Klamath to Trinidad (66km)

At the Requa Inn, for dinner last night and for breakfast, we were seated with other guests. We had interesting and engaging conversations with a retired city planner and teacher from New Hampshire, an architect and kindergarden teacher from LA (that we may look up later) and a teacher and federal prosecutor from Vermont. They, and many others, wished us well on our ride. Today, we needed the encouragement,  as the hills were hard!

John Steinbeck wrote

The redwoods, once seen, leave a mark or create a vision that stays with you always. No one has ever successfully painted or photographed a redwood tree. The feeling they produce is not transferable. From them comes silence and awe. It’s not only their unbelievable stature, nor the color which seems to shift and vary under your eyes, no, they are not like any trees we know, they are ambassadors from another time.

We agree. We spent most of the day cycling through groves of these magnificent trees. Often the road narrowed and the shoulder disappeared, as trees were “in the way”.

After some serious hills in the morning, we were expecting an easier ride in the afternoon from the description in the book. But the route, which was on the busy 101, remained very hilly. With relief, we pulled into the Trinidad Inn, a motel on the outskirts of Trinidad. The proprietor of the motel offered us a lift to the Larrupin Cafe.  This turned out to be a culinary experience! The appetizer plate included local peach, apple and a Monterey Jack cheese from Crescent City like no other that we have ever eaten. A wonderful chandelier hanging over the stairs was by Dale Chihuly.

We are on the traditional territory of the Yurok People. However, we are close to the Trinidad Rancheria where other First Nations people live. It was established in 1906 by enactment of the United States Congress which gave authority for the Federal Government to purchase small tracts of land for “homeless California Indians”.