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Got a late start this morning.  After the festivities, I went straight to sleep instead of organizing things.  Also, I had to finish drying my clothes on the fire before I packed up.  That was basically okay as this stretch is a shorter day for almost everyone heading south.  Besides including some very hilly terrain, there just aren’t a lot of lodging options for pulling a longer day.  Same for tomorrow’s route.

About that hilly terrain.   That big blob on the elevation chart below heading toward mile 10 is the Leggett Hill.  It’s the highest elevation on the Pacific Coast bike route and everyone discusses it.  No real shoulder, just a long windy climb in the woods with logging trucks passing you.  I hate climbing first thing in the morning.  I just don’t do it as easily when I am not warmed up.  It really wasn’t that bad though.  I knew how long it was going to last and what the mile marker at the summit would be and that I would have a really long descent afterwards.  Though it was difficult and I am a slow rider, I did it without dropping onto my little chain ring or granny gear.  The descent was in the trees and doubly cold because of the sweat I had just built up.  You don’t complain about 8 free miles without pedalling, though.

The next hill, Rockport, is not discussed as much, but in my book it was way worse.  Not as high, but extremely steep, plus the mile markers in my guidebook were wrong and I had another mile when I thought it was done.  I finally dropped into the granny ring for the first (but not last) time this trip.

The first 28 miles today were without services so no second breakfast.  After a bunch of days on 101, most of this route was on the 1, which mean mostly no shoulder.  After the climbs, it was back on the coast in northern Mendocino County which is beautiful, mostly undeveloped coast.  Beauty of a degree that you just don’t see very often.

Nonetheless, it is very annoying riding.  The coast highway rolls up and down and around every cove or headland.  It’s nice that they didn’t blast their way through things when grading the 1, but it sucks to climb two, three, or four hills every mile.  My knees are blasted and I expect more of this crap for the next few days.

This is the payoff:

After all the climbing, I took a hotel night.  I needed to re-wash my clothes, pay some bills online, and take care of some saddle sores I’m starting to develop (you’re welcome.)  Choosing a hotel wasn’t tough.  I picked the one with an all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet behind it.  I hope I impressed them with the amount of veg and starch I packed in.  I think I’m doing a pretty good job keeping up with the calories I’m burning but it’s hard to say without a scale.

I probably had some funny stuff to say, but I don’t remember it.  I’m tired and Padma and the Dodgers are both on the tube.

Here’s the track: