The moon still was visible at sunrise over Ocean Cove.  After a long chat with our new hotelier friends Tim and Richard—they taught us a lot about life and work in this part of California—we hit the road under a cloudless sky.

The Pacific was a startling deep blue.

Headwinds were strong, the hillls were high and steep, but both were less ferocious than yesterday.

We crossed the county line from Sonoma to Mendocino.  Instead of smooth asphalt, the pavement now was crumbly and covered in loose gravel.  Grant, who works for CalTrans, said much of Highway 1 in Mendocino County is like that.

There was so much loose gravel on the hill leaving downtown Gualala that our rear wheel spun instead of propelling us up.  Jeffrey had to push us, step by careful step, past this sign to where the pavement was rideable.

Just before we crested the hill, we saw a man taking photos.  He motioned to Jeffrey, then stopped traffic so we could pedal across the road into a parking lot.

Steve is well-informed.  When Jeffrey told Steve about Human Rights First and how accused criminals are guaranteed a lawyer while non-criminal asylum applicants can have a lawyer only “at no expense to the government”, Steve said he knew of the little children forced to appear alone before an immigration judge.  When Jeffrey mentioned the Interfaith Welcome Coalition’s aid to newly released immigration detainees at the San Antonio bus station, Steve expressed long-standing fury at the dumping of penniless putative refugees at bus stations.

Steve will mail us a copy of his article.  He wished us a good journey.

We continued north.  Motorists gave us plenty of room and many friendly waves.

Jeffrey was tired when we reached Arena Point.

Outside the Wharf Master’s Inn—like almost everything in this area, the Inn is reached by going up a steep hill—Joe and Christina asked to take Jeffrey’s photo.  They had a quick chat; the couple needed no coaxing to applaud the work of Human Rights First and the Interfaith Welcome Coalition, and the sunset would wait for no one.

The clerk at the Inn gave us a discount and a fancy room.  Jeffrey ignored the jacuzzi but enjoyed the balcony and the sunset.

At the nearby Chowder House, Marc took Jeffrey’s pasta order. Marc shares our views on the injustice of America’s treatment of asylum applicants.

But he doesn’t share Jeffrey’s response to heavy exercise. Workouts make Marc hungry. Biking all day kills Jeffrey’s appetite. Jeffrey took away most of the linguine pesto alfredo in a box. Maybe he’ll be hungry for breakfast.