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Dave through the Americas Fallow Dave as he rides his bike from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska to Tierra del Fuego, Argentina.

11.15.02 Leggett Hill and a scenic coast

Old 03-08-03, 03:03 AM
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11.15.02 Leggett Hill and a scenic coast

I slept better last night than the previous night. However, I’d still like to find a more comfortable mat situation. Maybe I’ll have to buy another Thermarest and double up. I unzipped my tent and threw off the condensation-laden rain fly to dry out. I’ve already noticed specks of mildew on the fly and I’ve made sure to take very good care of it. Hopefully it won’t spread and compromise the water resistance. I had no breakfast to prepare this morning. The morning was very chilly. I could hear Storm making a fire across the way. I got my things together and changed into my cycling attire. Storm and I talked shortly before saying goodbye. I headed off down the road towards the small town of Leggett where I hoped to get a hot breakfast at a diner. No luck. I guess I was too early. I went to the market and got a breakfast burrito, and some fig newtons, and some chocolate milk. As I snacked, I was hoping the weather would warm up a bit. My fingers were freezing after the short ride here. I rode out of Leggett and began the 1000 ft climb to the top of Leggett Hill. Just before the town, I had switched on to Highway 1 off of 101. Highway 1 up the hill had no shoulder space but on the other hand, had very little traffic, especially this early in the day mid-November. The road was windy and forested. The views were few and far between as I only caught a glimpse of some fog covering some trees down below. Before long, I had reached the summit. It was easier than I thought. The downhill was a nice windy 9 miles. I could see why people might not be comfortable on this road in a car. Some turns had to be taken at 15 mph or you’d go careening off into the trees for sure. I started to figure out that this area had all been logged in the past. The growth I was seeing was at least secondary. Small logging towns, like Rockport, had long been abandoned around here, swallowed up by the re-growth. At the end of my descent of Leggett Hill, I was faced with yet another climb, Rockport Hill. I pushed my way up to the top, about 700 ft, and then descended to the coast. I was now out of the forest and on the monolith covered coastline. The land seemed much drier as I rode into Westport, a small coastal town of just over 200 people. I stopped at a market and got some lunch. The sun was shining bright so I laid out my wet tent to dry. As I ate my burger and munched on some cashews, I spoke with a local guy who seemed to be discouraging me from taking Highway 1 all the way down because of the tough climbing. I told him it couldn’t be much harder than what I did today. I finished up then packed up my tent and rode on south in the afternoon sun. Following the coast highway’s windy road was challenging but scenic. The traffic increased a little but was still pretty light. I made it into Fort Bragg around 3pm. I found the home of my Servas hosts Ron and Susan. I met Susan, who was resting from gum surgery. Ron was out on a bike ride. I decided to drop my gear and cycle into town to check it out and buy some chocolate chips so I could make some of Dad’s cookies. As I rode out, I noticed some fog rolling in behind me. I cycled through Fort Bragg and got what I needed at the grocery store. I started back and stopped to browse around a crafts store before hitting the bank to finally exchange my Canadian money. When I got back, I took a nice relaxing bath and got settled in. I started preparing the cookies and then met Ron who came home from his bike ride with the dog. We started talking about the bike trip as well as some of our previous travels. Ron is a park ranger for the state. I also met Ron and Susan’s 16-year old son, Cameron. After the cookies were baked, we popped in a pizza and ate it up. Susan joined us but was restricted to mashed potatoes. After dinner, Ron and I had some good conversation about politics, travel, abalone farming, and religion. After a few cookies and copious amounts of milk, I decided to call it a night. I caught up on my writing and then went to sleep on a bed, under a roof. How sweet it is! (53 miles)

Peace

Dave
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Old 03-13-03, 03:36 AM
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Pic: View from atop Leggett Hill
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Old 03-13-03, 03:39 AM
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Pic: Small town of Hales Grove
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Old 03-13-03, 04:00 AM
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Pic: Tourist spot coming down Leggett Hill. One of the many drive through trees.
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Old 03-13-03, 04:03 AM
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Pic: The drive through tree
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Old 03-13-03, 04:06 AM
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Pic: Out of the forests and on to the beautiful California Coast
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Old 03-13-03, 09:36 AM
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I understand the century old lumber mill in Fort Bragg closed. With that fact, did you encounter any of the infamous logging trucks on the Leggit road?
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Old 03-14-03, 10:40 PM
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Yes, I heard about the closing of that mill. I didn't get passed by that many logging trucks on Highway 1. I saw some on 101 more North and many in Washington State.

Dave
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