In the Redwoods

Northern California is the home of some very big trees, called redwoods. In this region, we saw the coastal redwoods (Sequoia sempervirens, to be biologically precise). After the warm shower host of the last entry, we had two more great warm shower experiences in a row. The next one was in Orick, which is a very small town surrounded by redwood forests. We camped in the yard of Steve, a very unforgettable person. He has seventeen chicken, two goats, a dog and cats, as well as an old yellow school bus in his garden. And: A hot tub (Whirlpool!) in the barn, right next to where the goat lived. I didn't expect to end up in a hot tub when I started this tour. It felt kind of unreal.
We went for a hike through the redwoods. Its hard to describe how big they are, so here are some pictures.



Corkscrew Tree




A small version of a root


Fusion of some trees


From Orick, we had a not too long ride to Bayside, close to Arcada. Although the day was short in terms of distance, a lot happened. As we expected the day to be relaxed, we stopped at a brewery for lunch. The first one was closed, but the detour to the second one was worth it, and we had beer and lunch in the sun. On the way back, Christine had a flat on the highway. She hitchhiked to Arcata, where we all met again, and realised, that one of her front paniers was missing. It must have gone lost on the highway, or in the car that picked her up. We spent some time in Arcata. While Christine repaired the flat and Ross screened the highway for the lost panier, I went to a bikeshop to get a new stove. The panier was not on the highway, and the car was gone, and on the way to Arcata city center, Christine had two more flats.
We were close to the day's destination, Bayside, and decided to end the day for now. The place was awesome. Our host and her family welcomed us, we sat at a fire with some beer. It was a really 'Oeko' place :)

Leaving Crescent City




Coast in northern California




It's hard to describe how a typical day looks like, as every day is unique and so much can happen that I usually forget where I was the same morning. Especially when hopping from private places to very different private places rather than campgrounds. But I'll try to describe a kind of 'typical day', since I have joined Ross, Chris and Christine.
Getting up around 6:30, when it starts to get light. I still need the alarm. Packing stuff, breakfast. Usually being on the bikes at 8ish, depends on the planned distance and on the situation at the place we stayed (sometimes we get breakfast :)
Cycling to the next small town, having a coffee, sometimes supplemented by a second breakfast. Cycling on, stopping, taking pictures, being astonished about the scenery, having a lunch break somewhere where it's nice. Cycling cycling cycling, stopping at a supermarket, cycling and finally arriving at a campground or a warm showers host. Falling asleep early, like 9 or 10 pm, unfortunately it gets dark so early.