Day 2
Cold, Fog, Redwoods and A Ride into Eureka
Ride Diary
Day 2 Crescent City to Eureka--86 mi/108.5 total

Starting a few miles out of Crescent City and continuing into Klamath are some challenging riding conditions: shoulders drop off to nothing, and it's just you and the fog and the RVs and the logging trucks. I got through it early in the day. I think that's probably the best way to do it.

There was a nice, mostly-downhill trip through the redwoods on the Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway.

The day was cold, and a headwind developed as I neared Eureka.

Eureka is a strange city. Nearby Arcata is more middle-class, cheery and comfortable. But Eureka is certainly more interesting. The city is known for its Victorian homes. Some are restored, others aren't. But the city is also very industrial. In some ways, it's Crescent City writ large, or at least bigger. I found the weather to be depressing.
One of the more amusing roadside attractions along today's route is Trees of Mystery, located about 15 miles south of Crescent City. Visitors learn a bit about redwoods, can take a ski lift type gondola to the top of a hill to see a spectacular view, and hear about the legend of Paul Bunyon.

California Trivia Question: What is California's state motto? (Hint: It has something to do with this day of riding.)
Here's a photo of the Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway. 
The redwood groves are quite spectacular along this road. 
Just off the road are many miles of hiking trails.

A couple miles before the parkway ends I rode past a fenced-off meadow. 
It's an elk preserve. I waited and watched. No elk.
There are many bridges over rivers and creeks in this part of California. This bridge over the Klamath River had golden bears stationed at both ends. Apparently, they were commissioned by the local Indian casino, because the casino had a larger version of the same golden bear out front.
I got the impression that the casinos are pretty well thought of by the locals because they bring in tourists and money. And tourists with money are good news for the many roadside businesses that sell redwood art. Some of the redwood sculptures, by the way, are carved with chainsaws.
In this part of the state, Highway 101 is known as the Redwood Highway--and for good reason.
A variation on the Redwood Highway is the Redwood Coast. After crossing the county line into Humboldt County, the highway heads west.


 
Here's another look at the Redwood Coast.

On this segment, the route was flat and the scenery was terrific. The miles flew by--or at least they flew by as much as they can fly by when you're riding a bicycle weighted down with full panniers (bicycle bags) and other stuff.
By mid-afternoon, I reached the Eureka city limits. Eureka is a city of almost 30,000, which is quite large for this portion of the state.

Eureka and neighboring Arcata share a large, well-protected bay. I'm a bit surprised that these well-established cities didn't grow larger, given that they seem to be in a marvelous position to be a major port for Northern California and Southern Oregon.
Here's an example of one of Eureka's "painted ladies," or Victorian-era houses. Certainly, there are more grandiose Victorians in town than this. But a lot of the restored Victorians were of this more manageable size.
Lumber trucks are a constant sight in this portion of the state. They transport just-cut trees all day and on weekends too. They even get caught in afternoon rush hour traffic in Eureka.

California Trivia Answer: California's state motto is "Eureka!" The Greek word "Eureka" has appeared on the state seal since 1849 and means "I have found it." According to the California State Library, the words were probably intended to refer to the discovery of gold in California.
 

SUMMARY: 86 miles. Cool weather and a mostly flat ride (after the first few miles) made the day pretty easy until I got near Eureka, when a headwind began to come up.

[DAY 3: On to Garberville]