21st Jan.

The thermometer on the shop veranda was reading -3 degrees in the shade at around 10am.  Chilly!  I really wasn't in the mood for sharing the road with 18-wheel wagons, but there they were, and there I was.  Glad of my high-vis gear at this point.  Stopped on the hard shoulder of a bridge to look down at the green algae in the river below, and saw an otter!  Swimming around, diving, on the rocks, scratching, dozing...stayed for ages watching it, you see all sorts on a bike that you'd miss otherwise.  Redwoods covering the hills around, and then, sporadic, unusually large ones singled out along the road, surrounded by gift shops, signs, posters about Bigfoot and the like. 

Arrived into Garberville, midway small town.  Apart from the exclusive oasis of the wholefood shop, Garberville had an uncomfortable vibe.  Numerous people looking worse for wear, of no fixed abode and not having a good time.  I cycled through it looking for a cafe, but there wasn't anywhere I was happy to leave my bike.  Just found a quiet step to picnic on.  I can get by on convenient Snickers bars for so long, then I need fresh real food...a voluptuous beauty of a heritage tomato, kale and black bean garlic hummus from the shop, yum.  As I was leaving, stopped to buy a cake from some sort of 'Save the animals' sidewalk table.  The lady said 'Portland! I love Portland, it's a lot nicer than here, it isn't a very welcoming place here.  People who grew up here aren't happy about the drugs coming in, and people are talking of moving away.'  Interesting.  She advised me not to stick around.  I wasn't planning on it! 

Set off along 'Avenue of the Giants', winding road with stretches where the most enormous straight redwood trunks are on both sides, disappearing up into the sky.  It's quite dark and still at the bottom, you feel small.  The dark and the height don't make for a good photo, and a photo doesn't capture the feeling of being so small, all the way down at the bottom.  They really are giants.