Mendocino to the Avenue of The Giants
We set out north along Highway 1, with its epic coastline of cliffs that drop down to the ocean below. Once we got north of Fort Bragg the traffic lessened and the road morphed into easily ridable rolling green hills with serene views of green pastures overlooking the ocean—and wild blackberries if you’re there in summer.
After Westport, they highway turns inland and starts a steep climb to get over the south end of the King Range and connect with Highway 101. This climb was rough, it’s windy and narrow. In retrospect we probably should have done it early in the morning. Hopping onto 101 here wasn’t bad, there was a decent shoulder, and views of the Eel River as is snakes back and forth below.
On the third day we got to the Avenue of the Giants, a scenic route off 101 that travels through the old growth redwoods. It’s magical to bike through these ancient trees. Humbolt Redwoods State Park is along this road and has many trails and groves to explore.