Back on the coast

Lyon here. We are in Fort Bragg celebrating our third week on the road- back on the coast after our journey through the redwoods. The night before last, we camped under the giant trees for the last time. The camp ground had warm showers which, besides having to battle an enormous spider and use up a bunch of quarters, was a welcome experience. They also had a little store where we got supplies (including a six pack of beer which we split.) The next morning the weather was gorgeous - warm and sunny and perfectly still. We were feeling a bit lethargic and a little apprehensive of the climb we were looking at for that day, so we hung out at the store for a while before hitting the road. The climb that day would bring us up Leggett "Hill" (elev. 2000 ft.) -actually the most feared and respected climb on the whole Pacific Coastal Route. The climb itself was actually pretty nice - besides having to negotiate the narrow shoulder and the sheer length of the climb. The traffic was actually mostly courteous and the grade was not too steep. As we flew down the other side, we soon realized we were not in the pleasant, temperate climate that we enjoyed on the other side of the hill. The temperature had dropped at least ten degrees and the air was thick with fog. Reaching the bottom, we began to smell the salty air and we knew we had returned to the Pacific Coast. After passing the ghost town of Rockport (literally - there were weeds growing chest high on the fence to the old school house), we were faced with another climb of about 800 feet. This one took us by surprise a bit more- the grade was steeper than the first, and it seemed to just keep on climbing. We were pretty spent and had earlier decided on a short day, so we set up camp in Westport, on the beach. As I brushed my teeth before bed I looked up and saw an amazing array of stars complete with the milky way clearly stretching across the middle of the sky. The sound of the surf lulled us both to sleep for the first time in a while.