Fogless Lily Fields
Right now I'm at the KOA in Crescent City, California, and it's the nicest KOA I've ever been in. My site is in among the redwoods, away from the RVs, and there's no one else in any of the tent sites around me. I felt the surroundings and the new state warranted a campfire, so there's one of those crackling and sparking to my left. My laundry is done, my tummy is full of massive pasta with beef sauce, and when I'm done here I'll repair to my tent in anticipation of a good night's rest.
The day didn't start out very well...every so often, the impact and consequences of several years' worth of half-life in the shadows of avoidance and alcohol will overwhelm me, and then it's usually time to find a place not too close to other campers so they won't catch me being all weepy and tragic-like. The morning itself didn't brighten my mood, either. Overcast and foggy, like me.
So the first several miles of today's 25 weren't terribly inspiring, except in the negative sense, with thoughts about where the next larger city would be, and whether I'd be able to rent a minivan there. Eventually, the Training took over: today, I was pedaling to Crescent City. Do that, worry about the other stuff later.
Then, I crossed the border into California. By all rights there really shouldn't be that much of a difference between a few miles north or south of the border, but within half an hour, the fog was clearing and I was cycling through fields of lilies. There was sun enough to charge the laptop and the cell phone at the same time, but I wasn't out on the road long enough to get a full charge on the computer, so this will be short as the battery is waning.
Tomorrow, 30+ miles to somewhere near Klamath. The ride will take me through Crescent City, and then later on there will be a mammoth 1,600-foot climb.* But I've had pasta! So I should be OK. It will be a long day, but that's my road.
And now: welcome to California, where the signs are frickin' huge.
*It turned out to be only 1,160 feet...I transposed the six and negated the one, or something. But still.
