Day Seven - LA Bound!

Made it to LA!  I’m sitting here on my brother’s deck watching the surf roll in on the beach here in the south bay, and sipping on a beer that tastes unbelievably good... of course, after almost 600 miles in 7 days, anything wet and cold tastes pretty good, but this is really good ;-). What a day it was to finish up!  After a great evening out with Pam Galvin at Intermezzo in Santa Barbara, (a really nice place right downtown), I started relatively early on a Saturday morning with a latte and avocado toast at a very cool little coffee place about a block from my air-bnb, and set out at about 8:30 in light fog— the typical California coast “marine layer.” Within a mile or so, I met up with a another rider moving along at about my pace, a very friendly woman from Carpinteria.  She helped guide me through all the neighborhoods in Montecito on streets that avoided the remnants of last fall’s flooding and mudslides, as well as pointing out how deep the water or mud as in various places.  Then we rode on an oceanside frontage road along the 101 freeway which as she described as where “the rich and famous live.”  So I’m thinking, sure, the local bigwigs... no.  First, we passed Kevin Costner’s house, then George Lucas’s, then Ellen Degeneres', then Rob Lowe's...  definitely “rich and famous!”

After she pealed off in Carpinteria, I kept on moving south down the coast.  By 10am, the marine layer had pretty much burned off, and a nice northwest breeze was staring to come up as I approached Ventura.  Through this section there is a very nice bike-path along the ocean-side of the 101 freeway as it runs along the base of a set of cliffs for about 5 miles until you get to Oxnard.  Then there’s a long stretch of flat, inland highway skirting around the Port Hueneme Naval base and Air Station, and along more lettuce & strawberry fields. Finally, I reached the end of the Santa Monica mountain range where it hits the Pacific Ocean at Point Mugu.  Here I joined back up with old CA Rt. 1, or as it’s known in SoCal - PCH- the Pacific Coast Highway.  This is where the “Malibu Coast” begins and arcs toward the “South Bay,” and terminates in the Palos Verdes Peninsula.  I had roughly 40 miles to go, and decided to stop for a nice lunch in Malibu.  With a 15 mph tailwind out of the northwest, I practically flew the remainder of the way through Santa Monica, then Venice, around Marina del Rey, under the LAX glide path, and finally into Manhattan Beach. I actually skipped the bike path for much the Santa Monica and Venice sections, as there are such a zoo of people milling along on cruiser bikes, electric scooters, rollerblades, skateboards, or on foot- many with earbuds in, and completely oblivious to what’s happening around them!  I’ll take my chances with the cars ;-) The one stretch I id ride along the strand bike path, I almost got hit be a flying beach umbrella being blown by the wind! 

So... I rolled into my brother Clay’s place about 4:00 pm, capping almost 600 miles of riding, roughly 25K’ of climbing, zero flat tires :-)

All in all, a great trip!

Trans-America next?

First, the final day's pics!    AND... here's today's Relive video from the Garmin file:

https://www.relive.cc/view/1720761288

Great bike path adjacent to the 101 Freeway

 

Rounding Point Mugu & heading for Malibu!

 

With the mobs at Vince Beach...

 

Chilling with the view at the end of the ride ;-)

 

Day Six - Wandering through the Santa Ynez wine country

Another great day on the bike!  Today started in Los Alamos and wound up into the winerys in the hills to the east of town.  Before leaving town, I stopped at a place highly recommended by my air-bnb host, a bakery called Bob’s “Well Bread.”  The owner apprenticed in France and REALLY knows bread and pastry ;-). YUM.  Unofrtunately, for the second time, I managed to misjudge just how unwieldy the bike is when fully loaded, and executed a slow-motion 3-point landing when my front wheel dropped off the sidewalk into soft gravel.  Mostly embarrassing, no injuries other than pride ;-)

 In 2007, Norma and I visited the same area, and I recognized at least one of the wineries we tasted at during that trip- Zaca Mesa!  It’s classic California wine country- rolling hills with mixed vineyards and cattle grazing range, with ancient live oaks dotting the hillsides, and groves of California Sycamores in the arroyos.  After a beautiful loop out in the vineyards, I began making my way to the coast via Los Olivos and Solvang.  Between the two towns I made my roadside “find” of the trip: a pewter candlestick holder sitting on the shoulder!  How’d it get there? Who knows?!  So... I stopped in Solvang for coffee, and then headed out on the old road to the coast south of town.  This one also wandered up a deep arroyo of live oak and sycamore, and even though the grade topped out at 11%, since it was only about 10:30 am, and still in the shade, it wasn’t a bad climb at all.  This road eventually “t’d” into the good ol’ US 101, which is the only road through the coast range and along the next 15 miles of coast, so bikes are allowed, even though it’s pretty much a standard freeway- just with signs saying “look out for bikes” and “share the road” every couple of miles ;-).  Still, I can’t really complain that much- the traffic was relatively light, the road surface fantastically smooth and clean, and the should was 10-12’ wide, so the cars were typically farther away than on most roads that I ride.  California also has a 3’+ bicycle passing law (motorists MUST leave at least 3’ between their car and the cyclist when passing a bike), so that may tend to keep most folks fairly cautious when passing. So far I can’t say I’ve had any close calls, so CA drivers get a big “thumbs up” from me!

The next 30 miles were all along the coast, mostly on the shoulder of 101.  It’s not the most picturesque bit of coastline, particularly after the sections near Big Sur, but it was smooth sailing with a nice tailwind once again. While I wasn’t really trying to go fast, I still pulled into Santa Barbara before 2:00 pm, a bit earlier than planned.  As I couldn’t get into my air-bnb until 4:00, I was forced to find a spot for lunch that I could just hang out at till then... as luck would have it, that’s not terribly difficult in Santa Barbara ;-). So... Here I sit, at the Santa Barbara Wine Collective in the old industrial neighborhood near the railroad along the beach having lunch & blogging.  I just finished a great turkey & avocado sandwich, followed by a nice cold rose from the Santa Rita Hills that I rode past this morning.  Not many better ways to end the day! Tonight I’m planning to have dinner out with my old “roomate” Pam Galvin, and then tomorrow is my last day on the tour— seems like I only started yesterday!  So... I’ll update everyone with a final edition tomorrow evening on the last big leg into LA, +/-100 miles to my brother Clay’s house in Manhattan Beach.

 But first, todays pics!!:  

Downtown Los Alamos & the Casa Dumetz Winery (and restaurant) where I had lunch on Thursday, July 18. Had a pork belly & goat cheese taco that was to die for!

 

Up into the hills!

 

Top of the hill! ...at least this one ;-)

 

Fess Parker Winery (remember Disney’s Davey Crockett?)

 

Downtown Solvang- which is somehow transplanted from Denmark (sans the weather coming in off the Baltic, obviously!)

Top of the last big climb of the day up Alisal Canyon, south of Solvang

 

Finally, a great lunch to end the day, with a nice Fess Parker Rose, here at the Santa Barbara Wine Collective. This place gets max points from me for the uber convenient bike parking too!

 AND... here's today's Relive video from the Garmin file: https://www.relive.cc/view/1720823003

Day Five: Back inland into wine country!

Another easy day today!  Clearly, I’m still recovering from the long day Tuesday, but today felt pretty good, getting an early start after a big breakfast in Morro Bay.  I started out at 7:30am, riding inland from Morro Bay, with a couple of short climbs, then back around some headlands to the coast at Pismo Beach, of "Bugs Bunny" fame— he may have never gotten there, but I rode through happily this morning :-). From there the ride struck inland towards Santa Maria, and ultimately Los Alamos.

Not much climbing over 68 miles (only 2350’), and for the last 30 miles, a great 15mph tailwind. Thank you Darrell again for recommending I ride north to south, as the wind has been my friend almost the entire ride! Compared to previous days, this one was a bit more relaxed and easy going. Lots of farmland and flat valley riding, with lettuce, strawberries, summer squash, and cauliflower growing in abundance.  As I got closer to Los Alamos, vineyards started popping up along the road as I climbed gradually up the valley.  About 15 miles out, I stopped at a food van parked at a cross-road, and got a carne asada taco for a snack that was as good as any I’ve had anywhere, on a real home-made tortilla!  The college-aged woman serving in the truck asked where I was riding from, and I said Morro Bay today, and San Francisco 4.5 days ago... she then refused to believe I had ridden a bicycle from San Francisco!  After recounting each leg of the trip, she shook her head and called me crazy ;-) Maybe so, but I’m definitely having fun!

With the relatively short distance, and the tailwind, I arrived in Los Alamos at 12:30pm, and ready for a "real" lunch.  The downtown was unfortunately in the middle of a major CalTrans "mill & fill" paving job, with the whole street torn up and new asphalt going down, but I still managed to find that there were several wineries set up right downtown.  I decided to try my luck at Casa Dumetz, which shared space with a local brewery and served tacos for lunch.  This proved to be a GREAT choice!  As the place was essentially deserted due to the construction on the road out front, I had the tasting area to myself for two hours with the winemaker Sonja.  I had three different tacos, including a shrimp & spinach that was to die for, and another of porkbelly & goat cheese that I intend to adapt at home;-) And again, on home-made tortillas! Sorry, I should have taken pics, but it seemed a bit pretentious with me and the winemaker being the only people there! Anyway, we had a long discussion on travel, wine, and places to combine the two, and how life has changed so much over the past 30 years with e-mail, and cell-phones, etc. driving how we approach everything so differently! Amazing what a couple glasses of GSM will get you talking about ;-). Anyway, this is a spot I’d definitely like to return to with Norma in the future!

Tonight is the first in an Air-bnb on this trip, and I'm now sitting in the backyard of a little house on the edge of the village sitting in the shade typing this.  I’ve yet to meet my host, just his ancient black Lab, “Jack,” and a huge orange tabby cat named "Charlie."  James is due in soon, as he’s out fishing ;-). Works for me, I know better than to get in the way of a guy and his fishing! So anyway, here’s today’s pics:

Heading back inland!

Hicks Summit - 4.36 Chains? Does anyone but a surveyor actually know what a chain is? (66’)

Today’s wildlife pic: Turkey Vultures! (No, I’m not ready for them yet!)

Cove north of Pismo Beach

 And here's the "Rlive" video from the Garmin file: https://www.relive.cc/view/1720741354

Day Four: Rest Day - Back over the Coast Range & down to Morrow Bay

After yesterday’s slog over the Coast Range from Big Sur to Paso Robles, I planned in a nice, short little run back down to the Coast to Morro Bay— just 55 miles, and roughly 3000’ of climbing.  Last night I collapsed into bed about 8:00pm, and got the best nights’ sleep that I’ve had in a long time!  I even slept in til just past 7:00am, and then walked to a little cafe up the road for a leisurely  “real” breakfast of eggs, home fries, and all the trimmings (as opposed to wolfing down a couple of granola bars in my room and then hitting the road really early!).  I managed to finally roll out of Paso Robles at 9:00, with the temperature at a much more pleasant 75F!   I started by running out south for about 5 miles, before hanging a right on CA 46, and beginning the long climb up to the crest of the Coast Range.  After another 8 or 10 miles, I topped out the main climb, and took the cutoff toward Cambria, on Santa Rita Creek Road, which was part of the L’Erioca California ride that I did last year with Darrell & Julie Hand.  This road was part of the “Coastal" and "Heroic" Routes, which none of us rode (it was 120 miles, a lot on dirt roads, and riding “antique” bikes).  I can now happily say, I’m glad I didn’t try to do the long ride that day— the steepness of some of the climbs was brutal, and I was really happy I had more modern gearing (34x32 low gear, as opposed to 42x26 on my old '82 Italian Somec!).  Even so, I’m really glad I took the back road... it was very picturesque, with zero traffic (probably due to the “no thru traffic” sign that I ignored).  The road surface was pretty poor in places, but is was truly out in “rural” California, and there’s not a lot of that left this close to the coast. It was also the setting for the day’s wildlife sighting: a wild turkey right on the road, who didn’t seem to care at all that I stopped about 20’ away to take his picture.  Clearly, California wild turkeys are a lot more tame than NY wild turkeys!   Eventually, I arrived in Cambria on the coast, and stopped for fish tacos (yes, there's a bit of a Mexican food theme emerging on this trip I guess!).

After lunch, a quick 22 mile run down the coast to Morro Bay wrapped up the "recover ride."  Plus, I did give in to temptation along the way and stop to do a wine tasting at Harmony Cellars, in Harmony, CA (population 13, according to the sign!).  I’d probably ridden past 50 different wineries during the last day & a half, but never seemed in the right place or time to stop and try one out. And I’m glad I did— they had a Chardonnay that was great, and a petit Syrah to die for!   So... I got to my hotel in Morro Bay before 2:30pm, and I’ve been wandering around the waterfront lazing away a cool and foggy afternoon and blogging. Tomorrow I’m headed for Los Alamos, inland a-ways in the Santa Ynes valley, the heart of the wine country north of Santa Barbara.  For now, I’m sitting dockside enjoying a really nice grilled salmon with a local Chardonnay.  Not a bad way to end the day!

 So, here’s the days’ pics!:

Vineyards near Paso Robles

Out in the “back of beyond” on Santa Rita Creek Road just over the coast range divide

 

Turkey!

Flying down Santa Rita Creek Canyon under the oaks (yes, I stopped to take the picture, I’m not that crazy!)

Harmony Cellars Winery - highly recommended by yours truly!

 

Back on the coast near Cayucos- another cool little coastal town!

 

View from my restaurant on the harbor in Morro Bay

 AND... here's the "Relive" video from the Garmin file: https://www.relive.cc/view/1720716893

Day Three- An EPIC Century up and over the Coast Range

Well, I’m still rolling along, though today tested my resolve —or stubborn stupidity, take your choice!  I knew this would be the hardest day of the tour when I planned it, and it played out exactly as I had hoped going up and over the Nacimiento Road climb away from the coast, up through the redwoods, from sea level to the ridge at roughly 3000’.  The day started off cold & damp as I got off early and onto the road just before 7:00 am, with temps in the low 50’s in Big Sur.  I got a taste of what was coming with a 750’, 8.5% climb right out of the campground.  I worked easily south along the coast on CA Rt. 1 through more spectacular scenery- the road runs right along the edges of the cliffs, cut into the hillside at anywhere from 10’ to 300’ above the waves.  The marine layer of fog was pretty heavy today, so I was often in the clouds, and it was downright cold on the decents- I would have been close to hypothermic if not for getting warmed back up on each of the regular climbs- there simply are no flat sections in this part of the coast! After just about 30 miles I reached Lucia, a 3 house, one-restaurant settlement just before the road closure on Rt. 1.  I got coffee and yogurt, and was told by the owner that the closed road was opening —- tomorrow, a month ahead of schedule! Great... I plan the whole ride around this silly section of closed road, and if I’d been a day later, I could have just ridden through to my next spot and may taken a real rest day ;-). Oh well!

So, freshly fortified with caffeine, food, and the thought of warm temps over in the Salinas Valley and Paso Robles, I headed up Nacimiento Road, a paved 1.5 lane road that switchbacks up 3000’ over 6.5 miles to the top of the coast range.  The road reminds me of a paved version of the road up to Monteverde in Costa Rica, and while it was not terribly steep the whole way, it started out at a steady 11% for the first mile or so.  After the Vermont Gran Fondo two weeks ago, that didn’t seem too bad, and being in 55-60F temps in the fog, it went really well the first 4 miles or so, until I broke out into the sun.  While the heat felt good for 15 minutes or so, it quickly kept climbing with the grade... 70F, 75F, 80F... and by the summit, it topped out at 99F! Fortunately I was carrying my two regular water bottles on my frame, with two extras in my handbag bag.  I’d only drunk through half of the first bottle at the crest, so, good to go, right? Almost.   The decent was great; really winding and steep, but with good road surface, so not really dangerous to maintain 20-30mph.  Plus I only passed a half dozen cars over the full 10 miles down to the valley.  Compared with the coast and the redwoods, it’s quite a study in contrast.  And by the time I got to the valley-- hotter than ^%#$@!~!.

I crested the climb at about 11am, and by 1pm, it was 114F in the sun; over the next 3 hours, it never went below 111F.  Once into the valley, the road runs directly through the maneuvers area of the Army’s Fort Hunter Liggett.  As my water supply dwindled, and no public services were available for about 20 more miles, I threw myself on the mercy of a half dozen infantry soldiers resting in the shade of a big live oak along the road next their Hummer. Fortunately, they felt sorry for me and gave me two more bottles of water- cold ones even!  They were impressed enough with my journey that they all took photos of themselves standing next to me and letting me know they were going to caption them with “he's like that Forrest Gump guy, only on a bike.” ;-) Probably the highlight of the day!   From there I only had 50 more miles to go to Paso Robles. Mostly downhill, at least that’s what it looked like on Google Maps. 25 “rolling“ miles later got me to the thriving (insert sarcasm, very thickly), metropolis of Bradley— at least it looked like I was there.  Only instead of taking US 101, my Garmin wanted me to ride up a dry canyon about 5 miles out of the way, then back into Bradley proper after a “bicycle friendly” detour of almost 10 miles.  Except I can see a road on the satellite view that parallels the US 101 freeway, straight to Bradley.  So... I decide, “what the heck,” and I snuck through someone’s farmyard (the dog that was well advertised as me needing to “beware of“ was fortunately tied up) and out their back gate (unlocked!”) onto what is clearly “old Rt. 101.”  It was a bit rough, but paved, with lots of grass growing in the cracks.  A mile and a half later, and after only needing to crawl over one locked gate, I was in downtown Bradley... with no one else.  I’d managed to buy 4 more bottles of water at a gas station near the 101, so I was good on that front, but Google maps was playing tough again.  It and the Garmin suggested I ride south, then take another 10 mile dog-leg loop out into the hills east of the Salinas River to avoid US Rt. 101, which is a typical California freeway, with  bikes prohibited.  But... once again, I can see that if I keep going along the old road, it passes under Rt. 101 and directly through the Army’s Camp Roberts.  So, with my heat addled brain, I figure- hey- I just rode right through one big army base- why not this one?

 Wrong. The MP at the gate looked at me like I had a third eye in the middle of my forehead, and said, sorry, no go. So, I figure again, “what the heck, I’m not going backward 10 miles now,” and I head out onto the on-ramp and then the shoulder of US 101. This might not sound like a great idea, but traffic was light, the road surface smooth as velvet, and I had about 20 miles left in my legs, and this was it...  so I rode roughly 3 miles around Camp Roberts on 101 at 23 mph in time-trial mode, and fortunately, no CHP were in the neighborhood. After getting successfully off of  Rt. 101, then pedaling 12 downwind miles later on fumes, I rolled into Paso Robles, exhausted, moderately dehydrated, and still very hot (well over 100F at 6pm).  After checking into my classic 70’s roadside motel, I made a b-line to the pool and jumped in in full cycling kit (minus cleats- I couldn’t face wet shoes tomorrow!). Jumping into a motel pool hasn’t felt that good since I was about 12!

Final stats:  103.2 miles   7hours, 37mins. in the saddle,  6583’ of climbing,  130bmp ave. HR; 176 max. I will sleep well tonight ;-) And here’s the days pics!!

Along the coast near Lucia

Heading up through the redwoods

 

Almost to the top, and into the sunlight!

 

Down in the valley- it’s a whole other world! And HOT

 AND... here's the "Relive" video from the Garmin file: https://www.relive.cc/view/1720723179

CA Coast Tour - Day two- Santa Cruz to Big Sur!

What a day!  I got started early today after waking up at 5:45, and deciding an early start before the predicted headwind got going would be the way to go, so I was on the road at roughly 6:30, only to discover that my Garmin had eaten the day’s route... UHG.  So, after checking google maps on my phone, I headed out with a healthy dose of dead-reckoning and following the randomly located  “Pacific Coast Bikeway” signs through the early morning marine layer fog. The first 8 or 10 miles were through suburbia south of Santa Cruz, then into the Salina River delta with it’s rich farmland.  Pretty much rolling to flat terrain, with miles of strawberries, cauliflower, lettuce, and artichokes.  I stopped at a farm stand near Moss Landing that had the best prices ever for fruit & veggies— 7 avocados for a buck!  I got plums and bananas ;-). Another 20 miles or so brought me to the dunes around Fort Ord, and a great bikeway that ran parallel to Rt. 1, which turned into a freeway rather abruptly here (the signs busily said, end of Bike Route, then 1/2 mile later, it turned into a freeway, and signs then said, “bicycles must exit freeway ahead!”  Fortunately, the random bikeway signs appeared again, and lead me into Monterey ;-).

Here there’s another great bikeway following the old rail line that ran right through town serving all the cannery and fishing docks (which are now all gentrified into trendy shops and restaurants).  From there, I headed along the coast taking the famous “17 Mile Drive” past all the big name golf courses— Spyglass, Cypress Point, and of course Pebble Beach.  An amazing amount of wealth around here... After leaving Carmel-by-the-Sea, with about 30 miles to go, I hit the really iconic central coast road! After stopping for lunch at a college little gas-station/latte spot, I rode from one scenic pull-out to the next taking pictures and enjoying the stunning views.  I even saw a sea otter!  Never expected to see one of those...  Then the fog even lifted, the sun came out, the headwind I’d been expecting turned into a tailwind for the last 20 miles.  A day on a bike doesn’t get much better than that!!  Finally, I cruised up the Big Sur River valley to my campsite in the redwoods.  Really a cool spot, where I’m spending the night “gl-amping,” in what is not really a "tent," but basically a small cabin that’s just a wood frame with canvas walls & roof, and a really nice bed & a shower.  So I’m sitting here writing this, gazing off into the redwoods and sipping a nice cold beer.  Perfect end to the day ;-). Tomorrow- an epic ride: another 30 miles or so down the coast, then I need to detour inland around the big landslide which has closed CA Rt. 1 in this area for the last 2 years.  It’s up and over the Coast Range 70+ miles to Paso Robles!

But first, here’s a selection of the day’s pics:

The fishing docks in Monterey

Lone Cypress Point, just south of Carmel

This serious coast!

Top of another climb!

Into the Redwoods...

 

On the road! - Day one

So... after a short warm up ride over the Golde Gate to get the last kinks out of my set up, as well as my legs, I’m off down the coast.  The day started out cool and foggy in San Francisco, with a nice roll up & over the hill behind downtown, then down to the beach via Golden Gate park, a beautiful late 19th century Olmsted designed classic, the clearly reminds you of a California version of NYC’s Central Park.  I then struck out south along the main coast road, the “Cabrillo Highway,” or CA Rt. 1.  The coast if very dramatic through this section, with lots of cliffs and climbs as. The highway stay pretty much within a 1/2 mile or so of the ocean.  Here’s a few of the day’s pics:

Ready to go, at the first glimpsed of the Pacific!

 

Feeling good!

Pigeon Point Lighthouse

Yes, those are fresh oysters and abalone, and they are delicious!

Todays ride totaled up at about 83 miles, 4500’ of climbing and 5:15 in riding time, so not too slow.  But there will bne no Strava files today,as my Garmin failed to record the data again... bummer.  Still a great day to ride, particularly with the nice 15+mph tailwind that came up in the afternoon.  The highlight of the day was stopping at the ‘American Abalone Farm, about 15 miles north of Santa Cruz.  I stopped here for some fresh oysters, and even tried an abolone, just for kicks.  The abalone was not terriblly distinctive, but the oysters were delicious!! Tomorrow, its on down the coast through Monterey and past Pebble Beach in Carmel, then on down the coast to Big Sur, where I’m staying at a little campground and renting a “glamping” tent for the night ;-). More when i get there!

Wrapping up the prep-work...

So- it's been a busy couple weeks since the first post, and my pre-ride training has been pretty much as planned.  Over 1000 miles ridden in June, and almost 300 so far this July, so I'm as ready as I'll ever be!  The last couple of days have been spent packing, and then repacking all my gear, and test-riding things on the bike.  Yesterday's second shakedown ride into work has everything pretty well dialied in-- here's what my travel rig looks like:

On the Erie Canal path on the way into Syracuse for work.  That's 

everything I should need on the bike, though I'm not camping, so that helps a lot!

The bike itself is only about 17lbs, and with bags loaded with spare clothing (one change of cycling gear, and one set of street clothes), tools, i-pad, phone, food, and a couple of water bottles, it all comes in right around 30lbs total.  It handles very normally on the flat or on downhills, and only sways a bit on uphills-- that long seat bag wags around some no matter what!

last night I spent most of the evening breaking everything down and packing it for travel, including the bike (a Ritchey "Break-Away" model), which conveniently breaks into two frame halves that fit into a 26"x26"x8" bag that qualifies as a standard "checked" bag, so no extra charge on my frequent flyer fight.   So, all is ready for the flight out to San Francisco in the morning ;-)

Fingers crossed, I'll arrive in San Francisco mid-afternoon tomorrow, my bags will all make it there OK, and meet up OK with Norma, and be ready to hit the ground running (or riding!).

Pre-tour planning & preparation

Hello everyone-
I'm back to blogging to keep anyone who wants to keep up to date on my travel along the CA coast in summer of 2018!  To begin, I've been hoping to ride the California coast from San Francisco to LA for about as long as I've been riding a bike any distance- so about 45 years or thereabouts.  It's one of those cycling "bucket-list rides" that begin to get irresistible at my age ;-)   The route generally follows CA Rt. 1 the whole way, or it would, were it not for a landslide that is currently blocking a stretch of Rt. 1 just north of San Simeon, roughly mid-way between SF & LA.  While that may sound like a deal-breaker, it's actually something of an opportunity ;-)  Because it's currently not easy to drive uninterrupted along the coast, a lot of thru-tourist traffic, particularly big RV's, are avoiding this part of Rt. 1, leaving much of the way between Monterey and Santa Barbara pretty light on traffic, at least in comparison to years past with a completely open road!

The down side for me, is that I need to detour mid-way over the coast range to Paso Robles, then back out to the coast the next day, roughly 100 miles out of the most direct route, and over 5000' of additional climbing.  Fortunately, I don't mind going uphill, and the scenery through live-oak groves & vineyards is almost as nice as the coast ;-)

So... what do I have planned?  Here's the itinerary:

• July 13: Arrive in San Francisco with Norma
• July 14: Short shakedown ride over the Golden Gate
• July 15: San Francisco to Santa Cruz
• July 16: Santa Cruz to Big Sur
• July 17: Big Sur to Paso Robles
• July 18: Paso Robles to Morro Bay
• July 19: Morro Bay to Los Alamos
• July 20: Los Alamos to Santa Barbara
• July 21: Santa Barbara to Manhattan Beach (LA)

And here's the route:

Follow me down the coast on Strava: