Cycling with Sally

On the day we first discovered the rim on the rear wheel of Big Bird wasn’t too happy we stayed the night in-between Arcata and Eureka, California with Wendy, Michael and Tyler (Warm Shower hosts).  On arrival, we stepped into a puppet show rehearsal (which was a first) called the ‘Sound of Moolah’, which was a fun way to educate people about the Health Reform discussion going on in the US currently to the theme of ‘The Sound of Music’.    We watched 'Touching the Void', shared meals and Michael kindly took me into town to have the Co-op experience.  They also had a new addition to the family, a rabbit, which was house trained so was free to hop about the house - how cool is that?  We ended up staying two nights, having a restful zero day (as our volunteer work fell through) and making some phone calls about the bike.  We decided to chance it and cycle on, as there were no shops that carried the rim we needed. 

 

Not long after we had repaired the ‘Bob’ trailor tire (from its first puncture this entire trip) we came across an abandoned bike.  After fixing the chain it was mostly ride able and I used it for the duration of the day.   After giving the bike away at a supermarket in Garberville we got back on the Freeway to get to a nearby campground when we got pulled over.  This lovely man (by the name of Tom) felt sorry for us cycling in the dark and offered to put us up for the night.  We didn’t need to be asked twice and the next minute we found ourselves in a warm, inviting home in the kind company of Tom and his brother, Jack.  The next day he offered to take us there and then to San Francisco but we thought we should try to get there ourselves first.  He gave us his contact details and insisted we call should anything happen.  So we set out and spent the next almost three hours mostly climbing, with the eventual goal of reaching 2000 ft above sea level but that was not meant to be.  After a few grumbles we faced reality, set up camp off the road, hailed down some people to call Tom and ate our dry, crumbly sandwiches (lesson: it’s not always worth getting near expired goods, even if it’s massively cheaper).

 

Our last night in Oregon we spent a night tenting in a hiker/biker campground with two other lovely couples that were also bike touring (Meredith/Alex and Abi/Chris).  We hope to see them again and so when we were playing cards on Leggett Hill waiting for Tom to come and save us, we wondered if they would cycle past.  Then only moments later we did see a couple come around the bend.  It wasn't a couple we had previously met but another super lovely two people, Dani and Greg.  We got chatting and before we knew it another cyclist turned the corner, Nathan.  He had a plastic sword to ward off any plastic Vikings that may thwart his journey.  The four of us agreed this was a strange but super cool situation and we continued our biking banter (i.e. Where are you going? Where did you start? Cages or clip-ons? Nice bike shorts you got there, Where did you get that sticker? I think I smell/sweat more than you, Where can I find myself a plastic sword for protection? How far from the top do you think we are? - That kind of stuff).  However, it wasn’t long before three more cyclists appeared (Chance, Josh and Nickel).  We had a grand old time, sharing stories and generally enjoying the unique moment.  This of course made time fly by and before we knew it Tom was pulling up and trying to make sense of our cycling entourage. 

 

Although we were very sorry not to cycle the stretch of coast from Fort Bragg to San Francisco, we were very appreciative of meeting Tom and his generous offer to take us all the way to San Francisco.  We did try to get a new rim in some smaller towns before San Francisco but to no avail, so heading to the Big Smoke was the answer.  We also have the philosophy that although everything doesn’t always go to plan, we have been very blessed with things falling into place just at the right moment, which makes our adventure that much more exciting, surprising and humbling all at the same time.