OFF Rte 101 -- ON Rte 1

The Victorian Inn at Ferndale was superb, celebrating with an incredibly delicious dinner and followed by a marvelous breakfast to get me going to do my favorite ride!!
Twenty miles out of Ferndale on Rte 101 with a wide shoulder and quite a bit of traffic, crossing the first of many bridges over the EEL river, gets you to the "Avenue of The Giants" (No not the MLB Giants!!) but the Gentle Giant Redwoods.
As opposed to riding through the same trees in Prairie Creek this was with the sun shining and somehow the "feel" is quite different. The fog seems to make the whole journey so Much More Mysterious,Magical,and Magnificent, than when these terrific trees are trying to shadow one frmm the bright sunlight.However it was still one of my favorite rides and took us to multiple River Eel crossings and a wonderful stop to pick and eat blackberries!! After this stop my faithful Sagster pulled me over for a "toothpick" stop!! The completion of the ride took us to a cabin resort just outside Leggett to prepare for the Leggett hill climb next.











After spending a very pleasant night in the Redwoods River resort( a semi-camping place with a cabin that is fully equipped with kitchen and utensils) we drove to the base of the Infamous Leggett Hill where I started my climb of 3 & 1/2 miles and 950 feet -- not as steep as Marshall wall -- but it winds through redwood forest. On reaching the peak the descent continues through the forest for approx. 8 miles!!
Started off in sunny warm weather and then descended to the coast (initially above the fog) into very cold, foggy, but beautiful ocean beaches and the "stacks",which look like sea monsters!! Stopped to warm up with a cup of coffee and change of bike jacket to a warmer one.







Once again the ride was characterized by simple magical natural beauty all the way
making the climbing and the areas of narrow shoulders quite manageable and certainly exhilarating (stopping to snap photos and sketch)Rode all along the coast to Mendocino
travelling the Headlands of Mendocino prior to entering the town itself, which was our destination and rest stop after 4 days' riding.