On the road at 6:45 into Brookings. Five miles later, I crossed into California with ocean views and redwoods along the highway. 101 diverged from the coast through farm fields (lilies), pastures, and forests. I saw an ominous highway sign alerting motorists of 2-hour delays south of Crescent City. At 30 miles on the day I reached Crescent City, ate breakfast, and bought food. Onward on 101. A mile south of town, a 1200-ft climb began. Road construction ahead meant that most vehicles stopped at the climb for a 2-hour wait. While the climb tired me, the lack of traffic made the climb much more relaxing mentally. On the descent, I arrived at spot where Hwy 101 washed away in a mud slide during a storm in February. I chatted with Linda, the flagger, who told me about the construction project. The skill of the loader and dozer operators moving dirt and rocks and dump truck drivers was impressive. After waiting an hour for the crew to clear a lane of soil and rocks, I headed downhill. In a few minutes the following cars all passed me and traffic nearly stopped. I ate lunch at a convenience store in Klamath then crossed the wide Klamath River. A climb brought me to the Newton B. Drury Parkway and Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park. The 9-mile ride ran through massive, old-growth coastal redwoods. The most memorable nine miles of the trip thus far. I got a $5 hiker-biker site at the State Park. The attached photo shows the evening sun on redwoods across an open field near my tent. 66 miles today.
