Anchor Bay, CA
Above: on the way to Anchor Bay, CA
Above: Me eating breakfast, Anchor Bay, CA, 7:30am, 5/26
Location:
Anchor Bay, CA
38.8030 N
123.5796 W
Previous day’s mileage: about 56
Destination today: Mendocino (to meet up with Tori!)
I didn’t leave until about 11am yesterday, on account of being so tired from the previous day. Once I did get on the road, I almost wanted to go back to the hotel! Here’s the problem: almost everyone who cycles along the Pacific Coast travels south, because the prevailing winds travel south. Well, Mother Nature slapped that meteorology lesson right across my face. The day started off just as hilly as the previous day, only now I had to deal with 20-30 mile/hour headwinds. Plus, the coast of California at this point heads kind of North/Northwest so you’re pretty much heading directly into the wind. As I looked at the ocean, I could see the whitecaps coming into the shore at a steep angle. Ugh!
After struggling with the wind for an hour or so, I basically just decided to relax and not worry about it. If I’m going to average 8 miles an hour, then so be it. I’ll just ride longer.
About the time that I decided to relax, the ride go easier! Imagine that. I don’t know if the conditions got better or if it was just my frame of mind, but the second half of the day was really pleasant. Nice and sunny, lots of wildflowers lining the road, fairly warm (by N.Cal. standards).
I pulled into a campground a little past 6pm. This campsite is awesome. We’re in a little grove with a small stream that empties out into the ocean. There’s a really nice beach with some rocks here and there, and a few huge boulders. At the campsite, I met a man from South Africa who has traveled all around the world, and he settled in Colfax, which is near Auburn, California. If I’m not mistaken, my cousin Tami lived in or right near Colfax for about a year. Very nice area. He does hydraulic systems for boats and yachts, and he just travels around to different places every few years. It seems to work for him; he’s smiling all the time.
I was pulling out my supplies to make dinner when the family who has their motorhome parked near me (the Stalcup’s) invited me over for dinner. They called me “Crazy Dave”, because they had passed by me when I was riding today, and they remembered me as the crazy guy on the bike. They cooked up enchiladas for dinner, with beans, rice and salad. Mmm, it was fantastic. I had two plates full. The Stalcup’s are from Vacaville, and they come to this spot to go diving for Abalone (in addition to just enjoying the scenery). Apparently, when you dive for Abalone, you don’t have an oxygen tank; you just hold your breath and go under. With this rocky coastline and the choppy surf, that’s got to be exciting.
As I started to fill up on granola and milk this morning, I looked at the back of the package to see how many calories I had eaten: about 1400 (not including the milk). Add in my OJ, and I’ve consumed enough for a whole day!
Last comment: my stupid bike chain continues to give me problems. It wasn’t as bad yesterday as the first day, but it still came off once (when I shifted to my granny gear), and became jammed once (when I shifted out of my granny gear). I’ll probably try to adjust the deraileur when I get to Mendocino.
Tags: Travel
daviddmcmillan