This morning we packed up our tents for the last time! Cereal and bagels fueled our ascent out of the Redwoods and our journey southbound on the 101. Looking at just the numbers, this is the hardest day of the ride at 92.4 miles and 6,834 feet of climbing. We were too lucky with weather for the past few days—today turned up the heat, settling at 92 degrees!
Illini campsite :)
‘Burgs
The redwoods, the valleys, and a few bridges kept the scenery satisfactory throughout the day. Our lunch stop was The Peg House, a grill with great burgers (in the top five burgers of all time according to Cam!) They also had veggie burgers and veggie dogs for those of us who don’t eat meat. Root beer and iced teas refreshed us in the shaded patio before we were off again.
Under 200 miles to SF!!!!
Getting into the heart of the climbing post-lunch is incredibly difficult, but the team did it with gusto! Due to the heat and elevation, we slipped in an extra water stop before finishing out in Willits. After dinner and hose showers at the stayover, we got a ton of ice cream thanks to a generous donor and soothed our souls with mint chocolate chip, mudslide, waffle cone swirl, chocolate fudge, and more..!
Chillin’
It was pretty tough, but it’s the last difficult day… ever! Well, on the 2021 I4k ride, at least! This team showed great strength both physically and mentally, and have embodied the spirit of I4k. Tomorrow is the average-of-averages ride, at 71 miles and 2,500 feet of climbing. It’s also the third to last day… things are coming to an end, and we’re planning out our last miles on the bike! Also, don’t forget to tune into the Facebook livestream on Saturday, as we cross the bridge at around 11 am!
— Marielle
Rest stop entertainment