Day 1 • March 2, 2012 • Fort Bragg to Manchester • 39 miles
Zoe and Mom had a tearful goodbye today. Two of them, actually, one in Fort Bragg and another seven miles down the road in Mendocino where we met again for ice cream and lunch. Zoe is a conflicted kid—really excited about the trip but also really missing Mom.
It was a beautiful day, sunny and cold in the morning after a rare overnight frost but quickly warming up into the mid sixties. We had a great ride but the steep and relentless hills past Albion really kicked our butts. The original, half baked plan was to ride to Gualala but we were happy to scoot into one of our bail-out destinations at Manchester Beach State Park just before dusk.
We were greeted in Manchester by a state campground that was closed and about to be decommissioned and bulldozed clean. With the budget crisis in California I suspect this will be a recurring theme. We ended up at the nearby KOA. It was nice enough and the host was really friendly and accommodating but even at the cyclist rate of $18 a night I think we’ll find an alternative next time.
TransAmerican Trike Adventure 2012 
You guys look great out on the road. Terrific rig, terrific travelers, terrific journey! Take care.
Chip
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Hi zoe! I miss you so so so much. Are you having fun yet? are you enjoying the view? I am liking your pictures on the blog I am loving and missing you always ! LOVE your friend Piper
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Glad you are off to a good start. As I suspected, you probably got your Q from Chip who also sold me my Q. Sad about the state campground. Great photos. Good luck.
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Hope Zoe and you are enjoying so far in spite of butt-kicking hills. Zoe just keep wathcing to your left for that spectacular coastline! If today was as nice for you as it was for us in Eureka you should have had a great day.
Gretchen & Mom
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Way to chug up those steep hills. Just remember what Dustin Hoffman kept saying “Wag the Dog”: This is nothing!
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I meant right!! 😉
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Thanks Gretchen, we spent a whole day watching for whales in the grass :;
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You guys look awesome on that trike! Wish I could be on the road with you in CA, but looking forward to riding with you on your pass through D.C.
I must be getting old, because 39 miles, even without gear, seems like a long way to me…
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Right on! Have a great trip and watch out for those tricksy deer!
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By the way nice pirate flag z! i miss u soooo much! xoxo ❤ – Ava
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And a word on CA state budget cuts and parks – boo, hiss, and shame on us if we can’t pitch in with tax dollars to keep all our incredible parks open! It was tried to pass a measure that would add a surcharge to vehicular registration but was defeated unfortunately. I voted for it and would support it again. Hope we citizens can figure out how to keep these amazing places open in the future – sometimes it just means raising taxes.
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Kurt and Zoe,
We had a suprise visit from Lisa and Sammy today. Zoe, Nyah was looking for you! She and Sammy ran and played like crazy, Nyah wanted to jump in the truck. Thank you for the “Holly” Mints! That’s great! Hope you had a great day of cycling.
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