Best. Day. Ever.
I left Fort Bragg at about 9:15. Continental breakfast was packaged danishes and terrible coffee. Worst ever. No big deal, I'll grab something to eat soon enough.
The sun was shining, the air was crisp, and the ocean was blue, I couldn't ask for more. I cycled for about an hour before I stopped to eat at a local deli. Breakfast burrito - perfect. I ate that, with a fresh coffee, loaded up my water, checked facebook and headed out again. As I jumped back on my bike, I saw another cyclist cruise by heading up the first hill. Not that uncommon actually. I began pedaling, and eventually caught up with this guy, and during my passing, asked where he was from. Vancouver he says, so I had a brief chat and carried on. We passed each other a few times as the day went on.
The sun was shining all day. Not a cloud in the sky! Every corner offered a new view, which was always breathtaking. The road was hilly, and windy, the entire day. Occasionally a few hairpin turns down and back up around a cove, but nothing like the mountains of the past few days. I couldn't be happier. Finally, California has completely redeemed itself!
I originally considered stopping in Point Arcade, about 80km in. After my last few days, this sounded like an ideal place to stop. However, upon arriving at Point Arcade at about 2:00, it was obvious this was a not a destination, so I carried on to the next town about 20km away called Gualala.
I pulled in at about 4:00 to the same motel as my follow Vancouverite cycling friend who I ran into a few times during the day. We each got a fantastic room, along the ocean, and headed out for a few beers and dinner. Turns out, his name is Paul, and a bike builder in North Vancouver. We spent the rest of the night drinking beer and chatting about the trip, and life in general. He's on his way to San Diego, and has another month to go. Wow, I feel like I've been doing this forever, and he's only half way there! Keeps things in perspective.
So anyways, a great end to a great day. From here on out, the roads are windy, hilly, and beautiful oceanside scenery. No mountains, just rolling hills. I can handle that!! I could do this everyday now, I get why so many others do.
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