Thursday, November 28, 2013
Day 176 - 25th November, Lagunitas - Corte Madera - Sausalito - Golden Gate National Rec. Area (Bicentennial Campground), 34.5 miles
Po tom co sme opustili Samuel P. Taylor State Park, v mrazivom rane, sme sa ocitli na prahu San Franciska, po zvysok dna sme sa prebojovavali cez male mestecka, hladajuc nejaky internet, aby sme si mohli najst nejakych warmshowers hostitelov v San Francisku. Nebolo to zdaleka take jednoduche, potrebovali sme ist na normalny pocitac, riesit to cez mobil bolo hodne zlozite, ale najst nejaku kniznicu tiez nebolo jednoduche. Nakoniec sme nasli jednu v Corte Madera a Baska ziskala nejake kontakty, ale nikto nebol volny, takze sme sa rozhodli ostat este pred San Franciskom v Golden Gate National Rec. Area, kde mal byt kemp zadarmo. Aj tak sme boli celkom unavany a na prechod San Franciskom sme si chceli dat chvilu pauzu. Po prichode do Sausalita sa nam otvorili prve vyhlady na San Francisko, Alcatraz a Golden Gate Bridge. Celkom pekna podivana. Nejaky casnik, ktory sa so mnou pustil do reci, zatial co Baska fotila mesto, nam daroval dva bochniky chleba. Do Bicentennial Campground sme dorazili skoro az za tmy a akurat sme tu stretli rangera. Pytal sa nas ci mame povolenie na kempovanie. To sme samozrejme nemali, blizke navstevnicke centrum, kde sa toto povolenie dalo vybavit, zavreli pred hodinou. Uz sme si zacinali mysliet, ze je to v kybli, ale ranger vytiahol vysielacku, velmi dolezito si vypytal nase doklady, nieco nadiktoval do vysielacky, vypisal trojmo nejake papiere a potom nam povedal, ze je to ok, mozeme tu prespat a dal nam vypisane povolenie, uz som bol uplne zblbnuty a chcel vytahovat peniaze, ocakavajuc nejaku horibilnu sumu za noclah, ale ono to bolo fakt zadarmo. Akurat to muselo byt nalezite prehnane byrokraciou, tak typickou pre USA. Takze sme nakoniec zaspavali s vyhladom na nocne San Francisko. Pred spanim sme si este vybehli na blizky kopec s byvalou delostreleckou bateriou, pokochat sa vyhladom (cela tato rekreacna oblast je byvala vojenska pevnost).
Today we left early in the morning and said goodbye to the other guys. It was pretty cold, nearly freezing. After we left redwoods, the rest of road led through towns and settlement around San Francisco. Our task for today was to find some library and get contacts to warmshowers hosts in San Fran. One we found in Corte Madera, but no hosts were available today. So we decided to stay at Golden Gate National Rec. Area. In Sausalito we saw San Francisco for the first time, nice view on the city, Alcatraz prison and Golden Gate Bridge. Some waiter gave us bread. And from buses with tourists we heard "Going to the San Francisco" song. When we finaly arrived to the camp we met there with ranger and he asked us if we have permit, becouse without it we cannot camp here. Of course we didn't have anything like this and visitor center where we could get one closed one hour ago. For while it looked bad, but than our ranger took our documents, played for while with radio and some papers and than finnaly we got permit to camp here. And all this procedure was necessery, even the camp is free :-) After we settle down, we walked on the top of the close hill and enjoyed night scenery of San Francisco in front of us.
Today we left early in the morning and said goodbye to the other guys. It was pretty cold, nearly freezing. After we left redwoods, the rest of road led through towns and settlement around San Francisco. Our task for today was to find some library and get contacts to warmshowers hosts in San Fran. One we found in Corte Madera, but no hosts were available today. So we decided to stay at Golden Gate National Rec. Area. In Sausalito we saw San Francisco for the first time, nice view on the city, Alcatraz prison and Golden Gate Bridge. Some waiter gave us bread. And from buses with tourists we heard "Going to the San Francisco" song. When we finaly arrived to the camp we met there with ranger and he asked us if we have permit, becouse without it we cannot camp here. Of course we didn't have anything like this and visitor center where we could get one closed one hour ago. For while it looked bad, but than our ranger took our documents, played for while with radio and some papers and than finnaly we got permit to camp here. And all this procedure was necessery, even the camp is free :-) After we settle down, we walked on the top of the close hill and enjoyed night scenery of San Francisco in front of us.
Monday, November 25, 2013
Day 175 - 24th November, Bodega Bay - Valley Ford - Marshall - Pt. Reyes Station - Samuel P. Taylor State Park, 51.84 miles
Doobeda sme sa venovali ociste nasich spinavych tiel a veci v Bodega Dunes Campground, ale este po ceste tam sme sa pokochali pohladom na male zraloky snoriace na dne oceanu rovno pod utesmi, kde sme stali. Celkom dobry zazitok, ale takmer ho vytlacila do pozadia paradna horuca sprcha a chvilkovy pocit cistoty, nez sme nezacali opat odtacat kilometre na ceste do San Franciska. Tentoraz viedla cesta velkou oklukou vnutrozemim, cez vyprahnute pastviny, lesy tu boli vyklcovane uz pred davnou dobou a v tychto koncinach vsetko patrilo vsemocnym ranceriam. Presli sme cez zopar westernovych mesteciek ako Valley Ford ci Tomales. Vyprahnute pastviny posobili dost depresivne, viac sa nam pacilo, ked sme sa dostali spat k oceanu a krasnej zatoke Tomales. V miestnej restauracii sme nabrali vodu a zacali hladat miesto na spanie, ale vsade boli len nekonecne ploty z ostnateho drotu a nic vhodneho sme nenasli. Takze sme opat raz slapali az hlboko do noci az do Samuel P. Taylor State Park, co bol maly zbytok sekvojoveho lesa co sa tu nejakym zazrakom zachoval. Velke bolo nase prekvapenie, ked sme tu stretli Katie s Vinniem a Rachel s Timom. Privitali nas huronskym pokrikom a boli fakt nadseny ze sme sa opat stretli. Zvysok vecera sme sa s nimi rozpravali (vlastne len Baska, ja som robil veceru a piekol chleba) a bojovali sme s myvalmi, ktori uz stihli napachat nejake skody na Rachelinych zasobach, co uz ked bola leniva si ich dat do food boxu. Myvalovia jej uchmatli plnu tasku a zobrali si ju so sebou kdesi do lesa, uz ju nenasla.
Shower!!! But before we got there we saw small sharks in the ocean below cliffs. Than was the time to enjoy free hot shower in Bodega Dunes Campground. The feeling of the cleanes didn't last for long, because from Bodega Bay the Hwy 1 led us inland into dry hills with pastures and the temperature was really high. All around us were just ranches with pastures, the woods were cut down long time ago... This part of road was quite depresive, but the small towns like Valley Ford or Tomales reminded times of Wild West a little bit. But we liked the coast more and it was nice to got back to the ocean. Problem was that there wasn't any suitable place for the tent. So, again as yesterday we biked through the night in the freezing cold to Samuel P. Taylor State Park, which was piece of nice redwoods. Here was small surprise, at biker/hiker site we met again with Katie, Vinnie, Rachel and Tim. In the night we had again some fights with raccoons, they stolen Rachel's bag with food and took it to somewhere into the forest.
Shower!!! But before we got there we saw small sharks in the ocean below cliffs. Than was the time to enjoy free hot shower in Bodega Dunes Campground. The feeling of the cleanes didn't last for long, because from Bodega Bay the Hwy 1 led us inland into dry hills with pastures and the temperature was really high. All around us were just ranches with pastures, the woods were cut down long time ago... This part of road was quite depresive, but the small towns like Valley Ford or Tomales reminded times of Wild West a little bit. But we liked the coast more and it was nice to got back to the ocean. Problem was that there wasn't any suitable place for the tent. So, again as yesterday we biked through the night in the freezing cold to Samuel P. Taylor State Park, which was piece of nice redwoods. Here was small surprise, at biker/hiker site we met again with Katie, Vinnie, Rachel and Tim. In the night we had again some fights with raccoons, they stolen Rachel's bag with food and took it to somewhere into the forest.
Day 174 - 23rd November, Manchester - Anchor Bay - Gualala - Fort Ross - Jenner - Sonoma Coast Beach, 68.14 miles
Dnesny den, rovnako slnecny ako tie predchadzajuce sme zacali pekne z rana, nechajuc svajciarov aj americanov za sebou a prechadzajuc malebnymi udoliami pomedzi farmy, zo zaciatku dost daleko od pobrezia. Dnesok bol extra kopcovity, brzdy ani vychladnut nemali kedy a prevody sme prehadzovali ako na beziacom pase. Ale aj tak napriek peknemu startu rano nas postupne predbehli ako tazkonalozeny svajciary, tak aj lahkoodeny americania. Svajciarov sme uz nevideli, ale s americanmi sme sa stretli v Gualale, kde parkovalo ich podporne vozidlo a hotovili sa svedske stoly na obed. Slovo dalo slovo a uz im Baska len tak medzi recou sfutrovala polovicu zasob. Ja som mal voci tomu dost velke skrupule, zobral som si len tak v ramci slusnosti, co som neskor olutoval, kedze akosi nam nevysiel cas na poriadny obed (ono pri tom kochani a foteni ten cas leti...) A aj ked som spociatku na Basku zazeral, pre jej neokrochanost, neskor sa nam to naramne oplatilo, ze sa s touto skupinkou dala do reci a nadviazala kontakty, ale o tom az neskor. Zatial sme sa iba dozvedeli, ze su to vsetko ludkovia pracujuci v environmentalnej vychove a toto bola ich posezonna, teambuildingova tradicna akcia. Vlastne robili skoro to iste co my v Cuyahoge. Svet je naozaj maly, ked cestujes na bicykli a vsetci ludia su navzajom nejako prepojeni.
Za Fort Ross sme minuli skanzem s ruskymi kostolikmi a pravoslavnym klastorom, zbytky ruskeho osidlenia a asi to naj z historickych budov co sa da na zapadnom pobrezi najst :-). Neviem, preco sme neostali v blizkom State Parku spolu s Americanmi, ale tahali sme dalej, netusiac ze ideme do najtazsich kopcov na tomto useku, ale stalo to zato, pri slapani po uzkej ceste na okraji utesu padajuceho takmer kolmo cca 200 m do oceanu, sme si vychutnavali jeden z najkrajsich zapadov slnka tu na pobrezi. A napokon ani tento kopec nebol taky zly, akurat sme na jeho vrcholok prisli uz za tmy a to nas este cakal strhujuci zjazd do Jenneru po superuzkych serpentinach, za ktore by sa nemuseli hambit ani v Norsku. Ale zvladli sme to, ba dokonca aj prezili a za svetla celoviek ukrajovali kilometre do Jenneru, za ktorym mal byt Park s kempom. V noci sa riadne ochladilo, mali sme pocit, ze skoro mrzne. Kemp sme nenasli a tak sme si poslapali este o nejakych dalsich 10 km dalej az sme konecne narazili na RV kemp v Sonoma Coast Beach. Ale tento kemp bol totalne plny a len pre RVcka, nastastie nas prichilil na svojom placku "kemp host", co je nieco ako spravca. Keby ako na potvoru neprisla rangerka, mohli sme to mat zadarmo, takto sme si zaplatili, nastastie iba bajkersku cenu (to je 5$ na osobu, RVckari platia zvacsa okolo 30-50$ za miesto, ale zase ich tam moze byt ako hadov, takze ked sa to rozrata az o tolko drahsie to nemaju...) a dostali sme moznost pouzit zadarmo sprchu v najblizsom State Parku, kedze tu sprchy neboli (kazdy mal svoju vlastnu vo svojom RVcku), bolo to fajn, bo vzhladom na nedostatok drobnych v nasej kapse a nedostatok sprch vobec tu na pobrezi sme ziadnu sprchu nevideli uz okolo 10 dni a uz to zacalo byt celkom citit...
Again the sunny day with perfect wind. We started nicely early in the morning, left swiss couple and group of USA guys behind us. First we passed throught nice hills and valleys between farms, later came bigger and bigger hills. In an another pitoresque town with name Anchor Bay, where we stopped to buy some gasoline for our cooking stove, the swiss couple caught up with us and this was the last time what we saw them, hopefully they arrived safely to San Fran. Later we met also that USA group, first they left us behind, but then in Gualala we found them, having lunch on the side of the road. They invited us for the lunch, Baska was already pretty hungry, so they lost nearly half of their supplies :-). As Baska has been eating, we told them about our trip and usual staff, like where we came from, what we studied, etc ... and we found out that these guys are also environmental education teachers, as we were in Cuyahoga, but they are from camp in Santa Catalina Island and this trip is their tradition after the finished season. It was very good that we stopped there, even first I didn't want to, but later this new contacts helped us a lot. In the late afternoon we arrived to Fort Ross and probably the biggest hills on this part of coast. We passed next by old Russian church, the evidence of Russian settlement in this region. And spent beautiful evening with pedalling up to the crazy long and super steep hill, on the edge of cliff falling straight down to the ocean some 200 yards below us. But the sunset was gorgeous. Also the downhill ride in the dark through serpetines as from Norway. We houped that in Jenner will be state park with camp, but it wasn't and we had to go nearly to the Bodega Bay until we finnally found som RV park, it was completlly full and without hiker/biker site, but the camp host let us built the tent in front of his RV and told us about free showers in the next State Park. That was very good news, because we didn't have any change for showers, and there nearly haven't been any on the way here. And after 10 days without shower we were looking forward to this opportunity :-)
Za Fort Ross sme minuli skanzem s ruskymi kostolikmi a pravoslavnym klastorom, zbytky ruskeho osidlenia a asi to naj z historickych budov co sa da na zapadnom pobrezi najst :-). Neviem, preco sme neostali v blizkom State Parku spolu s Americanmi, ale tahali sme dalej, netusiac ze ideme do najtazsich kopcov na tomto useku, ale stalo to zato, pri slapani po uzkej ceste na okraji utesu padajuceho takmer kolmo cca 200 m do oceanu, sme si vychutnavali jeden z najkrajsich zapadov slnka tu na pobrezi. A napokon ani tento kopec nebol taky zly, akurat sme na jeho vrcholok prisli uz za tmy a to nas este cakal strhujuci zjazd do Jenneru po superuzkych serpentinach, za ktore by sa nemuseli hambit ani v Norsku. Ale zvladli sme to, ba dokonca aj prezili a za svetla celoviek ukrajovali kilometre do Jenneru, za ktorym mal byt Park s kempom. V noci sa riadne ochladilo, mali sme pocit, ze skoro mrzne. Kemp sme nenasli a tak sme si poslapali este o nejakych dalsich 10 km dalej az sme konecne narazili na RV kemp v Sonoma Coast Beach. Ale tento kemp bol totalne plny a len pre RVcka, nastastie nas prichilil na svojom placku "kemp host", co je nieco ako spravca. Keby ako na potvoru neprisla rangerka, mohli sme to mat zadarmo, takto sme si zaplatili, nastastie iba bajkersku cenu (to je 5$ na osobu, RVckari platia zvacsa okolo 30-50$ za miesto, ale zase ich tam moze byt ako hadov, takze ked sa to rozrata az o tolko drahsie to nemaju...) a dostali sme moznost pouzit zadarmo sprchu v najblizsom State Parku, kedze tu sprchy neboli (kazdy mal svoju vlastnu vo svojom RVcku), bolo to fajn, bo vzhladom na nedostatok drobnych v nasej kapse a nedostatok sprch vobec tu na pobrezi sme ziadnu sprchu nevideli uz okolo 10 dni a uz to zacalo byt celkom citit...
Again the sunny day with perfect wind. We started nicely early in the morning, left swiss couple and group of USA guys behind us. First we passed throught nice hills and valleys between farms, later came bigger and bigger hills. In an another pitoresque town with name Anchor Bay, where we stopped to buy some gasoline for our cooking stove, the swiss couple caught up with us and this was the last time what we saw them, hopefully they arrived safely to San Fran. Later we met also that USA group, first they left us behind, but then in Gualala we found them, having lunch on the side of the road. They invited us for the lunch, Baska was already pretty hungry, so they lost nearly half of their supplies :-). As Baska has been eating, we told them about our trip and usual staff, like where we came from, what we studied, etc ... and we found out that these guys are also environmental education teachers, as we were in Cuyahoga, but they are from camp in Santa Catalina Island and this trip is their tradition after the finished season. It was very good that we stopped there, even first I didn't want to, but later this new contacts helped us a lot. In the late afternoon we arrived to Fort Ross and probably the biggest hills on this part of coast. We passed next by old Russian church, the evidence of Russian settlement in this region. And spent beautiful evening with pedalling up to the crazy long and super steep hill, on the edge of cliff falling straight down to the ocean some 200 yards below us. But the sunset was gorgeous. Also the downhill ride in the dark through serpetines as from Norway. We houped that in Jenner will be state park with camp, but it wasn't and we had to go nearly to the Bodega Bay until we finnally found som RV park, it was completlly full and without hiker/biker site, but the camp host let us built the tent in front of his RV and told us about free showers in the next State Park. That was very good news, because we didn't have any change for showers, and there nearly haven't been any on the way here. And after 10 days without shower we were looking forward to this opportunity :-)
Day 173 - 22nd November, Mendocino - Elk - Manchester State Park, 35.31 miles
Doobedie sme stravili na pobrezi malebneho mestecka Mendocino, utesy v tomto mieste boli skratka dokonale, rovnako ako aj zatoky, v ktorych sa nachadzali. V dialke blikal majak ako vystrihnuty z nejakej pohladnice, obloha bola aj dnes blankytne modra a vietor v chrbte. Opat idealne podmienky a genialne vyhlady. Na jednom z kopcov opat stretavame Katie (Katie vyzera ako dvojicka Lucii Deutschovej, nie len vzhladom ale aj vystupovanim a hlasom, uz ani nie som velmi prekvapeny, len to potvrdzuje teoriu, ze na svete je len urcity pocet roznych typov ludi a skor ci neskor sa zacnu opakovat, mozno ma tento matrix malu kapacitu pamate alebo co, ale uz sme stretli dvojnikov asi vsetkych ludi co pozname a vsetci sa podobali nielen vzhladom ale aj spravanim, skratka ten isty clovek len v inom prostredi) a Vinnieho, trochu ich zdrzal pivovar vo Fort Bragg, coskoro nas vsak nechavaju za sebou. Kopce sme zdolavali az po Elk, za nim sa cesta prijemne vyrovnala a isli sme uz zvacsa len z kopca, prijemny oddych po vsetkych tych zatokach, ktore bolo treba zdolat, zvacsa prudky kopec dole a potom nahle prudky kopec hore, skoro ani nebol cas prehodit na lahsi prevod. Navecer prichadzame do Manchester State Park, ideme sa prejst na pobrezie s pieskovymi dunami (trochu zmena) a vychutnavame si paradny zapad slnka a obrovske vlny na oceane. V kempe vedla nas stanuje skupinka bajkerov na ceste do San Franciska, idu vsak nalahko, batozinu im vozi velike podporne vozitko. Stretli sme tu opat aj nasich starych znamich svajciarov, ti cestuju zase naopak, pekne natazko, zase nas raz ohurili tym co vytiahli zo svojich obrovskych baglov - solarnu pec - obrovsky slnecnik so zrkadlami vo vnutry a drziakom na esus, staci len zamierit na slnko a pockat ... hodinku? a obed je zohriaty :-) uz sa nedivime, ze maju tolko batoziny.
In the morning we are exploring the coast around Mendocino. The bay and cliffs here are absolutely spectacular. The Lighthouse on the horizon just finished the ilusion of some kind of impressionistic canvas painting. Also the town of Mendocino is very colorfull, with beautiful houses. On the way to Elk we passed through many small or big bays, enjoying gorgeous views on the cliffs or the ocean. But it wasn't for free, it was a lot of hard work to bike through all this bays, steep downhills took turns with steep uphills. On the one of hills we met again with Katie and Vinnie (Katie looked like twin of one of ours friends, I think that in this world is just some certain amount of types of people and soon or later you will see the same people again and again, just in diferent environment, we probably saw nearly all "twins" of our friends). Katie and Vinnie stayed a little behind, probably becouse that good brewery in Fort Bragg. But very soon they left us behind. After Elk came some rest, the road was more even here and withouth so many hills. We camped in Manchester State Park with its amazing sand dunes, where we had very nice evening with red sunset. In the camp we met again with the couple from Swiss, this time they surprised us with another piece with of their equipment, they had solar oven - big umbrella with mirrors. Now I understand why they have so big bags... Close to us camped another group of biker, but they traveled lightly, all gear was moved with support vehicle.
In the morning we are exploring the coast around Mendocino. The bay and cliffs here are absolutely spectacular. The Lighthouse on the horizon just finished the ilusion of some kind of impressionistic canvas painting. Also the town of Mendocino is very colorfull, with beautiful houses. On the way to Elk we passed through many small or big bays, enjoying gorgeous views on the cliffs or the ocean. But it wasn't for free, it was a lot of hard work to bike through all this bays, steep downhills took turns with steep uphills. On the one of hills we met again with Katie and Vinnie (Katie looked like twin of one of ours friends, I think that in this world is just some certain amount of types of people and soon or later you will see the same people again and again, just in diferent environment, we probably saw nearly all "twins" of our friends). Katie and Vinnie stayed a little behind, probably becouse that good brewery in Fort Bragg. But very soon they left us behind. After Elk came some rest, the road was more even here and withouth so many hills. We camped in Manchester State Park with its amazing sand dunes, where we had very nice evening with red sunset. In the camp we met again with the couple from Swiss, this time they surprised us with another piece with of their equipment, they had solar oven - big umbrella with mirrors. Now I understand why they have so big bags... Close to us camped another group of biker, but they traveled lightly, all gear was moved with support vehicle.
Day 172 - 21st November, Westport - Cleone - Fort Bragg - Caspar - Russian Gulch State Park, 30.45 miles
A tak to vyslo, rano vstaneme a je nadherne slnecno, po hmle ani stopy. Skumame pobrezie, bicyklujeme kusok po starej jednotke, ktora uz padla za obet erozii a bola z polovice odrolena do oceanu. Zaciname husenkovu jazdu po pobrezi severnej Kalifornie, po pobrezi tak nadhernom az z toho prechadza zrak. Nadherne skaly roztodivnych tvarov, zatoky, plaze, farba oceanu je azurovo modra, na slnku je prijemne tepluco a v tieni skoro mrzne. Navyse okolite kopce na rozdiel od Oregonu nebiju do oci ohyzdnymi holorubmi, tu je vsake les a blizko pobreziu su pastviny a rance, pastva dobytka je dost extenzivna, mal som dojem, ze tu boli len preto aby dotvarali atmosferu. V jednej z pocetnych zakrut stretavame cyklistu smerujuceho z L.A. na Aliasku (s tym ze zimu precka vo Washingtone), na voziku zapriahnutom za bikom vezie okrem batoziny aj svojho verneho psiska, zda sa ze obom sa to paci.Uistuje nas, ze dalej to bude este omnoho kopcovitejsie. Dobre spravy vzdy potesia :-). Prechadzame prijemnymi mesteckami, zvacsa len pre tych majetnejsich. Pri Cleone utesy miznu a zrazu to tu vyzera ako v pusti, na siroko daleko len pieskove duny. Spravili sme zopar "pustnych" fotiek. Vo Fort Braggu nakupujeme potraviny a za pekneho zapadu slnka dochadzame do zavreteho Russian Gulch State Park na dne hlbokeho udolia. Zavreteho len na zavoru a s otvorenymi toaletami a tecucou vodou, idealne miesto pre nas. V noci bolo celkom slusne zima, rano sme sa zobudili do stanu pokryteho namrazou.
The miracles happen all the time. After foggy yesterday, today is sunny, good tailwind, perfect day for biking. The coast is getting more and more hilly and the views on the landscape around us are getting more and more spectacular. Amazing rock formations, cliffs, small bays, beaches, the hills around are with nice forest (big difference to compare with Oregon), on the slopes heading to the ocean are ranches and pastures with cows or horses. In one of many curves, we met one guy heading to Alaska (from L.A.), he would like to spend winter in Washington. What was interesting, was that he was carring his dog with him (quite big one). She was packed in the trolley and seems to enjoyed it. We passed through quite nice towns, probably mostly vacation residences for a rich people, but still with peacefull atmosphere. After Cleone the cliffs and rocks desappeared and everywhere was sand and sand dunes, nearly like in the desert. In Fort Bragg we did some grocery and after nice sunset we stayed in Russian Gulch State Park, even it was closed (at least we were alone). It was freezing in the night, in the morning the tent and grass was covered by frost.
The miracles happen all the time. After foggy yesterday, today is sunny, good tailwind, perfect day for biking. The coast is getting more and more hilly and the views on the landscape around us are getting more and more spectacular. Amazing rock formations, cliffs, small bays, beaches, the hills around are with nice forest (big difference to compare with Oregon), on the slopes heading to the ocean are ranches and pastures with cows or horses. In one of many curves, we met one guy heading to Alaska (from L.A.), he would like to spend winter in Washington. What was interesting, was that he was carring his dog with him (quite big one). She was packed in the trolley and seems to enjoyed it. We passed through quite nice towns, probably mostly vacation residences for a rich people, but still with peacefull atmosphere. After Cleone the cliffs and rocks desappeared and everywhere was sand and sand dunes, nearly like in the desert. In Fort Bragg we did some grocery and after nice sunset we stayed in Russian Gulch State Park, even it was closed (at least we were alone). It was freezing in the night, in the morning the tent and grass was covered by frost.
Day 171 - 20th November, Leggett - Westport-Union Landing State Beach, 27.91 miles
Konecne prestalo prsat, nadranom sa uz iba hmla prevaluje udolim. Vyrazame zdolat najobavanejsiu cast severnej Kalifornie, kopec medzi mesteckom Leggett a pobrezim, ze vraj je najvyssi, strmy, cesta uzka, klukata a tak. V Leggette teda opustame 101 a zaciname jej pobreznu alternativu "dialnicu" (u nas by to bola vedlajsia cesta) c. 1. A zaciname stupat a zaciname sa klukatit a potit a to aj napriek chladivej hmle. No skor nez zacneme vypluvat dusu uz sme na vrchole kopca, prakticky to ani moc nebolelo. Premavka tiez ziadna, asi len dve auta. Ako sa hovori strach ma velke oci. Takychto kopcov sme uz zdolali mnoho. Navyse potom nas cakal paradny zjazd a slusne dlhy. Stretavame dva skupinky bajkerov (jedni nas dobehli v kopci Katie a Vinnie, druhych, Rachel a Tim, sme stretli pri zjazde, nasli na kraji cesty zrazenu sovicku (nieco ako vyrik), este zila ale dostala zasah do hlavy, tak tazko povedat ake mala sance na prezitie), vsetci smeruju na vianoce do Mexika. Jay sa rozhoduje trocha pridat, nechce na bajku stravit viac casu nez je nutne, takze sa lucime a sme zase sami. Myslim, ze chcel pridat aj preto, ze pocul od Vinnieho o vybornom pivovare v relativne nedalekom Fort Braggu. Pri prechadzani cez posledny kopec nas zdravy pri kraji cesty dedusko, sediaci vo svojom motorizovanom koleckovom kresle a neuspesne schovavajuci jointa. Marihuana je v Kalifornii na lekarsky predpis, staci povedat ze trpite migrenami, neviem co sa tak osival, usmev a travova aroma ho aj tak prezradzali...
Na pobrezi vchadzame do hustej a riadne mokrej hmly, cele pobrezie je v nej utopene. Kedze Hwy 1 je povestna svojim nadhernym pobrezim, rozhodujeme sa ostat v najblizsom kempe, aj ked je su iba nejake dve hodiny po obede, a pockat do zajtra, mozno sa vyjasni...
Today's chalenge was hill between Leggett and the coast. We heard about it horrible things. But then we were surprised how easy it was. Just another hill, no big deal. We were on the Hwy 1 now, The Coast Highway, legend of the west coast with spectaculars views on the ocean shore. On the way there we met another bikers Katie and Vinnie and Rachel and Tim. The second couple we met when they were observing small own sitting on the side of the road. The poor creature was hit by car and its head looked bad, probably didn't survived. All these bikers headed south to Mexico for Xmas. Jay desided to go with them, they were faster than we and he wanted to be in San Francisco as soon as possible (and Vinnie told him about famous brewery in Fort Bragg). After that dying owl on the side of the road, we met also one old man sitting in his motorised wheelchair smoking marihuana. Funny? Strange?
The ocean coast was hidden in the fog and biking in it wasn't very fun, so we stayed at Westport-Union Landing State Beach, even it was only 2 p.m. Maybe tomorrow will be sunny...
Na pobrezi vchadzame do hustej a riadne mokrej hmly, cele pobrezie je v nej utopene. Kedze Hwy 1 je povestna svojim nadhernym pobrezim, rozhodujeme sa ostat v najblizsom kempe, aj ked je su iba nejake dve hodiny po obede, a pockat do zajtra, mozno sa vyjasni...
Today's chalenge was hill between Leggett and the coast. We heard about it horrible things. But then we were surprised how easy it was. Just another hill, no big deal. We were on the Hwy 1 now, The Coast Highway, legend of the west coast with spectaculars views on the ocean shore. On the way there we met another bikers Katie and Vinnie and Rachel and Tim. The second couple we met when they were observing small own sitting on the side of the road. The poor creature was hit by car and its head looked bad, probably didn't survived. All these bikers headed south to Mexico for Xmas. Jay desided to go with them, they were faster than we and he wanted to be in San Francisco as soon as possible (and Vinnie told him about famous brewery in Fort Bragg). After that dying owl on the side of the road, we met also one old man sitting in his motorised wheelchair smoking marihuana. Funny? Strange?
The ocean coast was hidden in the fog and biking in it wasn't very fun, so we stayed at Westport-Union Landing State Beach, even it was only 2 p.m. Maybe tomorrow will be sunny...
Day 170 - 19th November, Standish-Hickey State Rec. Area, 0.29 miles
Celu noc prsi a aj cely den, ostavame kde sme, dnes sa nikomu bicyklovat nechce. Nas stan celkom odolaval, a to aj napriek tomu, ze z polovice bol v hlbokej kaluzi, takze sme spali na vodnej posteli, po pol roku non-stop pouzivania je to celkom pozitivne, Alp aj ked to nie je top znacka, tak sa celkom vyznamenal. Jay bol na tom o poznanie horsie, celkom slusne ho vytopilo. Takze trochu spravil prieskum nedalekej restauracie a vybavil u jej majitela, ze mozeme preckat necas v malom pristresku co tam mali. Nebolo to bohvieco, ale aspon sme mali nejaku strechu nad hlavou a kedze nefukalo, boli sme od dazdu dost usetreni. Navyse sme boli v dosahu wifi, ktoru nam onen majitelko restauracie dovolil pouzivat. Je fajn, ze aj tu su pohodaci. V noci sa spustil taky lejak, ze keby sme nemali ten kusok strechy nad hlavou tak nas vytopi ako mysi, Alp neAlp.
It was raining all night and all day. Our tent was in the deep puddle, but the floor is still quite waterproof, so we didn't have to swim. Jay's tent wasn't so good, he looked quite wet after the night. And because he was the man of action, so thanks to him, we could move under a shelter which belong to the close restaurant. The owner of it was so cool that he let us use his wifi, so we spent whole day on the internet, sending emails, posting pictures and blog. In the night came very heavy rain, so we were double grateful for that small shelter.
It was raining all night and all day. Our tent was in the deep puddle, but the floor is still quite waterproof, so we didn't have to swim. Jay's tent wasn't so good, he looked quite wet after the night. And because he was the man of action, so thanks to him, we could move under a shelter which belong to the close restaurant. The owner of it was so cool that he let us use his wifi, so we spent whole day on the internet, sending emails, posting pictures and blog. In the night came very heavy rain, so we were double grateful for that small shelter.
Day 169 - 18th November, Phillipsville - Garberville - Standish-Hickey State Recreational Area (Leggett), 37.4 miles
Dnes je zase zatiahnute. Prechadzame dalsimi podivnymi mesteckami ako napr. Garberville, vsake tu vidno "nizkorozpoctovych" dharmovych tulakov za stastim, zvacsa v prastarych obytnych autach alebo inak na zivot prisposobenych vozitkach, alebo len tak s batohom a psom, hladajucich asi Jackov Kerouacov sen o slobode. V blizkosti potravin ich postavala cela tlupa, mal som z toho dost zmiesane pocity, mozno to bolo aj z toho vonaveho dymu co sa od nich zvacsa valil. Ale potraviny v Garberville ma milo prekvapili, relativne lacne, mali tam vsetko to co spravny dharmovy tulak na bicykli potrebuje a hrala tam prijemna hudba, tie najlepsie pecky zo 60 rokov. Po nakupoch sme pokracovali dalej, podmracenym dnom. Navecer sme stretli na kraji cesty stopujuceho bajkera. Volal sa Jay a isiel len "kusok" z Arcaty do San Franciska. Mysleli sme si, ze ma nieco s bicyklom, ale nakoniec vysvitlo, ze chcel len zviest po najblizsi kemp, lebo uz sa stmievalo a on nemal svetlo. My sme svetla mali a tak sme mu ponukli, ze moze ist s nami. Mozno to nakoniec aj trochu lutoval, lebo potom sme tahali este skoro dve hodiny, po hnusne uskej ceste s neprijemne hustou premavkou, po tme a navyse zacalo celkom slusne liat. Asi si musel mysliet ze Slovaci su pekne prasteny, ked takto jazdia, co nam ale tu v uzasnej USA ostava, ked vsetko je zadrotovane a sukromne a navyse tu sa aj tak inde ostat nedalo nez Standish-Hickey State Recreational Area, kde sme to napokon zalomili na noc (ono, dalo sa ostat este v jednom komercnom kempe co bol blizsie, ale komu sa chce platit 40$ za noc?). V Standish-Hickey State Recreational Area nas nastastie nikto neskasiroval, takze sme tam prespali zadarmo, ale ich stvrtakove sprchy si pochutnali na nasich poslednych stvrtakoch co sme mali a potom aj tak odmietli fungovat, zlaty to Oregon so svojimi sprchami zadarmo...
Cloudy day, strange small towns, cool grocery store in the Garberville, where they played oldies, a lot of "hippies" in old vanes, a lot of bums and hobos and a lot of smell of the marihuana smoke everywhere.
The hwy is still copying the river, in quite nice valley. In the evening we met one biker - Jay. He was hitchhiking, because it was getting dark and he didn't have any lamp. He was on the way from Arcata to San Francisco. We offered him that he can go with us, we had lights :-) Well, I don't know how happy he was, because than we pedalled for nearly two hours in the dark. The road was windy with no real shoulder and deep canyon on our right side, it started to rain and the traffic was heavy. Probably he had to think that Slovaks are pretty crazy people if they ride in this conditions, well, we are, this wasn't first nor last time what we did it. Standish-Hickey State Recreational Area was fine, but they stupid showers ate all our quarters and refuse to work. How we missed Oregon and they showers for free...
Cloudy day, strange small towns, cool grocery store in the Garberville, where they played oldies, a lot of "hippies" in old vanes, a lot of bums and hobos and a lot of smell of the marihuana smoke everywhere.
The hwy is still copying the river, in quite nice valley. In the evening we met one biker - Jay. He was hitchhiking, because it was getting dark and he didn't have any lamp. He was on the way from Arcata to San Francisco. We offered him that he can go with us, we had lights :-) Well, I don't know how happy he was, because than we pedalled for nearly two hours in the dark. The road was windy with no real shoulder and deep canyon on our right side, it started to rain and the traffic was heavy. Probably he had to think that Slovaks are pretty crazy people if they ride in this conditions, well, we are, this wasn't first nor last time what we did it. Standish-Hickey State Recreational Area was fine, but they stupid showers ate all our quarters and refuse to work. How we missed Oregon and they showers for free...
Day 168 - 17th November, Humboldt Redwoods SP - Myers Flat - Phillipsville, 24.66 miles
Po osviezujucom spanku v sekvoji, moc sa nam ju nechcelo opustit, sme si este raz prezreli Rockefellerov okruh, tentoraz za svetla, zenuska uz tu nemeditovala. Po vcerajsom pluhavom pocasi ani stopy, dnes bolo pekne slnecno. Navratili sme sa na Aveniu of the Giants a pokracovali dalej na juh v hlbokom udoli, popri rieke so strasne divnym nazvom Short Fork Eeel River, prechadzajuc malymi podivnymi mesteckami s podivnymi ludmi a pachom marihuany... nasli sme peknu jablon plnu malych sladkych jablk (miestny ovocie zo stromov neoberaju, zrejme) a akesi podivne pagastany. Tato cesta na rozdiel od 101 bola prijemne prazdna aj ked viac dokopca a z kopca. Na druhu stranu aspon boli nejake pekne vyhlady, 101 bola zvacsa utopena dole v udoli. Prespali sme v malom sekvojovom lesiku pri Phillipsville, za ktorym sa uz bohuzial koncila krasna Aveniu of the Giants.
Last moments in this amazing state park. After refreshing sleep in our hollow redwood, we visited again that Rockefeller circle and walked around that beautiful trees again, this time in day light. After rainy yesterday our was sunny again. We returned to the Avenue of Giants. Biked in deep valley next to hwy 101, except some parts we nearly didn't have to be on 101, which was nice. Biked through Myers Flat and another small "towns" quite strange people live here, on the side of road we found some nice sweet apples and very strange buckeye tree. The road was winding next to Short Fork Eeel River, we were still on the Aveniu of the Giants. Slept near Phillipsville, where the Aveniu of the Giants end, actually a little bit behind it.
Last moments in this amazing state park. After refreshing sleep in our hollow redwood, we visited again that Rockefeller circle and walked around that beautiful trees again, this time in day light. After rainy yesterday our was sunny again. We returned to the Avenue of Giants. Biked in deep valley next to hwy 101, except some parts we nearly didn't have to be on 101, which was nice. Biked through Myers Flat and another small "towns" quite strange people live here, on the side of road we found some nice sweet apples and very strange buckeye tree. The road was winding next to Short Fork Eeel River, we were still on the Aveniu of the Giants. Slept near Phillipsville, where the Aveniu of the Giants end, actually a little bit behind it.
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