Thursday's ride

I took the afternoon off, drove to Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park and parked the car. From there I pedaled north on the Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway. My destination: The old World War II radar station on Coastal Drive.



Here's a rare photo of my $15 Panasonic road bike.



I cycled through the giants. Spectacular, to say the least.



By the time I got to the World War II radar station, I thought my legs were going to fall off. There are a lot of ups and downs on Coastal Drive and portions of the roadway are gravel. It was pretty rough on my skinny tires. Above is the one of two buildings at the old radar station. They were built after the attack on Pearl Harbor to watch for Japanese subs and suspicious shipping activity. Japan actually launched an aircraft from a submarine and conducted a minor bombing run about 30 miles north of this location, according to a sign near the radar station.



This building contained the generator for the radar station. The dormers are fake. Check out the "window." From the sky, the sea and the road above, they look like regular ranch buildings.



I felt kind of silly packing a campstove for a short bike ride, but my Swedish Optimus 99 is lightweight and packs down to 5"x5"x3". I fired it up and made a hot cup of Earl Gray at the High Bluff Overlook. I consumed a PB&J and a mandarin. Food never tasted better. With a hot cup of tea, it was like dining at a four-star restaurant with a million-dollar view.



This is the view from the High Bluff Overlook. It was hazy, but it didn't rain as forecast. It was a long climb back to Coastal Drive. From there, the trip home was pretty much uphill to the Newton B. Drury Parkway. Then, after going uphill, I got to climb more hills. Finally, near the Ah-Pah trailhead, it was almost all downhill to the Elk Prairie Campground. I cruised back to the car in high gear. I fired up the campstove again and within about three minutes I had a cup of hot chocolate to sip on during the drive home. All was well in the world.

I plan to return to Coastal Drive in the near future. There's a lot more to see.