June 18, 2009
I'm in a comatose state of mind as I write this, having just woken up from a mid afternoon power nap. My first day of riding went well. We started bright at early this morning, up at 6:45am and out the door at 7:15am. Mike and I spent all day yesterday driving from Santa Barbara and after 9 hours of driving we were ready to stretch our legs. The coast was a beautiful sight, the pristine and untouched coastline empty of people and I felt good on my saddle. We stopped for breakfast in Mendocino where I think we all felt odd surrounded by unfriendly customers and locals that frequented the coffee shop we stopped at. We were quickly on our way when we were refused the privilege of using the bathroom, the lady claiming there was a water shortage, and we were faced having to use the side of the road. We stopped again frequently along the way to let cars and RV's pass and also to take a few photo opportunities. Mid morning the fog rolled in and it became cold and slightly windy. We made it to Point Arena with a few long hill climbs that pushed my limits, but I am happy to say I made it and arrived to the Wharf Master Inn tired and ready for a shower and food, but overall feeling good.
I think the funniest thing we saw along the road today was a large truck dragging a fuel pump along with him, the nozzle still attached to the side of the car, him oblivious to this. We hoped to see him farther up the road having discovered his mistake but we were not so lucky.
-Laura B.
