The northern stretch of Highway 1 is hilly. Beautiful, absolutely. Hilly, without a doubt. There's been a fair bit of pausing and breathing heavily after shooting down and winding up dips in the coastline where small rivers enter the sea. Recently on such a pause I tried to puff myself up a bit by reasoning that this was a true accomplishment - this biking from canada to sf - and that few brave and fit souls could do it. But then I started thinking of the women in my life - Kate would tear down the West Coast - Carly wouldn't ever get sore - Laura would breeze up the hills - Lilia would swoosh through towns pausing only for a beer at the local brewpub - even my mom, in her 60s, would probably have the time of her life heading down the coast. Was this a testament to the women that surround me or did I have no excuse to be panting and whining with the Pacific Ocean as my backdrop? I'm hopeful that it's the former and so I send out a huge cheer for all the amazing women in my life.

We've left 101 for good. The northern end of Highway 1 begins just outside Leggett, winds up and down through the hills moving west, and hits the coast suddenly, in all its golden glory. Todd and I scrambled down the side of the bluff for a picnic lunch on the beach with pelicans. We've been seeing pelicans regularly, all the way down the coast. Our friends and lovely dinner hosts in Caspar, Ray and Lorraine Duff, told us that pelicans have made a remarkable comeback from near extinction. Something about DDT damaging the strength of the walls of their eggs (is that right, Ray?). They are beautiful and charismatic birds, often sitting like stodgy old men on rocks before gliding gracefully low over the water.

We followed 1 down the coastline to Mendocino, where we've just had our first homecoming of sorts at my family's house off Comptche-Ukiah road. I'd been dreaming of it for days - the wood stove, the hot tub in the trees, vinegar in the cabinet (strange maybe, but I've been missing vinegar terribly). Darkness was settling in as we hit the gravel drive and the house emerged out of the woods like a reward for the endless hills.