Heading south from Eureka, the route turns inland to explore the massive redwoods. Once beyond the legendary Avenue of the Giants, the scenic route leads back onto highway 101 for the finale: Richardson's Grove. The morning we awoke in Richardson's Grove State Park to once again pack our wet tents and ride on, the sun simultaneously broke through as we departed; the foreshadowing of a great day to come. After a slog up and over the 1,750 foot pass, we took the opportunity to eliminate some tent mildew in a sunny spot along with lunch.
When we last saw the ocean on highway 101, it was a grey and cold experience. Arriving at the shore on highway 1, we reached some of the world famous California coast lines. The bright sunshine and beautiful surf were present for two of our three days riding the historic highway. Due to the popularity of this scenic route, even the early spring brings a high volume of automobiles to this narrow stretch of road. Combining the speedy motorized traffic with our slower bicycle traffic proved tense in a few sections. The bicycles move slowly up the inclines, and are often difficult to pass due to the blind corners and lack of a shoulder. Although this temporarily slows the motorists, everyone uses this road for primarily the same reason: to sight see. As we rode along the beautiful scenery, doing just that, we couldn't help but wonder, why the rush?
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