Chapter 26

Chapter 26

 

 

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2008

 

Manchester to Jenner 52 miles 26th September

 

Today was certainly not a day for me to celebrate. It started out ok. Early to rise and out to get my breakfast ready in the camp. A beautiful morning with the likelihood of a sunny day.

As soon as I got on the road I couldn’t get the legs going, even though the road was reasonably flat at this point. My destination was Bodega Bay, some 64 miles down the road. Heading to San Francisco. I guess I am paying for the couple of hard days I put in earlier in the week.

Then I hit the rollercoaster road again, the same as yesterday and it is getting tedious. No sooner do you get up one and down the other side and another looms. Leg Wreckers!! I try talking to myself to get some motivation and it works for a while. So, this way I keep moving. With seemingly never ending rolling terrain you really do believe that this will never end and its very disheartening when you legs are not working as they should.

The climate along this coast is weird. I’m cycling along, it’s a beautiful sunny morning, blue sky  then I see, what looks like smoke, wafting across the road ahead of me, up over the cliff and over the road. As I get closer I realize, it’s a fog rolling in, two hundred yards ahead of me. Ive seen this before and I know as soon as I hit the fog the temperature will drop imediately by about 10 degrees. It’s cold and wet and lasts for only a couple of hundred yards and you are through it and then sun shines again. It’s so weird. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I stop for coffee and a bun at a café and that takes me further down the road. Along the road I come across two bicyclists (that’s what they call us here) broken down on the side of the road. So being the true cyclist I am I stop for a chat to see if I can help. They are repairing a spoke and truing a wheel. Nothing to see here so I decide to head on and look for food. I tell the guys I will be at the first eating house I find on the road and to drop in when they get going again. Sure enough I come across a nice looking roadside cafe a few miles down the road. I'm not long there when the two boys arrive in with the same idea and we have lunch and a bit of crack together. We are all heading to Bodega Bay and agree to meet there for the night. 

Heading off now refreshed and ready and feeling positive. Few miles down the road, I hit this hill or mountain and grind it up. After three miles I see what I think is the top. Struggle up to see another climb round the bend and up it goes again for another mile. Then another, that is steeper. Then over the top...hurray!! A fast switchback descent that is quite dangerous, so I am clinging onto the brakes. Then just when I’m on for a long long descent round the bend it kicks up again and again and again. I have to hit the brakes hard on the fast descent when I meet some cattle on the road. 

I'm back to the sea now and the scenery is fantastic, with fog over the sea way below me. But it’s cold and I’m really tired. Seems like an age later the town of Jenner comes, and I say enough is enough. 10 miles short of my destination I give up and roll into a B & B for the night. 

 

TIME FOR MY MOAN... I haven’t had one in a while and I am really pissed about this. And as you all know I love my rants! I lost the coverage on my Irish phone in Coos Bay about 300 miles back and never got it back. Now my American phone has had no coverage for the last 75 miles. I stop in a town to buy some credit for it and find I am unable to contact the company IT&T. Probably the biggest company in America, to have the phone credited. This country is sometimesTHIRD WORLD when it comes to telecommunications. I am 80 miles from San Francisco for God sake!!, probably the second biggest city on the west coast and I have no phone cover. I just can’t believe that. Could you imagine not having phone cover in Dundalk! There would be uproar. So, I am seriously pissed... Gripe over! I’ll pick up the 10 miles in the morning. Don’t worry ...

Jenner is by the sea. A little fishing town. The hotel is small but nice and once again breakfast is coffee and cakes in a reception area tomorrow morning. I don’t mind that because I will find my Subway tomorrow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Comments

Hi John, Amanda here, I have been following your blog with interest, you are doing fantastic, nobody said it would be easy… but keep smiling, you are almost there! Well done!

 

Pauline said: Well done Dad you’re doing fantastic. Who would have ever thought you'd have done 1,000 miles already. You’re fabulous. Loads of love from me and all my boys. I'll send you some pics by email xxx

 

#1 Son, Sean said: Hi dad, can you tell us in your blog the name of the hotel or campsite you stay in each night, ‘cos we can look it up on Google earth photos. Keep it up, real proud!

 

John replied: Hey Amanda. good to hear from you. How was your holiday. Hope john enjoyed it. E mail me some photos. Keep watching! 

 

Hi Pauline, yes I’m doing good. Miss you and Marco and the boys. Cruising nicely now. 

 

Hi Sean - I was in the Jenner Inn in Jenner last night. Had to stop or die! I’m at the Olema Campground tonight. San Fran tomorrow. Days Inn keep watching.

 

Piroska said; Hello John, What you need is a pint or two! At least, it is not raining. Talking to yourself is really important. (I do that all the time. Keeps you on-task!) So, keep it up. I am sorry you missed out on having dinner with the guys from the road. Maybe you'll catch them in San Fran., an amazing city. You are on an adventure of a life-time. There are tons of people yellow with envy out there. Don and I are following your progress and are so glad that all is well 

 

John replied: Hey Piroska, thought you had disappeared on me. I am really good now. caught up the next day and by all accounts I had the better deal. Arrived in San Fran today. Looking forward to resting the old bones. Still enjoying the camping.