16.01.2024 | Reading time - 37 min(s)

Bike Pacific Coast Highway, U.S.A - Part 3 of 4

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Welcome back to the third leg of Geoff Aird's amazing journey, cycling down the West coast of America from Seattle, Washington, to San Diego, California. Geoff has been kind enough to share his experiences of his trip-of-a-lifetime with us in the hope that it inspires more people to cycle or to plan some epic cycling adventures of their own.

Part three's route begins in Arcata, California on the Pacific coast route so we pick it up with Geoff there, continuing South, on his way to San Francisco and over the famous Golden Gate Bridge. If you missed any of the first two parts of the journey, you can find Part 1 here and Part 2 here.

Over to Geoff...

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Cycling Day 10
Cycling Day 11
Cycling Day 12
Cycling Day 13
Cycling Day 14
Rest Day San Francisco
About Geoff

Arcata, California to San Francisco, California (five days - 349 miles)

geoff leg 3.png

Cycling California Coast

Cycling Day 10

I assumed after a day off the bike I would be refreshed and bursting with energy but, rather like a Grand Tour rider after a rest day, I fairly struggled that first morning out of Arcata and my quads screamed at me for the first ten miles or so. It was tricky getting through the busy town of Eureka. Here Highway 101 snakes inland and follows the Eel River and I wouldn't see the ocean again for a hundred miles. This was to be a tough day with long, endless climbs under a baking sun but the scenery was fantastic. This is the true heart of redwood country, and this stretch of road is known as the Avenue of the Giants. I journeyed through these monster trees and was overawed by them. Talking of monsters this is also ‘Bigfoot' country where there have been many sightings of these mythical creatures. I kept my eyes peeled!

Passing through the Humboldt Redwood State Park I caught up with John from Vancouver who was cycling the same trip as me. I first met him in the bike shop in Astoria, then a few days later I bumped into him in a roadside café south of Newport. He was camping so had much more luggage on his bike than me. We pulled over onto the hard shoulder, shared some food and talked about the trip, the highs and lows, the weather, the traffic etc. He felt like a kindred spirit as we were sharing the same experience. John's 73 years old and a veteran long distance cyclist; He's pedalled coast to coast across America twice! We cycled together that afternoon until John reached his campsite for the night, and I headed onto the peaceful, quiet town of Garberville and my accommodation at the Pinewood Hotel. This town is home to a community of old hippies, and I chatted to a few old timers playing guitars on the sidewalk. There's an ‘off the grid' feel about the place. It's also known in the national media for high profile police raids on local marijuana plantations!

Cycling Day 11

Next morning, I journeyed on south to Leggett then left Highway 101 at a fork in the road and joined Highway 1 which took me back to the coast. The cycling was tough – sharp inclines had me out of the saddle and tricky, winding descents which required full concentration. The woods seem to close in around me and it was dark and claustrophobic. Early afternoon saw me emerge back onto the coast and the beautiful blue ocean with white waves crashing onto the rocks. This was probably the toughest day so far and I was weary when I got to the old logging port of Fort Bragg, a burly blue-collar kinda town. There was a Denny's restaurant next to the hotel and I enjoyed the minestrone soup, slab of lasagne and chocolate cake!

Beautiful Redwood forests

Cycling Day 12

The next day I had breakfast with a German couple who had hired a car in San Diego and were driving the route north. They mentioned how expensive it was in southern California and it's true. The further south I travelled the more expensive the food and accommodation became. The route for me southwards on Highway 1 clings to the coast all the way to Gualala, my next stop. It was classic Northern California country and I passed through small towns and got a flavour of ‘small town' life. Being on a bike means you're moving at a pace where you can take it all in; pioneer outposts, surfing villages, vineyards and the smell of roadside farm foods. The traffic was light and drivers always courteous around me. A real feelgood day!! One aspect of this trip which I really appreciated was there was never any problem storing the bike in my room. America does services well, so hotel rooms were always big with plenty space, big shower rooms, big beds, big TV's - I felt spoilt. I mention this now as on this night I put my bike in the ‘wet room' shower and gave it a bloody good wash!!

Cycling Day 13

Friday 29th September was a brilliant day, and it should be as it was my birthday! South out of Gualala for about forty miles the coastline is virtually uninhabited with green forests on the left and coastal coves as far as the eye can see. It's hilly though and the brutal climb before Jenner was demanding! I'd booked a room in a town called Occidental and had to cycle inland up the Russian River through thick forests and quiet roads to get there. What a find!! It's an affluent town and has an upmarket feel about the place. I dined at Negris, a brilliant restaurant that a lorry driver told me about while we waited at roadworks that morning. Along the street there was a bar with live music, the place was jumping!! And it was Friday and my birthday, so I went in and had a few drinks, it was a great atmosphere, and I met some lovely folk and got drunk!

Cycling Day 14

I felt a wee bit sluggish the next day as I found my way back to the coast but excited for two reasons; this was the last of five days continuous cycling and my destination today was San Francisco and two days off the bike! I passed the fishing hotspot of Point Reyes Station but after Stinson Beach the road began to rise and rise, then rise a bit more and it became a really tough afternoon. I toiled on the bike and sweated out the beer from the previous evening! I eventually got down the other side and fuelled up at a 7-Eleven before joining Highway 101 again and onto San Francisco. I could see the Golden Gate Bridge and was so looking forward to this iconic landmark. Somehow, I missed the sign that says cyclists must leave the Highway and I found myself on the main freeway heading towards the Bridge. There was no hard shoulder and I had cars flying past me, literally just missing me and I was absolutely terrified. It's six lanes and over 100,000 vehicles cross it each day and this was no exception. At any moment I thought I was going to be struck by something and this was the only time on the whole trip where vehicles sounded their horns at me. And it was all my fault. I shouldn't have been there! Eventually I came to a slip road with a hard shoulder and as I pulled over a police car pulled up behind me and a young cop stuck his head out and asked me what the f**k was I doing! Straightaway I told him I was Scottish and a firefighter! Then I told him I'd missed the sign, so he gave me directions to Sausalito, a bohemian town on the northern side of the Bay and from there I was finally able to cross the Golden Gate Bridge which has cycle paths on each side.

Rest Day San Francisco

I spent two days in this vibrant, colourful city; first day in Fisherman's Wharf then the following day I went out to Alcatraz and spent a fascinating afternoon there. I stayed in a hotel near Chinatown. On the first morning I had breakfast with Steve and Brita from Monterey, about 120 miles south of San Francisco. They were both triathletes and interested in my cycling journey. We were having a great chat then Steve leant across the table and said, ‘Okay, I'm going to tell you a story about me. It made the news all over the world.'!! Two years earlier he'd been swimming in Monterey Bay about 100m from the shore. A warm, sunny day and flat, calm water. He felt a force of water beneath him and looked down. Coming up straight at him at full speed was a fully grown Great White shark! It hit him and bit into him with such force he was pushed right out of the water. It then dragged him under and got close up to him and its head moved from side to side wandering whether to eat him. Steve was wearing a wet suit, so it probably mistook him for a seal. He pushed it away and it drifted off into the blackness. A surfer heard his cries for help and put two boards together and, with a girl, they swam out to him, got him on a surfboard and brought him to the shore. What bravery! An off duty doctor happened to be on the beach and tended to his wounds until an ambulance arrived. He had massive injuries but miraculously was saved. By measuring the teeth marks it was able to gauge the size of this beast – five metres long and weighing about seven hundred kilograms. An amazing story and by the end I think my jaw was on the floor!

End of part 3

Next Time

On the next, and final, installment of Geoff's trip, he makes the journey from San Francisco bay to San Diego following the Pacific coast bike route visiting places such as Santa Monica, Santa Barbara and the sandy beaches of Half Moon Bay. See you there for the conclusion of this amazing cycling trip.

About Geoff

Geoff Aird is a life-long cyclist and retired firefighter who has turned his hand to writing novels when not on his bike. Geoff's debut novel “Within the Walls” follows a criminal investigation that reveals a sinister underbelly to the seemingly sedate seaside town of Berwick upon Tweed. You can find Geoff's debut novel on Amazon uk or in Greaves bookshop, Berwick upon Tweed, where the novel was set.

Pacific Ocean views

Author

Ross Howieson

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Bike Pacific Coast Highway, U.S.A - Part 3 of 4

Arcata, California to San Francisco, California (five days - 349 miles)

Cycling Day 10

Cycling Day 11

Cycling Day 12

Cycling Day 13

Cycling Day 14

Rest Day San Francisco

Next Time

About Geoff