Village Clinic Ride Day 24: One of the Best Days

Piercy, CA to Westport, CA

We went into the day knowing we had a significant climb ahead shortly after the town of Leggett. There, Highway 101 splits off into the more concise Highway 1, which winds through forested switchbacks to a height of 1900 feet. When we stopped for water in Leggett, we were informed that the city water well was not to be trusted, so we bought a gallon jug of water, filled our seven water bottles, and continued up the road.

Highway 1 was very different from 101, which had gained the appearance and feel of a freeway. Highway 1, in contrast, was a scenic mountain road. The shoulders weren’t wide, but the traffic was light enough and polite enough that it didn’t matter. It was a great climb through dense forests, and though our legs were a bit sore, it was a really satisfying uphill. The descent down to the other side was amazing. The rain had passed ahead of us by an hour, and the sunlight turned the wet pavement into a glowing, misty landscape, like you’d see in a painting. They didn’t build highway 1 for cyclists, but it sure felt that way.

When we got to the other side of the mountain, conditions changed abruptly. We were on the coast again and we knew the ocean was there because we could hear it, but we couldn’t see it. The beaches lay behind a thick (and cold) wall of mist. We stopped at a beach picnic area, ate a hurried lunch of sardines with hot sauce, then finished our day shortly afterward in the town of Westport. The day ended with a cold fog, but we both agreed that it was one of the best days of cycling from the whole trip.

Donate now to help us reach our goal of $75,000 to build a village medical clinic in Majok Goi, South Sudan: https://www.gemsdevelopment.org/2022-clinic-project