Eureka!

Day ten was a good day, riding about 70 miles on the rolling hills of northern California. The weather was dismal in the morning, cloudy and cold in the morning, and by the time the sun came out, so did the howling headwinds. I've discovered that the traditional Pacific coast route is north to south, given that the prevailing winds go that way. Thus, I've seen many riders heading the other way, but very few going my way. I spent a good part of the day on my drops, keeping a low profile in the wind. I made it from Myers Flat, through Eureka, to Arcata. Legend has it that Eureka, CA (Greek for "I have found it") was so named by James Ryan in the mid 18th century. While Ryan is not related to me as far as I know, I enjoyed the symmetry of it all.

I've decided on a change of itinerary: My sister will be in Sweden during my planned arrival in Seattle, so I'll defer my visit until after she, Tor, Sten, and Liam return. So, when I hit the Washington-Oregon border, I'll bypass Seattle and directly proceed east along the Columbia River, picking up the Lewis and Clark trail there.

Note, Verizon's highly vaunted "nationwide digital network" is not as great as they claim. I've been out of Internet connectivity for days now, and my posts will therefore be coming sporadically until I get better reception. Thanks for the patience.