Day Eleven – Fog to Philo

We slept until seven o’clock this morning and woke up with low tide and the waves significantly quieter than when we went to bed last night.

After enjoying two cups of Tom’s AeroPress (handcrafted artisan) coffee, went downstairs to the cafe for breakfast. We enjoyed our meal while watching sea lions and pelicans in the surf.

A sweet elderly man came over to talk to us because “we looked so happy.” We had a nice conversation with him and it turns out he lives in Santa Rosa where our eldest daughter lives. He was so engaging that it left us with a renewed faith in mankind.

The fog was starting to roll in so we decided to hit the road, knowing we had several miles of gravel road.

The place is called the Lost Coast for a reason. It is remote and really hard to get to. We met several people in Shelter Cove who were reeling from the drive in. We didn’t feel too sorry for them as they all had four wheels and they were all doing the same thing at the same time!

We soon hit the loose gravel and expected to see crews laying the seal portion of the chip seal. Nope. Just miles and miles of loose gravel. (Note the purple squiggle on the bike’s GPS screen – that’s the gravel road we were on)

Finally, we reached tarmac, gassed up in Garberville and lost a layer since we were climbing out of the fog. We jumped onto the Redwood Highway for while and then merged onto Highway 1 (aka the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH)).

We hit road construction and had a forty minute delay. Tom spoke to some cyclists who were from France asking them how they were managing the intense inclines.

Once we were allowed to continue, we had the freshly paved road to ourselves since we were in the head of the queue. It was an absolutely beautiful ride through the redwoods.

Our revelry was soon dashed as we hit multiple construction delays as we got to the coast.

Highway 1 keeps washing away and is under near constant construction. At least it’s a pretty spot to be stopped.

We decided to have lunch in Mendocino. We went to Flow, one our favorite spots in town. They have a second story balcony so we got a table up there and enjoyed some tomato bisque. Mendocino is one our favorite spots to visit.

After lunch, we continued on Highway 1 and the headed east on Hwy 128 which followed the Navarro River through the redwoods.

The Highway soon opens into the Anderson Valley, a wine region.

We arrived at our inn and changed clothes to walk across the Highway to Scharffenberger Cellars. They were not serving tastings so we enjoyed a glass of their sparkling wine and their beautiful grounds.

Still feeling full from our late lunch and not wanting to get back on the bike, we walked down to the little market and got some things to snack on.

Tomorrow, we head home. We’ll go through Clearlake and try a few new roads to avoid freeways. It’s been a fantastic trip. Not the trip we had planned, but it has been a great time seeing new and familiar places.

We’re sad that the trip is ending but we commented on the fact that we were able to see three family members we hadn’t seen for years and saw them within a few day’s time. And, we were able to spend a few days with our friends in Joseph. These visits were certainly special and we now have treasured memories.

Cathy’s Barn of the Day Pic…