Day 17 : Almost a perfect day

Had some people come to the campground last night that stayed up late, and were super loud. The bad thing about primitive campgrounds is if there are any problems no one is there to take care of it.
I had the entire campground to myself before they came.

Despite the fact that I didn't get much sleep; I was up early. I had to take a little extra time to do some much needed bike maintenance.

It was a little cool and drizzly when I woke up, but after 1 o'clock the sun came out, and I got to see beautiful blue skies for the first time in a few days.

Today's ride was spectacular! 299 ran along the Trinity River in the Shasta-Trinity national Forest; through huge tree covered mountains. Because it ran next to the river, the road stayed pretty flat. Not having to struggle left me to focus more on the beautiful scenery around me.

A couple of miles from my starting point there was some major road work. Both directions of traffic took turns alternating through several miles of construction that took almost half an hour to get through. This left me with the road to myself for long stretches of time.

What an extraordinary feeling to be surrounded with nature without another soul anywhere around.

The first 35 miles of my day could not have been any more perfect. Then came the mountain. 3 miles of an insanely steep climb. Made even harder by the fact that it was nearing the end of my day. I was already worn out. It took me 2 hours to get to the top. I was so frustrated that the ride down wasn't even fun.

At the bottom of that hill was the pretty town of Weaverville. There was some sort of festival going on with music and food. I wish it would have been earlier in the day, and I wasn't so tired. I really would have enjoyed spending some time there, but it was getting late and I had to find a campground.

I rode 7 more miles before I found the Douglas campground. It's a beautiful spot right on the river. I had to go down a steep hill to get here, so I already know how my day's going to begin tomorrow. Yay me!Read more