Day 39 - Humboldt County fairgrounds to Benbow Lake state park

Day 39 – (June 12) Humboldt County fairgrounds to Benbow Lake state park

Morning is positively San Franciscan – foggy, overcast, chilly and a little drizzly.  No short sleeves this morning.

Did a combination of cooking breakfast and starting to break camp.  I think that I’ve finally figured out the alcohol stoves, and I’ll play with them more tonight.  They seem to be running a summer camp at the fairgrounds.  The counselors remind me of bad high school athletic coaches.  Having listened to it for a while, it turns out that they’re practicing for graduation.  Must be Jr. High.

I end up reorganizing everything *again* to pack up and therefore leave later than I wanted to,  probably 11AM.  I leave and ride through Ferndale, which is certainly cute (downtown at least).  In fact it’s so cute that I’m sure they have some really ugly zoning requirements.

I saw this storefront and loved it:

I know a few guys that would like this place

I also saw that they had a historical note:

Girlie Girls' building's historical note

I was also taken by the architecture of the IOOF Building:

Leaving Ferndale, it’s a pleasant ride through mainly dairy farms.  For some reason, I still tend to look at the cows and go “Moo…” really silly, I know.  I did wonder if this barn was going to fall over if one of the cows leaned on it:

Going, going ...

The ride was pretty much the same, with an occasional highlight, like a mother and foal donkey:

Mama Being Protective

I got to Rio Dell, which made me think Rio del what?  I stopped at the Old 101 café and had a plate of tacos.  Real tacos.  Just meat and onions and cilantro on two small soft corn tortillas.  Delicious. 

Rio Dell also had a remembrance that I really appreciated:

That's a big stump

Going through Scotia was a trip.  Scotia has been the headquarters of the Pacific Lumber Company since the 1869:

Propaganda anyone?

They've put some of their old equipment on display:

Steam engine (railroad)

Steam Engine (mill)

Going by the mill, the yard was just huge - all those ex-trees...

Then I reached the live trees - the Avenue of The Giants (AKA CA 251). 

The ride became (almost?) spiritual.  It felt like the trees were giving me energy. 

Sharon was talking about how camping under the trees made her feel closed in (probably why she lives in the desert).  Well, I feel exactly the opposite.  While I was in the woods, I had more energy and was riding faster.  I felt good.  Really good. 

I actually didn't take any pictures of the forest or trees themselves, as the pictures would so completely fail to convey the impressiveness of the atmosphere.  I did, however photograph several of the memorial plaques:

Then there are a couple of other types of remembrances:

Remembering the flood of 1964

Just remember - nature hits with a vengeance 

And another type:

Thanks to the firefighters

Just for the heck of it - more questionable business names:

Really??

After riding about 20 miles to get there, I rode the entire length of the Avenue of the giants, and then another 11 miles to Benbow.  

By the time I got to Benbow, it was very nearly dark (I really have to get moving earlier), and when I got to the park (which is supposed to have hiker/biker campsites – and I checked online first this time) the camping was still “closed for the season”.  Given my condition, and that they had water and pit toilets, I said “fuck it, I’m exhausted and it’s not safe to ride any longer” and set up my tent.

Then about 3AM there’s a bright light on my tent – “Sheriff’s Department”.  I unzipped the tent, put my hands out first and half emerged from the tent.  The deputies took my info and ran a wants and warrants check on me, and asked what I was doing.  I explained the situation, and they started asking about the ride, what I thought about it, how far I’d gone, etc.  They then said: “Well the park’s officially closed, so we check for any undesirables … since that’s not you, just go back in and get back to sleep.  And be safe.”  I thanked them and crawled back into the tent as they left. 

I’m glad that I’ve been shaving, even if it does mean hauling around an electric shaver.

Stats:

Distance: 66.9 miles

Avg. speed (including stops): 6.5 mph

Max speed: 42.5 mph

Second campsite that effectively isn’t there

Cool cops: 2

Lesson: call the damned campsites regardless of what they say online (season was supposed to start June 1)

Music:

Lenny Kravits – Mama Said

Lyle Lovett – Lyle Lovett and his Large Band

Parliament Funkadelic – Maggot Brain

Paul Okenfold: 2005 remix

Paul Simon: Graceland

Peter Gabriel: So

The Pogues: If I should Fall From Grace with God

REM – Green

Tracy Chapman – New Beginning

And I lasted an hour longer than a fully charged ipod shuffle (playing only when riding)