HOT TUBS & MASSEURS SHOULD BE A TOURING CYCLIST'S BIRTHRITE

DAY 32

THURSDAY 5 MAY 2016

BODEGA BAY TO STILLWATER COVE

1530 – 1930

55.57 km (includes 15.5 km around Bodega Bay) (34.53 miles)

Av. Speed: 14.3 km/h (8.9 mph)

Max. Speed: 61.9 km/h (38.5 mph)

Time On Bike: 3h 51m 43s

A great decision today it was to make an afternoon sprint through to Stillwater Cove.

It also ended up being one of the most satisfying rides of the trip just because it was such a great afternoon for a ride.

As easy as it would have been to just mooch around Bodega Bay for the entire day, it was a morning well spent doing laundry, stocking up on groceries and using some internet time at a local café just before departure.

I was still motivated enough by 3 pm to make a late dash for it and in doing so knocked a very big edge off the subsequent haul through to Manchester.

I knew there was some climbing involved and it didn’t disappoint but such were the scenic rewards along the way that it soothed the pain significantly.

This section of Californian coastline is like a calmer version of Big Sur - equally dramatic and spectacular but strenuous nonetheless - and whole lot less traffic to go with it.

It’s interesting how quieter things have become only a handful of miles north of San Francisco.

And with campgrounds sprouting up about every 10 miles or so, it’s a hiker/biker paradise up here.

DAY 33

FRIDAY 6 MAY 2016

STILLWATER COVE TO MANCHESTER

1055 – 1745

69.51 km (43.19 miles)

Av. Speed: 15.7 km/h (9.8 mph)

Max. Speed: 55.1 km/h (34.2 mph)

Time On Bike: 4h 25m 26s

If someone had told me first thing this morning that there would be a hot tub waiting for me at the end of today’s ride, then I would have either left a whole lot earlier to get here or else pedalled a whole lot faster.

No one did but that’s no one’s fault – it’s just the way it worked out.

It was a good start to the day either way, as I knew that I had actually broken its back last evening by pushing through from Bodega Bay.

The ascent from Jenner was a snorter and I anticipated it well.

As spectacular as it was, factoring in this grade and a few other little nasties on the way through would have turned today into a 70-mile killer and I just didn’t feel the need to put myself through it.

So beginning the day effectively 30-odd miles and a serious climb up on the deal was a pretty good feeling.

The ride today waxed along many more rugged miles of pristine northern Californian coastline and waned between forest and state beaches, with the weather threatening inclemency for the most part – patches of drizzly mist were my constant companion broken by fleeting bursts of sun that could be accounted for on a few fingers.

And for one of the first times, I felt myself being pushed back by a cross/head breeze that gathered strength for the first 2 hours and subsequently disappeared as the day moved along.

RUSSIAN RIVER CROSSING, NEAR JENNER

REST STOP, STILLWATER COVE TO MANCHESTER

I made a scheduled lunch stop in Gualala, which is well appointed with a good range of shops – of most interest for me was the supermarket which enabled me to top up with road food as well as take care of lunch.

Gualala also represented the halfway mark of what I needed to get through today so the afternoon session was a straight-up 20-mile run through to Manchester State Beach.

Manchester has a hardware store, post office and a few houses.

That’s about it.

When I pulled up at about 5.45 pm and learned that the campground was not even open, I started to convince myself that not stopping at the much-better-serviced Point Arena a few miles back was a massive mistake.

But with the day getting on and my body gearing itself for a well-deserved shower, I was damned to be riding back up the 250-foot hill I had flown down about 15 minutes earlier.

Following the sign to the left, also indicated there was a second campground in proximity – the widely-franchised KOA (Kampgrounds Of America) – which I have actually not patronised before.

So this looked like it for the night as I pulled in and went in to register.

Good news immediately was they only charged $10 for a hiker/biker site and this, in addition to hot showers (no charge), free wi-fi, community campfire, a movie screening and the clincher – a hot tub and pool!!!

Sure, in these kinds of mid-teen/50-something temperatures, the pool could be taken or left.

But the hot tub???!!!

I actually am of the opinion that the perfect world would provide hot tubs and masseurs for all touring cyclists at the end of each day.

No questions asked.

Reality unfortunately dictates that finding something to eat and a place to sleep is often the greatest of luxuries that can be expected in this mode of travel.

My standards are possibly a little higher on this count and I do also expect a warm shower as part of the deal.

Outside of this, anything else most certainly is a bonus.

So KOA, I will happily frequent your parks again if this is the standard you set…..