All decked out for riding. This area is the self-proclaimed Easter lily capital of the world.
There was once a church here, but now nothing remains but the chimney and the Easter lilies
This is the skeleton of a long-dead old-growth Sequoia Gigantea, the Coast Redwood
Evening of the same day… Let’s see, it’s Saturday, September 13th, 2014. Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, between Crescent City and Arcata. 36 miles today, that included one climb of 1,200′ and one lesser climb, plus numerous smaller hills. This was my northernmost and first encounter with the giant redwoods, and when I was suddenly riding through my first grove of old-growth ancients, I had to stop to wipe the tears that came immediately. I haven’t tried to photograph these grandfathers, as their majesty can’t be captured.
This morning at the church, Jamie and I were looking online for California biker/hiker campsites south of us. Jamie wanted something 15-20 miles away, as he needed to cut down and rest a bit. (I later learned that he’s several day ahead of his 600-day schedule.) on the government website for the park, I saw that tomorrow (Saturday) is the first annual Run the Redwoods 10K and half-marathon running race and fun run. I secretly thought it’d be pretty cool if Jamie could run in it, for the win-win publicity it could generate, both for the park and for Jamie’s causes.
Jamie left before i did, as i had some writing and business to do. About 4 pm I finally caught up with Jamie, climbing and cussing the last steep climb of the day. He had decided to run, and so had pushed through another long day. He ran about 35 miles today!
This is one of many scenic alternates that leave behind the bustle of US101.
Jamie is essentially running a marathon a day.
I’ll write more after the race, which starts at the visitor center here at the park, near our campground.
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After the Race
Well, we both ran the 5K race. I decided to run with Jamie about twenty minutes before the start – I had already showered for the day’s ride. Just took the cleats off of my cycling shoes, rode up to the start of the race as it began, laid the bike down and started running with the pack.
Jamie ran easily with his cart. I thought he was holding back to stay with me, and encouraged him to run on at his own pace, but he simply replied that it wasn’t a race. He later mentioned that he had run this a hundred times.
I ran 28:00, likely my personal record for a 5K race. Jamie pushed his cart and finished just before me; the fastest runner finished in 21:13. Jamie got some decent press coverage, which aids his publicity and fundraising goals. Now it’s time to pack up and continue the ride.
The course was magnificent. The course was on the park’s walking paths, so softer than pavement. It wound in a loop on trails through the giant redwood trees, the “World’s Tallest Trees”, per a brochure for the Redwood Coast. This was the first annual Run the Redwoods”, a fundraiser for the citizens’ group working to support the parks.
After the short 5K run
