Divine Intervention?

Day 27: Stillwater Cove to Point Reyes

Today's Distance: 70 miles

Total Distance: 1,302 miles

With little to no cell phone reception, my only option at this point is to trust my book that says there is a bike shop about 30 miles south in Bodega Bay.  As i've learned time and time again on this trip, having to put trust in this book is chancy at best.  On the bright side, it has made this trip that much more adventurous...which is what it's all about right?!  So I get up as early as I can and ride as hard as I can to Bodega Bay.  Trust me when I say, that's much easier said than done.  After several "warmup" miles, it was 10 miles or so on steep cliffs with a white line of paint for a shoulder.  That was not fun.  The rest of the way to Bodega Bay was easier the closer I got.  Once I got into town, I wasn't really that surprised to find out the Bike Shop was actually permanently closed.  Sweet.

So now what?  I'm obviously not giving up at this point.  I decide to make the best of the situation and have a great lunch.  But first I went to a hardware store to come up with another temporary fix that hopefully gets me to San Francisco.  I come up with a solution, it doesn't keep my tire from rubbing against the frame, but it'll do for now I think.  Time to lunch!  I asked around and apparently Spud Point Crab Co is the spot.  I ordered a crab sandwich and their clam chowder...damn.  Super good!!!

While I let my food digest, the place started to form a line and then out of nowhere it was crowded.  That was my cue to get going, so I fill up my water bottles with their lemon-infused water #treatyoself, get my gear all situated, and I start walking my bike away from the crowd.  After a few steps I look up and see a couple oddly familiar faces.  Once my brain finally made the connection, we locked eyes, and almost simultaneously let out "J-EaZyyyyy!! / B-Leazzzyyy!!"  My good buddy since college, Johnny E and his wife Julia were celebrating their wedding anniversary in the North Coast and some how, some way, we end up crossing paths here in Bodega Bay.  He let me know several days prior that they would be in the area, but because I haven't had any reception I never got a chance to sort out the details.  Either way they were here, I had friends!  It's really easy to take that for granted until you're physically and emotionally exhausted and haven't seen more than one familiar face in over a month.  I ended up catching up with them while they waited for their lunch and then had to take off.  As brief an encounter as it was, they have no idea how much they helped boost my morale and energize me for the rest of the day.  What makes the story even crazier is that when I initially set off to leave I was actually heading in the wrong direction.  I'm pretty convinced someone knew I needed that moment and made it happen.

Back on my bike, I crossed over Sonoma County into Marin County.  After the town of Tomales it was a relatively flat ride around Tomales Bay.  The weather was warm and for a moment I felt like I was just on a regular day ride instead of some massive excursion.  I raced 3 motorcycles down a fun, winding road...and lost.  Oh and hey, did I mention how I hate this book's lack of mentioning hills?  It tells me there's the biggest salmon BBQ on the 4th of July in Fort Bragg, but not that there is a steep ass hill between here and there.  Hate it.  I'm already forming my bad amazon review in my head.

Went through the town of Marshall and it seemed like the 1st time in a long while that I've seen a bunch of good looking people in one place.  I know that sounds terrible, but it's true.  People were waving at me as I passed by, it was fun.  I'm guessing everyone out here is from the city and they're just out here enjoying the good weather, drinking, and eating oysters.  I was really tempted to stop and hang out, but i'd probably be pretty out of place given my attire.  Eventually, I somehow caught up to Stu!  We talked and rode together until Point Reyes Station and then somehow we lost each other again.  He was headed to the campground and I was staying at the Point Reyes Hostel.  I was only several miles away and had some time to spare so I went into the grocery store and bought some stuff for dinner tonight.  I wish I would've known what was ahead of me.

To get to the hostel it was 6 miles with a climb of 1400 feet and then back down to sea level...which REALLY sucks because that just means I need to do it all over again tomorrow.  The last hill was a 17% grade.  So steep I had to walk my bike down because my brakes couldn't handle it.  I've learned anytime there is a sign specifying the grade, it's going to be steep.  If anybody reading this has driven their car through Point Reyes, just imagine that but on a dysfunctional bike.  That's all I will say about that.  Despite the difficulty getting here, this hostel is one of the nicest i've been to.  There is a big group of people making a super fancy dinner.  Different types of breads and cheeses and meats and wines.  They are all from different countries and are talking like this is their first time meeting.  I've never seen raw and grilled oysters being prepared in a hostel kitchen before.  I'm impressed and inspired to incorporate that into my future travels.  The hostel was hosting a midnight hike and a bonfire but I was so exhausted from the day I decided to just relax.  Off to bed!