Village Clinic Ride Day 21-22: So, So Steep but Incredible Views

The Lost Coast and Avenue of the Giants

Upon the recommendation of a friend, we decided to visit California’s Lost Coast highway. This stretch of coastline is among the most remote and unpopulated areas of California. Its remoteness is at least partially due to the terrain on either end, which involves roads that are poorly maintained and so steep that they feel like they were designed to induce brake failure. It’s ranch country, and while a pickup truck comes along every 15 minutes or so, there is very little in the way of restaurants, gas stations, and cell service.

The 4500 feet of climbing was really steep, so steep, in fact, that I started to question the motives of my friend who recommended it. Maybe this was a joke to see how much uphill suffering we could handle? No, my friend was thinking of the views, which were incredibly good. Lush forests and pristine, unpopulated coastline. We saw a handful of surfers in wetsuits braving the rocky coastline, and we crossed paths with some ranchers, but we talked to only one person, who kindly told us that we were on the right path to the campground where we spent the night. The next morning, we did it all again, except in the other direction. The Lost Coast makes a loop, but we didn’t have the three days necessary to complete the whole thing. So instead of continuing on, we buckled down and climbed back out of the Lost Coast on back onto the main route.

The main Route soon took us to the Avenue of the Giants, an old-growth redwood grove that parallels Highway 101. Once again, we spent the day marveling at how huge these old-growth trees are and how long they have been alive; they’ve been growing since well before Columbus discovered the Americas. They have a size and grandeur that is difficult to comprehend. We ended the day near the town of Weott. We ate some fish tacos (one of the staples of this trip) and then went to sleep tired but satisfied.

Donate now to help us reach our goal of $75,000 to build a village medical clinic in Majok Goi, South Sudan: https://www.gemsdevelopment.org/2022-clinic-project