Is that Elk, or Rain Dear?

We knew there would be “showers” all day today when we went to bed last night. Sure enough, we woke up this morning to the sound of rain thumping against the roof. And it kept on raining…

It rained as we stepped out of our motel room and walked to the café for breakfast; it rained as we set off decked out from head-to-toe in waterproof gear for our 41-mile ride to Crescent City, our last stop in California; and it kept on raining until just before we stopped for a coffee in the small town of Klamath, half way through our ride. And if that wasn’t bad enough, around 30 minutes after leaving Klamath, just as we thought that the sun was going to appear and dry our soaking squelching clothes and shoes, it started to hail…big hail stones the size of ball-bearings. Oh what fun.

But, somehow, we really enjoyed today’s ride. About 5 miles into the ride, we turned off the highway and onto a “scenic route’ through the redwoods. Within minutes, we had come across a gang of Elk. Apparently “gang” is the correct collective noun, and we’re not too surprised. They were pretty scary, especially the ones with the bandanas. Anthony managed to snap a very quick photo, although the camera was soaked within seconds of being out of its case, and we then kept our distance as we cycled by slowly.

A mile down the scenic route, we found a barrier across the road with a large “road closed” sign on it. Noting that there was just enough space at the side for a bike was fat back panniers to slip through, we exchanged mischievous glances, and decided that this notice probably designed for cars. We then had 9 glorious miles rolling through a beautiful forest with the biggest redwoods we have seen so far, and branches covered with moss so thick it looked like sage green velvet… and with not a single soul in sight! Well, it is supposed to be “adventure cycling” after all, and we have to say that our untrained eyes could not see why the road was closed, though we don’t doubt that there was a good reason, and that we were lucky to get out alive and unharmed…

Tonight, we are staying in the luxury of a Hampton Inn. We LOVE Hampton Inn; especially after a long and wet day’s cycling. It is a super-comfortable room, with a wonderful ocean view, a big snugly white duvet on the bed. Zzzzzz. Oh, and a coin laundry on the ground floor.

Tomorrow, more rain, and….Oregon!

Us x