Day 11 
Crescent City, CA to Arcata, CA
Daily Miles - 77.9
Cumulative Miles - 824.3
Average Speed - 9.8 MPH
Max Speed -  31.6 MPH
Ride Time -  7 Hours 56 Minutes
Elevation Gain 4,429 Feet, Loss 4,449 Feet
Cumulative Elevation Gain 29,084 Feet, Loss 29,114 Feet

I have added Elevation numbers to give a feel for the ups and downs that I have been riding.  Even though I start and end at sea level, just today I climbed almost 4,500 feet!

Today was a very cool riding day.  

After leaving Crescent City with a little bit of fog, my ride started out with a huge climb that took me up into the mountains.  They are not really mountains, but they sure feel like it.  Snow zone warnings and signs that say "Chains Required".  Those mean steep roads and bad weather at times.  It was worth the climb because then I got to go on a four mile downhill.  If that wasn't enough, I was able to do it a second time.  The second time took me up into the Redwood National Forest.

I stopped to check out the explanation of tsunamis.  Ever since the March 2011 earthquake that hit Japan causing a tsunami to roll through Crescent City and other California towns, tsunami awareness and planning is very apparent.

So awesome!!!  For scale, I put my tiny little bicycle next to one of the redwoods.  Oh my goodness. These are huge.  And its not just one or two.  They are all over in the forest.  I sat next to this tree this morning and had my breakfast just taking in the magnificence.

 This sign caught my eye as I rode by.  McCreepy Grove?  What??

Then I looked at the tree next to me and instantly understood.  McCreepy trees were all around.

I spent way too much time in the forest this morning.  I was behind my time schedule, but it was worth it to see as much as I could.  

Then as I was getting ready to head out, I saw a bicycle rider's dream sign.

As I was coming out of the forest, I slowed down for a quick rest after the fast and cold downhill.  The upper 40 degree temperatures in the shade of the tall giants racing at 30 miles per hour, put quite a chill through my hands.  I stopped in the sun and looked over and saw these two.  Then I heard, "Hey there guy.  How are you today?  It's me Paul and my blue ox Babe."  I was cracking up as he was talking to all the people going to visit the museum and the tram that takes people up through the trees. 

There were several warning signs for Elk in the area.  One sign said that there was an Elk viewing area 1/4 mile ahead.  As I pulled up, it was as if they set the stage so that the sign was accurate.  There were a whole bunch of elk having a meal.  Right at the Elk Meadow Cabins.  They must have known they were supposed to be there to be viewed.

Before leaving the National Forest, I was just hanging out on the side of the road.  Another bike rider was coming from the other direction.  I waved to say hello.  He then crossed over to say hello.  He is from France and is just here for a long bike ride.  We compared maps and where we had been as well as where we were headed.  I could not understand much of what he was saying since he spoke very little English and I speak absolutely no French.  We did come to the conclusion that we are both riding bikes on a long journey, he is going north and I am going south.

Then just like that, I was back along the coast.

  

What a great day.  It was less than 8 hours of riding time, but I was actually out for close to 11 hours.  As I pulled into Arcata, CA, which is home to Humboldt University, I instantly saw what so many had talked about in the past.  This place was like walking into the 60s.  I stopped by a local grocery store to pick up some food for dinner and the clerk was so stereotypical.  "Hey dude, how's it going?"  I told him about my day's ride and he said, "Whoa man, that's a long ride, dude."  So funny!