Catch up blog - Arcata and Avenue of Giants

This blog didn’t get posted at the time either for some reason! Give it a read for the stry coming out of Arcata, in Norther California

Written by Vera, 2008 rider

After plans to rearrange an off day (in favor of spending an extra
day in Arcata) fell through; the team rumbled out of town well after
noon. A group of ten or so spent the late morning with one of Kelly’s
friends: Fyre. As a play producer, Fyre had many big ideas. One of
those ideas stuck with me; he had suggested building an activism
school. It seemed especially pertinent to the town of Arcata, a place
where the hippies soaked the streets and it was nearly impossible to
distinguish between the homeless and the well-to -do. Fyre explained
how many grassroots movements in the area fell flat because of poor
organization and other contingent factors. However, the key issue that
kept the idea from materializing was lack of funding. Perhaps, a
micro-loan could help this initiative?
The latter half of the ride consisted of a detour off 101 down the
Avenue of the Giants. The ride was spectacular in part because the
Coastal Redwoods shaded us from the afternoon heat. Further detours
included much tree hugging. We noticed that many of the trees had
branches on one side of the trunk only. Later we learned that the root
structure of these mammoth trees was not as expansive as typical trees
and the limbs help to balance the trees as it grows under high winds.
This reminds me of micro-credit businesses because small businesses
all grow differently but still require the support that loans give,
just as trees all grow differently but still require support either
above ground or underneath.

Vera, 2008 rider