a bus from Coos Bay to Brookings. This wasn’t a particularly good stretch of the route to ride. There were some parts of the coast that were spectacular, but this was interspersed with some very boring bits.
Brookings was Damp
After getting off the bus, I took a short ride to the Brooking Harbour where I checked into a RV Park.
These are interesting places. I came across them in my last trip to California three years ago. Typically, they are a few kilometers out of the major towns, or in very small towns or villages. Most of the RVs are huge, sometimes as large as buses. Often they tow cars. This is needed as the owners have to drive relatively long distances to shops and other services. Sometimes they use motorcycles and even more rarely, they use bicycles.
I pitched my tent at the far end of the park.
Another person worried about Trump
I then headed to a nearby restaurant where I had a reasonable meal. At the bar I got into a conversation with a bloke who told me that he was a ‘trader’. He had been a ‘day trader’, but the “algorithms had killed that”. He told me that he now trades over a longer horizon, weeks or months.
As is often the case, the conversation, drifted into politics and Trump. He said that he had “gone short on the USA”. This included the USD, stocks and property in the expectation that Trump will “implode and take the country with him.
As I walked back to the tent, it started to rain. It poured down all night.
In the morning, it was still pouring with rain.
I headed back the restaurant for breakfast. This turned into lunch, as the rain continued to fall.
There was a brief period when the rain stopped. I took a short walk to a coffee shop. It had decent coffee, a rare commodity over here.
I ended up having another meal in the restaurant, before an early night in the still very damp tent.
Riding to Crescent City
In the morning, I stopped briefly at the coffee shop, before heading off down Highway 101 towards Crescent City.
The road run parallel to the coast and near to the very large sand dunes that are a feature of this area. There are lots of places where you can rent ‘All Terrain Vehicles’ ATV’s to ride on the dunes. There are also a lot of SUV’s carrying ATV’s. They appear to be a land version of Jet Skis and appeal to the same type of person.
Crescent City
I rode into Crescent City and found it to be a like a lot of towns that I have encountered in my visits to the USA: it has no discernable centre. This is a strange phenomenon. It seems to be the result of a number of factors.
These include: that fact that the original buildings were not very substantial and when the highways came along, the focus of the towns moved to the highway. When this occurred, the original centres of the towns were demolished and replaced with other building.
Unlike English and European towns and villages, there is no town square which forms that centre of the place. In Australia, there is usually a park and the Post Office, major banks and hotels that form the centre of small towns. In the USA, there are usually just a ribbon on buildings along the Main Street, will no actual ‘centre’.
I stopped at the Information Centre and asked for some advice about accommodation and food. They told me that there was an RV Park that allowed camping and there was a good Brewery that served “excellent food”. Those were my only needs. I decided to stay.
It was blowing a gale when I pitched my tent. Check out the video of Flickr.
Brewery
The Brewery turned out to have very tasty beer and food. The staff very friendly.
Over the Hill
Next morning, I struggled to find a place to have breakfast. It seems that cafés in small town USA don’t do anything other than cooked breakfasts that involve eggs and bacon or pancakes. I had to settle on the latter.
With a load of carbs, I headed out of town and up the Crescent Hill. It was quite a climb.
The descent down the other side of the hill brought me close to the ocean. It is very spectacular. Check out the videos.
Unfortunately, the ride was spoilt by a ‘bogan’ in an oversized SUV. Check out the Flickr video.
The next part of the ride was quite pleasant, passing some lakes and the start of the Redwood forests.
For brief stretch, the cycle route left the 101 and passed through some small village including Smith River. The road was flat and I had a tail wind.
Klamath
I arrived in a small town called Klamath in the late afternoon. I went to the Information Centre and was told that there was RV Park that allowed tents just out of town.
The park turned out to be really good.
Klamath is a ‘Tribal Town’. This means that it is primarily populated by native Americans and they own much of the land. They also have special rights to operate Casinos in towns such as these.
Bus to Fortuna
The owner of the RV suggested that I take a bus for the next bit of my journey South.
The bus left in the mid-afternoon.
It stopped in Eureka where I caught a local bus on to Fortuna.
Fortuna
I had booked into a motel using Booking.com. It was a shocker, run by an Indian Basil Faulty. I hope my review on the site does what I hope it does.
Into the Humboldt State Forest
I took a short local bus ride from Fortuna to Scotia. This was all on the Freeway and no good for riding.
From Scotia, it was a short ride along the 101 before I turned off onto the Avenue of the Giants that takes you through the Humbolt State Forest. This famous for its Redwood pines.
Check out the Flickr photos.
Meyers Flat
I stopped in a small village called Meyers Flat.
Surprisingly, it is really run down. The only restaurant in the place has closed down. There is a B&B that is very expensive. Apart from that, there is a Saloon and a ‘Market’, with limited supplies.
There is however, a RV park near the river about 200 metre from the village.
I checked in and pitched my tent.
I then walked up to the Market where I bought a hot dog and a sandwich. I then headed to the Saloon.
It was like something out of the ‘wild west’. The owner, in his 80’s was sitting in a lounge chair holding a revolver. The Barmaid, called Olive told me that she was from London and was living nearby with her boyfriend. A ‘local’ sitting at the bar told me that “this is weed country” and that “most of the people here grow the stuff or are here to smoke it because it’s cheap”.
RV Park was very secure. The owners said that “this was necessary due to a lot of petty theft by the locals.
Leaving the State Park
It was a short ride along the Avenue of the Giants when I was back on the 101 and into Garberville. I had been told by the owners of the RV Park in Meyers Plain that this was a “bad town” and I should head on to Benbow.
Dodgy Town
As I rode through Garberville, I couldn’t see any signs for Benbow. I saw a couple of policemen and stopped. I said “I need some advice”. One of them said “don’t hang around here” and laughed. I said “am looking to go to Benbow” and he replied “good idea” . He told me that all I had to do was stay on the 101 and head over the hill.
I asked him “what was wrong with the town” ?. He replied, “homeless people on drugs. They stay here because they re close to the shops”.
Benbow
I headed over the hill to Benbow. It turned out to be a good place. It has a RV Park with a golf course and the Benbow Inn.
I checked into the RV Park and pitched my tent before heading over to the Inn for a meal.
The Inn is a mock Tudor Hotel that was built in the 1920’s. I was a popular with the early Hollywood stars. It would appear to have had mixed success since then, but is being extended. I guess is looking to a new lease of life.
In the morning I awoke to the sound of two blokes speaking Dutch.
They turned out to be fellow cyclists. They are riding from San Francisco to Calgary. I told them that they may strike some strong headwinds and that I experienced that when I rode from LA to San Francisco three years ago. They said had already experienced that.
Both their bike had Rholoff gears and carbon chains. They said that the chains are really good.
I will have to look into getting one.
I decided to stay in Benbow for the day. It was really hot.
Flickr Links
Brookings to Crescent City
Crescent City to Klamath
Klamath to Fortuna
Avenue of the Giants and Benbow
Garmin Links
Brookings
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1741521028
Crescent City
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1741521126
Scotia and Meyers Flat
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1747678621
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1747678642
billrider2013 