Day 10- Off-Roading (Christi)

 

September 18th, 2020

After being abruptly woken up to rain sprinkles on our faces (no rain fly on the tent), we packed up and the tires hit the pavement at 8AM. Since arriving at Elk Prairie Campground, we had been jonesing for an elk sighting, and we weren’t disappointed! As we rounded the corner out of camp we spotted a small herd of elk, consisting of a few doe and younglings; no large bucks in this bunch. They were very skittish, and pranced across the meadow as our bikes clicked by. 

The miles rolled on without much picture taking, until Brandon got his third flat tire. Had to document that! We have developed a method for changing out his tires and have gotten relatively fast at it; we’ve had lots of practice 😂.

Great view of the Big Lagoon after Brandon’s flat

The ride to Trinidad, our lunch stop, was relatively uneventful after this, until we found Patrick Point Road. It was a climb to get to the top and consisted of rolling hills and washed out pavement in places, but the views were spectacular of the ocean from way up there. Even spotted some seals below on a rock. We also got a chuckle from the three peacocks that were running up the road next to a vehicle. With about three miles to go, Brandon noticed air was coming out of his back tire again. We proceeded to change his tube again, and this time we found the piece of glass embedded in the tire wall. We crossed our fingers he wouldn’t get another flat before Eureka, cause this would be his last good replacement tube until he patched them up.

Airing up his tire again 😂

The Lighthouse Grill in Trinidad was very popular, and after grabbing lunch there I could see why! I ordered the famous mashed potato waffle cone. The cone was filled with mashed potatoes, cheddar cheese, bacon, and slow cooked brisket. SO GOOD!

Mouth-watering yumminess!

The next 20 miles consisted of country roads and what was supposed to be a paved bike path. A few miles on this trail (Hammond Trail) and it turned to gravel, so we were doing a bit of off-roading. At one point we were passed by a couple on a tandem bike. Maybe we would be a little faster if we had one of those 😂. We also passed a few people riding their horses on the trail; finding the culprit for the large piles of horse poo.

Brandon scaling the gravel path

Despite the strong headwinds, I was a mad woman in the saddle, biking with a mission! Couldn’t wait to get to Eureka for showers and a rest day! To get into Eureka we had to cross three bridges that span across the Arcata Bay. This turned out to be a very windy crossing and staying in the bike lane was a challenge. But we survived, made it to the hotel, and then it was time to do laundry and relax. First thing on my list was to go to Target, spend too much money, and take an epsom salt bath. 100% worth the walk.

Tomorrow it would be “explore” Eureka day.

Road stats: 50.82 miles and 1,948 feet elevation gain

Road kill: 1 snake, 2 skunks, 6 frogs, and 1 raccoon

Weird things in the shoulder: 2 CO2 canisters, stuffed my little pony doll, child’s sandal, pair of tennis shoes, dish sponge, hypodermic needle, 3 masks, CO2 graveyard