Monday, November 25, 2013

Day 165 - 14th November, McKinleyville - Arcada - Eureka - Scotia, 53.66 miles

Michelle nám na rozlúčku pripravila kráľovské raňajky, jej pohostinnosť bola úžasná, boli sme za to nesmierne vďačný. Do najbližšieho mesta, Arcata, nás doviedla pekná cyklocesta, pomedzi farmy, kravy a pekne poza humná, takže žiadne autá nehrozili. Arcata bol splnený vegetariánsky, hipisácky, bohémsky sen, všetko iba malé lokálne, rodinné podniky, žiadne rýchle občerstvenia, všetko z organických fariem. Jedlo sme tu nekupovali tak neviem ako drahé ti bolo... Ale mali tu celkom dobrý cykloobchod, stále som mal menšie problémy so zadným kolesom. Poriadne ho skontrolovali a žiadnu vadu nenašli, ja som si myslel že je niečo v oske, potom ma upozornili na moje ošúpané pneumatiky, tak som kúpil nové a naozaj problém bol len v pneumatikách, škoda dúfal som, že USA dokončím ešte so starými. Arcata nad tiež prekvapila množstvom “dharmových“ tulákov, miestne námestíčko vyzeralo ako keby tu organizovali nejaký festival, ľudia tu sedeli pospolu, niektorí bubnovali, niektorí sa len tak povaľovali, vzduchom sa niesla vôňa omamného dymu... Tej už sme sa nezbavili, bolo ho cítiť v celej Kalifornii. Ďalšie mesto, ktorým sme len tak prefičali bola Euréka, zastavili sme sa tu len trochu niečo nakúpiť (tu už boli lacné obchody). Za Eurékou nás čakala 101, ktorá sa zmenila na naozajstné diaľničné monštrum. Najhoršie bolo, že sme museli križovať množstvo výjazdov z diaľnice, blížil sa už večer a veľa šoférov tu na západe ešte nepochopila, že svetlá ma to auto manuálne a treba trochu pohnúť rukou a zapnúť ich, takže blížiace sa autá sme občas ani nevideli, nehovoriac o tom, že sa aj tak hnali príliš rýchlo na to aby sme my s tým mohli niečo spraviť. Z diaľnice sme zišli v Scotii. Podivnom mestečku pod nadvládou miestnej obrovskej píly. Ľudia tu neboli veľmi prívetivý. Brook sa tu snažila vybaviť nocľah v miestnom kostole, ale odmietli ju. Na výhode nás ľudia bez problémov nechali prespať na záhrade, tu sme nepochodili ani na šiesty pokus. Nakoniec nám prastarý nočný strážnik poradil, že môžeme prespať na kúsku zeme nikoho pri diaľnici, ale že na severnom konci, bo na juhu sa teraz potuluje puma čakajúca na nejaké zrazeniny na ceste. Miestečko na severe bolo poblíž trochu podozrivej štvrte, ale strážnik nás prišiel skontrolovať či sme ok a hovoril, že bude tu mať službu po celú noc, milý ujko. Ale aj tak sme spali všetci spolu v jednom stane :-)

After rich breakfast and many thanks to our wonderful host we took bike trail to Arcata, it led us through farmland, between farms, calm road, scenery, no traffic at all. Arcata was a nice hippy town, everything was organic and local, even the bums (or "dharma" tramps?, one piazza looked like some Rainbow gathering) and the clouds of marihuana's smoke, which were our company for the rest of California :-). In one of a few local bike shops (Revolution Bicycle Repair, guys there were really cool, they checked my wheels, and helped me to solve my problem with "bumpy" back wheel, all free of charge, thanks) I bought a new tires, the old one were already too bumpy (it was like to bike on the dirt road all the time). Then we passed through Eureka, crazy traffic there, good Grocery Outlet, a lot of homeless people. Hwy 101 changed to busy freeway with many exits, which was always like to play Russian roulette to cross them, because some driver (it is quite typical for USA) don't bother with using signal lights, they just turn, who cares... (and many drivers especially here on the west coast don't use lights at all until it isn't totally dark, so in the evening they are pretty invisible).
To Scotia, our final destination for tonight, we came after dark. Scotia is small town which exist only thanks to a lumber industry, there is a  huge sawmill. We didn't have any place to stay here, Brook had contact to local church (she stayed also in churches, as an alternative to warmshowers), but it didn't work out here. From east part of USA we had good experience with ask people if we couldn't camp on their backyards, so we tried it here (about six houses in different parts of town), but without success. People here are just weird... Finally one night watchman showed us place where we could stay, it was on the north end of town, near freeway on "no man" land, he told us that south would be also good, but right now they have a "mountain lion" problem there (one female evidently like to go there in the night, looking for roadkills).

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