Crescent City Finish - Day 7

Our original plans included getting a car in Brookings, but it was so small they had no rental car company. Alternately, we planned to rent a car out of Crescent City California, seeing the irony of renting from HERTZ only after the better part of a weeks worth of aches and pains, LOL. We blew by our intended lodging for the night fairly early, 17 miles north of Brookings, at a place called The Whaleshead Resort. We would come back to that place with a car after we were done with our ride through Brookings, then to the California Border and then 19 plus more miles to Crescent City and the Hertz rental facility. We were in California a day early. So far, being early had presented no problems whatsoever, but things were about to change. So sure it would be okay, I didn't even check to see if we could get a car early until we arrived in Crescent City. Nope. They had no cars until 9 am the next day! Wow, what a blow that was! here we were, after 67 miles of riding, at least 45 miles from our reservations for the night, and 70+ miles from the next possible town with a rental car. We needed to sit down and think and get warmed up as well. Bonnie thought coffee would do her some good so we rode through town until we found a Starbucks and went inside.

It didn't take long for the dozen and a half patrons of the establishment to hear of our plight and offer up solutions, all of which we'd already thought of. We got a phone book though and thumbed through what looked more like the a Bi Mart Christmas ad than a Yellow Pages ... excuse me ... it was BOTH white and yellow pages, LOL. Suddenly small towns seemed oppressive.

Things looked up a bit when we found 2 listings under Automobile - Rental, in their book. The other was a company we'd heard about when checking out Brookings rentals. It was a company that provided local rentals only, and for a song, we could rent a newer model vehicle back up to our place at The Whales Head and return it at the Hurts ... oh, I mean HERTZ ;) place the next day when our car was ready. We wanted to drive around the south coast area anyhow, so we could spend the rest of the day checking things out down there and be ready to head farther up the coast with our HERTZ car. Eileen at 2 Guys Auto Rental said they were only about a block from Starbucks ... we could cruise up when we were done with our hot beverages and they would get us on our way. Like, WHICH Starbucks, I thought? Figures, it's the ONLY Starbucks, and it's new as well. This guy with a well worn pair of Dickies and a cap that has a monster truck on it, like he's cheering on the monster truck team, approaches me from across the condiments counter with his cup tipped so I could look inside and asks, "Miss, is this cappachino stuff SUPPOSED to be all frothy like on the top?" He supposed all people who spend a week riding a bike just for fun down the whole Oregon coast, were no doubt from a big city and would know the answer. What he didn't realize was that I don't drink ANY coffee, and he shouldn't have expected it, given that I was standing in a coffee shop warming my hands around a hot cup of brew -- herbal tea as it turns out. Nonetheless, I authoritatively nodded yes, knowing Starbucks put frothy stuff in lots of their drinks, and sure he knew not what he ordered. He nodded affirmatively back to me, not even questioning the truth of it while scruntching up his nose "I won't order this again". I guess Starbucks should have sent a handful of Seattle 16 year olds to Crescent City, to do a tutorial on how to order coffee properly! ROTFL!

We got our car and set our sights north. Back up to Brookings with a walk at Harris Beach State Park, a place Jamie and Beth recommented. It was beautiful ... even in a foggy haze. Then, to the Whales Head for a finish line supper and a nice warm hot tub to relax in!