Cool It

Third time's the charm!

Another hot day, this time without fog and early enough not to tangle with diverted, distracted drivers. We headed deep into the redwood forest, at last!

My guess is that Stetson was once a logging road; it's narrow and twisty and the pavement is in terrible shape. I suspect the residents prefer it that way, too. Who would want to drive it? One was happy to cheer us on, as we labored up a steepish-section before stopping at the local church to rest in the shade.

I persuaded my chief ride buddy that it was worth a little detour down a dead-end road to see a Really Big Tree. Which turned out to be not quite so big as I remembered it. It's all relative. Especially if you're not accustomed to being around redwoods, I imagine you're thinking “but, that is a big tree.”

Just off the road, however, we found a bigger (fallen) tree, and a huge old stump.

Back at the start, I continued my litter-pick-up tradition. Six cigarette butts, two AAA batteries, and one Starbucks cup (lid attached). I often wonder what sort of person throws their trash on the ground; now I know that one of them is named Bryan, and he likes a lot of caffeine, heavily sweetened. But he eschews sugar and doesn't much care about the environment.

We may have ridden only 26 miles, but with 2,430 feet of climbing it was a solid workout. And so beautiful, riding among those ancient, towering trees.