Tuff Stuff

Aug 4th, Monday

Hidden Springs - Standish Hickey St. Park
38 miles, 4 hrs, 11 mph

My legs felt pretty good today as I left the Avenue of the Giants. Stopped to talk to some Canadian bikers, then left shortly after 4 guys from Virginia passed us. Going up a steep hill, I decided to be a tough guy, especially since everyone was going slow. I passed the Canadians in the middle of the hill and the Virginians near the top. I asked them how they slept as I passed them on the crest. It was a sinister comment in sheeps clothing, but I don't think they got it, as I was the one in a wierd competitive mode.

Shortly after this sprint I pulled into Gerberville, a cool summer town that had all the amenities. I got some laundry going , ate lunch at a burger joint, realized I had lost my wallet, then found it at the laundromat. It started to get hot out (I was inland), I had a burger, and that last sprint was taxing. Sometimes I wonder why I do what I do.

I started to hit some real heat as I got back on the road, going up some hills that were fairly steep. The heat kicked my butt more than anything and I realized that I wasn't going to make my 60 mile goal for the day. I pooped out at 38 miles, stopping at Standish Hickey State Park. I camped with the Virginians and a guy from Eugene (Steve?). They thought I was long gone after my cocky show earlier in the day. Funny, while I was passing them all I could think about was "slow and easy wins the race".

Met a guy named John who worked at Amazon, he was touring from Eugene to San Fran and was pretty pooped. We talked baseball and careers, etc. He mentioned that he had a room reserved at the Point Arena Lighthouse, 83 miles away. If I made it, I could have it for free. I told him it was unlikely that I would be up for it, especially considering that the first 5 miles of the day were to be up Leggett Hill. Little did I know...

Sign of the day: "Skip, Hop, and a Jump"