Firstly, Happy 18th Birthday to my beautiful sisters: Mary Holland Coyle and Carolyn Flowers Coyle, two of the finest adults I know. ☺

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Day 34: Richardson Grove, CA to Eureka, CA

July 9

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I was riding with Jenna, Emily, and Colin when 10 miles into today’s ride we turned onto the Avenue of the Giants. As soon as we entered the forest it became cool and shaded and quiet. We were surrounded by the enormous trunks of the redwoods reaching up and up and up. The entire forest floor was covered in soft green ferns that were illuminated in patches by light that had managed to leak through the umbrella of tree leaves overhead. It was serene and beautiful and almost eerie. It didn’t seem as though we were traveling downhill, but we were still gliding with little effort. We barely spoke once we were inside except to call out debris and potholes in the road. There were a lot of these holes because of the tree roots growing underneath, and Emily wondered out loud how often the avenue must need repaving. This entire experience was surreal. I felt like I was riding through Narnia or stuck in a Bob Ross painting.

Coasting along in silence almost forced self-reflection. I felt as though my thoughts were too loud in my head. Though it has been 34 days, 1 day short of half of the trip, it feels like it was just a week ago that we were riding away from the fountain to the sound of the air horn. We are always moving at breakneck speed, trying to prepare for the day or a presentation or a meal, and with the exception of rides like this, there have been few opportunities to think about everything we have seen and everyone we have met to far. Amidst all of this soul searching, we, of course, made time for goober-fest as we always do, and we stopped for a hug-a-tree photo shoot and a visit to the hollowed out chimney tree. Over all, though, I think the 40 odd miles we rode on the Avenue of Giants has been the most spiritual ride of my trip so far and will probably my most memorable one.

We were wrenched from this dream world as we turned onto 101 and had to dodge road debris, traffic cones, and construction zones on a very intimidating and chaotic 30 miles to Eureka. When we entered the town limits we faced disappearing bike lanes in combination with aggressive drivers. This is a poor combination, and Mikey was almost run of the road by a giant white dodge truck. Finally, we reached sanctuary at Steve’s house where we were met by an enthusiastic family, Steve, Kiera, and Elise, and a spread of food that Harry Potter would gawk at. There were pulled pork sandwiches, chips, queso, baked brie, shrimp cocktails, salami, cheddar, swiss, sushi, and beyond. This was just our snack to hold us off until dinner. My eyes got bigger and bigger as the family brought more dishes to the table and as my goblet refilled itself with pumpkin juice.

After entering a short food coma, I went outside to play with Rabies Vaccination, the dog. (Actually named Tippy, but as the only tag Tippy wore said Rabies Vacc. and the date of her last shot she became “Rabies” for a short time.) Richard, Rabies, and I played until we were all thoroughly worn out.

Afterwards, Zaid, Steven, and I took a trip to Borders for some book shopping. We browsed and visited the coffee shop in the back, and for a little while I felt as though I once more belonged to the human race. Zaid purchased his second copy of The Audacity of Hope, and I got two books and a journal. I hope to use these after I desperately catch up on my blogging.