Fast and Furious

Ted Yates
Aug 23, 2019
2 min read

Back along the Pacific

Rob and Dean, the speedsters I woke up this morning expecting to feel sore and uninspired to ride but I was amazed at how good I felt. Although I had scrapes and bruises I felt great and was actually excited to climb the two steep hills that many people were dreading. I rode with a fast group of cyclist and our first 30 miles flew by. We were having such a good ride that we rode past the first rest stop that was at a drive through tree. It was probably a psychological thing for me. I probably avoided the rest stop because I fell at the last drive through tree I visited. The climb began through the redwood forest and soon we were entering a number of steep switchbacks that weaved up the forested mountain. It took about 45 minutes to climb to the summit which was at 1,600 ft. After climbing through the Cascades this didn’t seem all that intimidating. However, the descent rivaled any descent we did in Washington and Montana. The ride down was a 12 mile thrill ride. Dean and Rob rode down like professional cyclist. I wasn’t far behind but a little more cautious than them. Maybe because I was fresh off of a fall I applied my brakes more than usual. There was a second climb that was not as long be the downhill was almost as fun as the first one. At the end of this descent we were back down to the Pacific Coast. We went from 87 degrees to 60 degrees. For me the temperature change was dramatic. I like hot and the cool ocean air was uncomfortable for me. Our final 20 miles were rolling miles along the coast. It was foggy and a little damp and the visibility wasn’t great. I was happy once we entered Fort Bragg. It’s not a military town and a number of people there want a new name for the town. As a pizza shop employee said to me, “this place was named for some civil war dude, I don’t get it.” Maybe I should do more research on this.