Day 30: Big Views, Big Trees, BIG Sur!

Ride:  Sunset Beach state park to Big Sur

Distance:  64.4 miles

Total Trip Distance:  1.662 miles 

Well the views and the scenery did not disappoint! The stretch of road from Carmel to Big Sur is quite spectacular and it was no surprise that I had plenty of vehicular company to enjoy it with.  

Left before 7 from the strawberry patch but unlike other early starts, I had some company.  All of the farm workers were out and about keeping the crops looking good.  I was fascinated by all the work that was going on.  FYI- If you're looking for a job with Saturday's off...... Farm worker is not for you.  

Tyvek suit scarecrows:

A foggy Moss Landing:

Stopped for provisions in Marina and noticed that the store was right next to the hotel I used to stay at when I did work for CSU Monterrey Bay.  Neato.

Sand City:

Yeah I know..... the helmet is crooked....

Getting out of Monterrey  was hot and steep and I worried that the haul to Big Sur would be a sufferfest..... But once I hit Carmel Highlands things got better

This is undoubtedly the nicest gas station I have ever had a deli sandwich at:

Here is what is saw while riding:

I would have taken more pics, but the traffic made stopping more work than it was worth!  I didn't miss any of the sights though.

Pfeifer Big Sur is a great spot, with a large hiker/biker campsite - and (as always) no reservations required :)

Tomorrow I will take my last rest day and explore a bit.

Day 29: The Simple Life

Ride:  Half Moon Bay to Sunset Beach state park

Distance:  70.7 miles

Total Trip Distance:  1,597 miles

Pedal , eat, sleep.  Repeat.  it's about as easy as it gets.  Doing it in and through beautiful places makes it even better. During my rest day I plugged back in a bit and got up to speed on the stock market shenanigans, news and other seemingly important things. But when I got back on the road all I could think about was looking for whale spouts,  taking pictures and finding a good breakfast burrito. Simple.  

Today was another long day as I needed to clear Santa Cruz to get to a state park. the less said about Santa Cruz and Aptos the better.....I'm sure they're nice towns but I didn't see the best parts (at least I hope I didn't!)

Sure don't want to take these daily views for granted:

And I'll slip in a pic of last night's sunset:

Lots of open coastline today - and some of the luckiest row crops to be found:

Scored some avocados, figs and apricots from this stand - even got to use a bit of Spanish to haggle with the guys.

Tomorrow I'm hoping to make Big Sur. I've heard from everyone it is one of the most scenic parts of the trip, so I'm going to get to bed early and give it a go!

Camped right next to a strawberry field.... Might grab a little dessert once the sun goes down.....

Day 28: I Lost My Way In San Francisco

I Ride:  Lagunitas to Half Moon Bay

Distance:  66.6 miles

Total Trip Distance:  1,527 miles

First an update from last night.  Charlie came by and spent the night with me - woo hoo!

We had a fun time catching up and watching the raccoons work the camp. Today he headed back to work at the USGS and I headed back to the road. As I got closer to San Francisco I passed through Fairfax, Mill Valley, Sausalito and a couple other swanky communities and I started noticing that the people got prettier, the cars more European, and the traffic worse!  So there are not a lot of pics because I was keeping an eye on all that was going on..... And there was plenty for my simple brain to process!

But as the title of the post suggests I got lost a few times.... for those who know me this is not a surprise AND I got to see some more cool parts of the city.   I was able to find this:

However, I somehow went to the "wrong side" for crossing so I had to schlep the panniers and bike up and down some stairs in the middle of a tourist maelstrom.  Good times.  

Hey bridge people - thanks, I feel real safe and shit..... How about some instructions about how to get to THE CORRECT SIDE OF THE BRIDGE:

Just sayin.....

Here we find "Magellan" resting safely after crossing the bridge:

Once I found my way out of Goldengate Park I was back on the coast......OK, I also got lost in the Presidio.  But that was it.  Really.

Pro Tip Of The Day:  Need directions?  DO NOT ask this guy:

And the scenery only got better as I got closer to Half Moon Bay:

Day 27: Back On The Road

Route:  Sebastopol to Samuel P. Taylor SP (Lagunitas)

Distance:  47.0 miles

Total Trip Distance:  1,458 miles

Had a great time at Mike and Jane's house. We hung out, went to the gym, ate, did some bike maintenance and watched the Giants get creamed by the Cubs. Yeah, the Cubs.  Ben (their son) got a rare day off (he's working for Cal fire up in Humboldt County) and came by too.  So as rest days ago, it was a 10! Thanks guys!

Today's ride was somewhat short because I got about as close as I can get to San Francisco and still camp. my plan tomorrow is to get all the way through the city and down to Half Moon Bay state park.  So I got a lazy start and went through some rolling hills and small farms surrounding Sebastopol to get back onto highway one.

 Then I hugged the northeast shore of Tomales Bay:

Oysters seem to be quite popular here:

After I left Tomales Bay I was in terrain that  for the first time felt like Southern California (in a good way)

Just when the temps were getting a bit too warm, the well shaded Marin bike trail appeared - nice!

I got a regular campsite for tonight because Charlie (my oldest son) is coming to stay with me!  He is going to swing by after work - of course I'm  super excited!

Day 25: Bombing Down HWY 1

Ride:  Gualala To Sebastopol

Distance:  63.7 miles

Total Trip Distance:  1,411 miles

I was treated to some of the best descents of the trip today - and there have been a lot of good ones so far.  Started out quiet and overcast on HWY 1 - very peaceful:

And before I knew it, I had pedaled 20 miles or so.

The backside of Fort Ross:

Then the fun began.  Well first, there was a bit of climbing, but the grade was reasonable, temps perfect and traffic light.

The pictures really don't show it well, but once I reached the high point, there were 2 or 3 several mile descents on silky smooth roads along the edge of the coast - exhilarating!

When I dropped down into Jenner - look who was waiting for me:

Why it's Mike (bother in law) and Norm and Gary!  They take me on a super nice (but speedy by my recent standards) 30 mile ride back into Sebastopol - thanks guys!

You see these all over Sebastopol - the artist lives locally.