Day 8, Crescent City, CA to Eureka, CA.  83 miles and 4230 feet of climbing.  Awoke this a.m. to fog, drizzle and 50 degrees.  Not the kind of day we were hoping for.  But when you are on a tour like this one, going back to bed is not an option.  We started climbing right out of the motel.  I am not an "accomplished" climber and having to do it prior to being able to warm up first thing in the morning is miserable.  Only the promise of being able to ride thru the Redwoods made it bearable.  Within 10 miles I got my payoff.  The only word I can think of to describe the trees is Majestic!  I was awestruck.  Everywhere I looked, over every hill and around every corner were these giant Redwoods.  The canopy was so thick that you could not see their tops and the the side of the roads (where bikes travel) was often coated in slick green moss because so little sun can reach the ground.  The moss (along with the rain) made riding treacherous.  Fortunately I was in no hurry to leave the beauty of these magnificent trees and just took my time.  Shortly after noon the sun came out, dried the roads and warmed me up.  By that time we were out of the woods and riding along the beach.  It was the first time in several days that I saw sun on the beach scenes.  It makes a huge difference.  Tomorrow we will be spending most of the day with the Redwoods in an area where they are even bigger and older than those we experienced today.  I cannot imagine how they could be better than todays!!

 

This sign encouraged me to keep climbing.

 

This shop was located on an Indian Reservation.  Espresso must not have been a staple in the Native American's diet.  It wasn't worth the stop.

 

This tree makes even me look small.

 

Mile after mile was like this.

 

It made my bike look like a miniature toy.

 

Before this shot we had 7 of us lined up for a pic on the inside of this hollowed out tree.

 

There are "Elk" signs thru out the area but according to the tour staff they seldom get to see any.  This young bull was standing by himself about 50 yards from the old bull and his harem of cows in pic below.  Notice how his tines are all shined up.  The rut will be beginning soon.  And this young stud will be looking to get in on the old bulls "action".

 

The old bull is laying down while his cows are feeding along the tree line.  He seemed to ignore the younger bull.

 

Ahhh, the sun!!