California - Redwood National Park

We had a big day ahead of us, so we were on the road at 7:00am. It was freezing as we rode out of Klamath Falls on Highway 140 West. We rode around the western edge of Lake Klamath and stopped briefly to take photos of some pelicans. We were then riding through a lot of shady forest and were at a reasonable altitude of around 5,000ft. I had to stop and put gloves on as my bare hands were burning in the cold.

We descended down a (5%) gradient about 10 miles long to the town of Medford and then connected breifly with Interstate 5 North before branching off at Grants Pass on to Highway 199. Just after Cave Junction we crossed the state line into California. We stopped for lunch at Crescent City and resumed our journey on Highway 101 South. Our reason for taking this route was to see the giant redwood trees of the north California coastline.

Redwood National Park has some of the largest original redwood forests in the world stretching along the coastline. the 58,000 acre (23,500 ha) park includes many smaller state parks. I have to say this route was the ride of the tour so far. The tress were stunning. As you rode down the narrow Redwood Highway you were flanked by a corridor of huge towering tress that dwarfed you - it made you feel small and I couldn't help but be in awe of these giants of the forest.

We stopped at small groves along the way and walked along some trails accessible from the roadside for photos. As we headed further south we came out of a clearing on a hill and saw the Pacifc Ocean again for the first time since we left Long Beach on 13th July. It reminded me that we were now on the 'homeward' leg of the tour, having toured east through the mid-west, north up to the Great Lakes and Canadian border and west to the Pacific coast again. In a matter of days we will complete the loop and be back in Long Beach!

Our stop for the day after about 500kms of riding is the town of Eureka (population 28,000). The town was founded by gold miners in 1850, hence the name 'Eureka' (I found it)!