Days 20 - 21 Prairie Creek to Weott - Riding the California Dream

September 29, 2022 to September 30, 2022

Days 20 - 21 Prairie Creek to Weott

Redwoods and coast

Prairie Creek to Arcata

9/29

We didn’t see any elk in the elk meadows at the campground, which was a bit disappointing, but the morning light, the clear skies, and the mist rising off the prairie lifted my spirits.

The park entrance with the elk meadows in the background.

A light layer of mist blanketing the meadow.

We followed Hwy 101 alongside the Humboldt Lagoons, large bodies of water stretching for miles down the coast and giving us the opportunity to see a lot of birds.

A blue heron and a crane hunting in one of the lagoons.

After about 20 miles we left 101 and took Patrick’s Point road, following the ocean cliffs all the way down through Trinidad. Along the way, we came across groups of painters. Apparently this is a yearly event, where painters from all over the county go to different locations each day for a week. At the end of the week, the best work is displayed at the Eureka library.

Our route took us around the outskirts of McKinleyville, through bike paths and country roads, crossing the Mad river over a train trestle-turned-pedestrian/bike path. It was a delightfully fun ride and great to be off the main roads and away from traffic.

When we reached our destination, the Redwood Coast Cabin and RV campground, I decided to splurge and rented a cute little cabin for the night - complete with a bed, bed linens, towels, electricity, and a hanging porch rocker!

Arcata to Weott

9/30

After a comfortable night in my little cabin I woke refreshed and ready to take on a new day and new sights. On the way out of Arcata, we passed by the marina, shipyard, and docks around Humboldt Bay. We kept to the west side of Eureka as well, keeping away from the more trafficked areas. Then we headed inland, and it wasn’t long before we were back in cattle country with its wide expanses.

A huge pile of redwood logs at a lumber operation down by the bay.

It’s a little hard to see in this picture, but there’s some interesting paintings and graffiti on the posts under the Samoa Bridge.

Oh, and I finally got to see a few elk.

A line of elk in the distance, crossing a field.

Beautiful green fields — and so much space!

Finally, we entered Humboldt Redwoods state park, which would take us onto the famed Avenue of the Giants. I have driven through here many time in my life, but never ridden through on a bicycle before. So I was exited to experience the redwoods this way.

Photos can’t do justice to the majesty of these awe-inspiring trees.

Besides being huge, the redwoods grow in dense groves and the forest is quite dark.

Our destination was the Burlington campground in the heart of the redwood forest. I’d stopped quite a few times during the day and so arrived late, as it was growing dark, and didn’t get a photo of the campground. I did take a lot of video of riding the Avenue with my GoPro, which I’ll add to this post when I have time to process it.

Today's ride: 104 miles (167 km)
Total: 902 miles (1,452 km)

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Lynda ThompsonBeautiful!
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1 year ago