Day 17 | climbs and switchbacks
Distance
44.1 miles
Elevation Climbed
3,486 ft
Landscape
Windy wooded and coastal hills
Weather
Overcast, 50-55 F
Kirsten’s Notes:
We had another “short” day today but by no means was it our easiest. On paper it seemed like the challenge would mostly be on the 4 mile climb up 1,100 feet and 2 mile climb up 700 feet in the mountains but it was actually the 20 miles of rolling switchbacks following those that made your burning legs thankful for it to be (temporarily) over and the chilly weather. Considering how many logging trucks sped past us uncomfortably close yesterday, we were very lucky it was Saturday to have the switchbacking, tight-shouldered mountain road to ourselves today. Our no-so-hard work climbing yesterday and today paid off for a 10 mile descent where we swerved down zig zagging roads and cautiously swung around tight 180 degree turns using the full car lane.
When we reached the coast, the southern horizon looked much flatter than we’d seen in Oregon but oh was that a deceiving point of view. Route 1 here winds more sharply into the coastal mountain valleys which results in more frequent and steep rolling hills where the ascends bring you to elevated ocean and coastal views and descends bring you inland to sea level for mountainous, wooded views to the east and beachy or brushy scenery to the west. Warm sea breezes were a welcome addition to this leg and we ended early enough to take a walk on Glass Beach searching for sea glass along with the other tourists, indulge in a nap and enjoy an early evening around town.
Lars’ Notes:
Today’s ride started at the second Drive Through Tree we encountered along this stretch. Lise dropped us off under overcast skies and cool temperatures…it doesn’t feel like July. We knew today’s ride started with a whopper of a climb. The climb was about 5 miles long and reached our highest elevation to date of over 1900 feet. The route started at the beginning of CA Rt. 1. The climb came on quickly, about ½ a mile from the start. Kirsten and I felt ready and strong and went at it. An unforeseen benefit that we experienced was that, since it was Saturday, there was almost no traffic. We didn’t have logging trucks pestering us or much traffic at all. This was great on the inclines, but even better on the declines. By the way, We climbed to almost 2000 ft in elevation, about 900 feet at the end of Friday and the remainder in the morning. The next 10 miles were downhill. Going downhill with little to no traffic was awesome. With the numerous switchbacks, we could also easily look behind us to confirm no vehicles were behind us. Our legs got an amazing break. Strangely enough, what got sore were my fingers from having to grip and squeeze the breaks almost constantly. Kirsten and I had a blast. It was a bit cold, but no complaints here! At the base, we were cruising along some flats and as I turned to my left, we noticed a huge elk in the meadow. We couldn’t see all of him, but his large set of antlers were impressive.
Before long, we ended up along the coast again. The weather remained overcast, but visibility was clear enough to see the rocky outcrops off shore and the rough coast. Several campgrounds along the route were full from July 4th weekend campers. We stopped for lunch at one of them and watched the surf as we ate our PB and J’s. The remaining 20 miles or so was a beautiful combination of coastal roads with several inland diversions. We never gained more than 250-300 feet above sea level on the section, but we oscillated up and down frequently; it was harder on the legs than I anticipated! We powered through and met Lise at Glass Beach in Fort Bragg, CA at around 1:30. From there, we spent some time looking for sea glass and then headed into town.
