Morning Mike, watch out for that blackwidow spider

I'd just woken to the sound of coyote howling at the moon. It was pitch dark, 5:30am and the warning came to me from behind a head torch as I pootled off to the toilet block. Needless to say that my morning ablutions didn;t take long and were conducted very carefully.

The warning came from Steve, a fellow tourer who'd pitched up at the campsite at Piedra the night before with the greeting "you must Mike be the British cyclist". In fact that's how I've been greeted a number of times recently. Steve, from San Diego, was really good company, filling me in on some of the politics and culture of the US as we rode the hard hard mountain up to Grant Grove Village to see the giant sequoia. It was good to ride with someone again. Whilst I took a rest day Steve headed off and John, from Kernville had pressed on a day earlier too. This meant that they primed every other cyclist in California to look out for me , hence the familiar greeting whenever I met a fellow cyclist.

I went to see the General. He was not particularly tall compared to the rest but with a girth to make any American proud. He's possibly 3000 years old I think. That is enough to cut one down to size and get every thing in proportion. Imagine a tree, in this case General Sherman, being that old. These giant sequoia are magnificent. Last night I pitched my tent at the feet a one of these giants at a place called Camp Nelson.

Guess what? I saw a bear, I really did, really, really honestly. I know you'll not believe me after the bovine mistake earlier in the trip. There was no doubting it this time. He looked kinda cuddly and smaller than I'd imagined but he really was an all American Californian black bear. Fortunately this was in broad daylight and I was in my bike. I might form a different opinion if I'd me him in the middle of the night when in my tent.

Today has been a lovely day. A climb of 2500 feet to reach the top of the mountain pass at 7500 feet, lovely and cool, giant trees surrounding me, clear blue Californian sky and then a big descent into the dry hills, alongside the kern river and into Kernville where I am staying with John and Linda. They invited me into their home after John and I cycled together near Yosemite. Isn;t that kind. And what a treat it is to sit here with a bed to sleep on tonight and a barbeque in the offing :)