Day 8: Eureka to Garberville, 63 mi

Not as many hills today so we were able to travel more miles. We make good choices on the route and had two short excursions off Hwy. 101. The first went through Scotia--a logging mill community.

The next scenic route was through the redwoods--avenue of the Giants. 

For the first time this trip Sharon had to "pee in the bushes". She was careful to watch for oncoming cars--but was caught by a bicyclist we knew!! He was courteous and cycled past.

We are now 23 miles from the base of Leggett Hill. Rain is predicted for tomorrow--we will wait to decide what to do.

Orick to Eureka--45 miles

More hills, of course.  This area always seems windy--especially around Arcata and Eureka. We put on and took off our jackets all day. We took a few routes off highway 101--they were scenic miles but at a price. Very poor road condition and at times we had to push our bikes over sandy gravel sections. We didn't complain at all ??!! We are staying at a hotel my brother has told us is the only safe one in town: Bayshore Best Western. There is a Marie Callendar next door.

Crescent City to Orick, 40 miles

Hill is a 4-letter word!! We pedaled many hills today but arrived safely before 2 pm. We stayed on 101 by mistake and missed a scenic ride. The hotel here is rustic but better than camping. 

We just checked into our hotel and received a text with a great picture:

Crescent city, California: 53 miles

We had a picnic in our motel room last night with take out fish and chips. It was much more relaxing than going to a restaurant. 

Breakfast this morning was actually more then we could eat. That doesn't happen very often on our bike trips. 

The route to Brookings was quite hilly--but what's new about that. 

We met a couple today riding from Scotland. They are going slow but enjoying the first USA ride. 

When we arrived at our hotel two of the men we have been leapfrogging with were just checking in--funny since there are lots of hotels in the town. We are having dinner with them tonight. Tomorrow we start our day with a big climb out of the city--it will be good to be fresh.

Bandon to Gold Beach, 57 miles

Happy Birthday to Ron!  

The pancake was big enough to substitute for a birthday cake. We ate it all--it was our second breakfast at 25 miles.

The route was rolling hills but very scenic from Port Orford to here. The weather remains nearly perfect. We are staying at a nice hotel.  Our dinner last night was excellent so we hope for the same success tonight.

We are playing "leapfrog" with four other riders. One duo is going to Healdsburg and the other to San Diego.  We are all making AARP proud. All four left their wives at home so Sharon is the only female rider.  We have seen some other riders but not as consistently. We are not the fastest or the slowest. 

Expect to be in California tomorrow. 

It is still a highlight of our day to receive Wesley pictures.

Reedsport to Bandon, 51 miles

The weather continues to be good for riding. The route left highway 101 for about 25 miles near Coos Bay. It goes to a small harbor town of Charleston and then over "7 Devils road".  12 miles with lots of climbing--each climb is a "devil"! Nice views at the top.  We had a great bakery stop in Charleston to provide us the calories for the climb--homemade chili and cornbread along with our pastries and coffee.

Cops Bay bridge is 1 1/2 miles.

Great meal at the Edge Waters.

Yachats to Reedsport, 48 mi

We have had a few people ask us if the route down the coast is pretty flat. Most people know that is definitely not the case--we know by experience today that is certainly untrue! We climbed a lot of hills today. We were going to continue to Coosbay but the wind came up and it was not friendly. So we are enjoying a nice motel in Reedsport. We have seen very few cyclists. Yesterday we saw a man who was riding a "stair glider" -- it was a two wheeler and he was pulling a Bob trailer "fully loaded". There was no seat on the vehicle so he was standing the whole distance. As we passed him he said he was headed to San Diego.

We are thinking of our grandson so we were happy when "Nana" texted us a pix: