Tuesday, May 13, 2014
Westport Union Landing State Park to KOA campground at Manchester Bay
61 miles
Today was one of those days you dream about....sunny, warm almost hot, no wind and views that go on forever. You never want to count on these conditions, but when you are lucky enough to have them you feel grateful, and today we were grateful.
Although, conditions were perfect, it was a physical demanding day. Our guide book described this section of the route as " a very scenic ride that is strenuous." I thought it was the cycling equivalent to rookie camp, when football athletes must endure countless "up-downs". Today we climbed up and then we went down as we travelled along the rugged coastline. We went up and then we went down. We went up and then we went down....repeat, repeat, repeat! It was exhilarating to say the least, as we looked out across the ocean and savoured the views.
The vegetation changed from forest to grassland, and with the change the heat seemed to rise. We pulled out at a viewpoint and were treated to another whale show as 4 gray whales rested and fed on their migration route up the coast. What a treat for us!
One of the highlights of the day was our visit to the town of Mendocino and the route which took us through the Mendocino Headlands State Park. We stopped for a lunch break to fuel up, take in the views and dry out the tent. We had collected a fair amount of ocean mist last night while camped along the shore line and the headlands provided sun and wind - perfect for drying out gear!
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| Lunch break at Mendocino Headlands State Park |
As we left Mendocino, we pulled out at yet another viewpoint and met a lady who was at the vista busy painting a landscape. We chatted away, and learned that many years ago she came to Mendocino to house sit for a weekend. She never left, and now owns one of the galleries in the historic town centre.
Mendocino was delightful and certainly worth a return visit. The town oozes charm....one could get lost exploring all of the quaint shops and eateries!
We ended our day at the KOA campground in Manchester Bay. We worked hard to reach this campsite, and were thrilled to arrive as we had to conquer one last climb out of Elk, California before we could set up camp. Our guide book stated , "the short climb is probably the steepest on the entire Pacific Coast." Steep was an understatement! We hiked this section, and even walking we found it incredibly difficult to push the bikes!
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| Five star camping at the KOA in Manchester Bay |
Giggle of the day:
At camp, Rob met Johnny a local cyclist/surfer who was happy to give advice. In his words, "it's cool to pitch the grade if you gotta stealth cause tomorrows a bitch and its gonna be a 100 degrees." We have NO idea what that means!
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