Californian winds

The state border is foggy and the cliffy coast continues into California. As the tailwind turns I change direction for a while and cycle through the Redwood forest. The trees here are the tallest in the world and the forest has also been the set for several Hollywood movies. These trees that swirl their way up towards the sky like a collection of ropes, have had ewoks hiding behind their trunks and E.T cycling above their crowns. I am cycling on a bumby road while looking up in awe rather then looking down to avoid the sharp rocks and turns of the road.

 I continued on my path for the south and set up my tent at different camping grounds in the Redwoods. The leaves of the trees are green, even if autumn has arrived. The evenings are getting colder and fellow cyclists make fires to stay warm. I gather around with four funny men in beards for one evening and have a marshmallow barbecue with five sweet people the next night. The winds in the treetops eventually leads me to the small city of Arcata, a green-party-town with organic stores and hippies around the plaza.

A wonderful Swedish-American family takes me in to wait out a storm and as the weather calms down I stay on for a few days. When the evenings are approaching I have sweet conversations or square-dance in a barn. When the sun returns I enjoy the beach with my cycle-shorts-tanlines. When the rain falls I go to the farmers market and eat organic soup. And when the fog comes back I enter a traditional Native American sauna, where several people with different origins gather up for a ceremony in the heat. In the sweat lodge we share our thoughts and gratitude. I get really affected by all the stories in the steam. One of the men prays that the sun and the winds will be on my side during my journey to the south. And when I have a look at the weather forecast for the cycling days ahead, it will mainly be sun above with the wind in my back.

 Peace