Yesterday was the most fun I’ve had on my bike yet. What’s not to love about the Redwoods and beastly climbing? I began in Brookings and ended up in Big Lagoon. It was a haul up and out of Crescent City but the Newton B. Drury Parkway was incredible.

Check out nine more photos below!

I remember when I first looked at the elevation for this leg of the trip, I was worried it’d be too much for me. Then I was at the top, still feeling great and before I knew it, the descent had begun.

Once you leave Crescent City you’re literally riding through the trees.

It was overwhelming. The light just poured through the branches and the temperature fluctuated a good 10 degrees, depending on where you were standing. Moisture filled the air and for the first time on my trip, I didn’t see a car or a truck for miles.

Words cannot describe the sensation you get riding through this on your bike. You feel so insignificant. These trees are hundreds of years old!

I mashed in the big ring and small cog (50 x 11) in the drops, blasting Krallice, pushing with everything I had to stay ahead of the cars. That bike is a beast!

When you reach the bottom, you’re greeted with a majestic beach. As the fog pours down from the mountains, the sands become engulfed in a haze.

My bike’s happy.

And Lauren’s present to me has stayed remarkably clean through all this.

I made it to camp at the Big Lagoon, just in time to get set up, take a shower and cook dinner. While I was setting up, a couple from Arcada, with a dog and two daughters invited me over to their fire. We stayed up until 11 or so drinking and talking about adventures. Looking back, it was the best night I’ve had on this trip and I can only think about what lies ahead.

Here’s the route from yesterday:

What did I learn from this ride?

-Shoulders are getting smaller and the cars are moving faster. Bring a rear light for the foggy areas.
-Save camera battery life to document your camp sites. This was the first night I had battery life.
-Even if it’s cloudy, you can still get sun burnt. I don’t think I saw the light all day and I even applied it twice. This morning I had some wicked sunburn lines!

Today was my rest day. I’ll post those photos up shortly!