literary abilities are insufficient to describe the grandeur of this
natural setting. Cloumns of unimaginable size rising like the walls of
a canyon on the side of the rode led me to ride almost the entire day
with a smile on my face. Ecologically, the redwoods require the
temperate slopes of the coast range and the sea mists that frequent
this area. It also seems that the redwoods require hills. Many, many
hills. When I wasn't smiling, I was panting for breath as route 101
follows the eel river valley, uncomfortably hot after the cool shade
along avenue of the giants.
Out of the redwoods, the temperature rose 20 degrees and the sun
blazed down, reflecting off of the now barren slopes. Frequent water
breaks and candy replenishment were a necessity. Then, at mile 106, it
came. Leggett hill. At 2000 feet this marks the high point of the
pacific coast bike route, and it certainly makes you earn all 4.5
miles of the climb. The descent and the view provided ample reward.
Then there's pacifc route 1. While arguably the most scenic section of
the route, it is also the most inconsistent. The road constantly
dipping into coves and over bluffs must make for amazing driving, but
it makes cycling a challenge. I write this is fort Bragg, having
delayed my travels in favour of the football and out of fear for the
next section of the route, which the book describes as having the
steepest mile on the pacific coast
