Revisiting the start of an epic journey
Eureka at last. We had nostalgic visit today to the beach where Carl and I dipped our back wheels in the Pacific 40 years ago (almost to the day) to christen the start of our bike trip across America. It was an emotional moment for me. That trip molded us both in so many ways in our critical years as adolescents. My only wish is that our parents were still alive. I am forever grateful for the confidence they had in allowing us to bike across the country on our own. Emily and Lisa accompanied Carl and me to Clam Beach for the wheel dip re-enactment. Then left for us to bike for about two hours on the very same highway 101 we rode north out of Eureka.
Today's heavy fog and upper 50s temps were reminiscent of our start that June 9. Back then, though, it was in the upper 30s and so foggy, we almost made the mistake then of doing our ceremonial wheel dip in Humbolt Bay, which encircles much of Eureka's shoreline, We wanted to revisit the AAA office downtown today but it was closed on Saturday. That's where we had shipped our bikes ahead of time to await our arrival by Greyhound bus. Imagine our feelings of helplessness when the bikes weren't there. My trip journals said the bikes were mistakenly dropped off at a warehouse in Berkley and wouldn't be delivered for another day or two.
I so remember finally pedaling through town and getting on the open highway. It was very daunting to think of distance to the Atlantic and the varied terrain we would face. Our ride today was filled with lots of reminiscent chatter. We laughed over the many tight spots we found ourselves in , the strange people we met, and and ways we preoccupied our minds during the boring stretch across the plains (like yelling at cows to start a stampede) . We marveled over the fact we did the trip without helmets and without the aid of GPS and cell phones. And we processed how seeing the country at 15 mph while using all senses makes one appreciate it so much more.
We left the campground and drove north with our families into Oregon. Just outside Crescent City, California, we ran across the Trees of Mystery roadside attraction. There, on the edge of a huge parking lot nestled amidst the giant Redwoods,, stood the giant Paul Bunyon statute and his sidekick blue OX "Babe." An amplified voice inside the statue today continues to call out to passersby, via a loudspeaker. We got a chuckle watching our dog tilt his head in bewilderment at the voice coming from the 3-story statue. We also visited a beach along a rocky shoreline in northern California. There, wives took photos of Carl and I with my sons to highlight that they are now the same age we were during our 1976 bike trip. It was a nice break before enduring the curvy mountainous road through giant Redwood trees into Oregon. Tomorrow, we head for Crater Lake, where Carl and I encountered unseasonably deep snow. Then on to Idaho where we were detoured by a major dam break.
