Lord Ellis & Berry Summits

Up until this morning, I had an over-inflated sense of my physical fitness. I woke up early with plans to take advantage of the sunshine and ride on up to Berry Summit on my bicycle. Heck, if I was making good time I might even jet on over to Willow Creek and get some French fries for lunch. No problemo.

I fueled up on coffee from Sutters Mudd, pedalled across the Arcata Bottoms and made my way east on State Highway 299.



I stopped at this industrial site near Glendale to consume a delicious lemon/poppy seed muffin. I felt good and my 1980s Cannondale was performing beautifully. It was reassuring to have new tires. Being that this is a Frankenstein bike pieced together from a variety of sources, it has a 27” rear wheel and a 700cc front wheel. The rear bag contained lots of food and water. You’re on your own on 299 after you pass Blue Lake.

As I climbed Lord Ellis, my legs felt tired. Before I reached the top, I knew that Willow Creek was out of the question. Even Berry Summit was questionable.


I was relieved to reach Lord Ellis Summit. This photo sucks, but it’s my trophy shot, dammit!




My bike played in the snow as I snapped a self portrait. Then I descended down the other side of Lord Ellis and froze my ass off. I had a light pair of fleece mittens which were totally inadequate. My fingers had a purple hue.




Here’s looking east. I needed to get to the bottom of that valley, then climb up that mountain.



It was a long, difficult climb. I was a happy camper when I reached the top. I consumed a PBJ, Fritos and lots of water.



Here’s the view looking west from the Berry Summit Vista Point. I was kind of freaked out when I looked at those mountains knowing that I need to descend back down to Redwood Creek and climb back up to Lord Ellis Summit. I tucked my head down and did what had to be done.



About seven hours after I started my ride, I was nearly home. The Arcata Bottoms resembled a scene from “The Birds.”

Total distance: 67 miles

Aches and pains: Everywhere!