Summer '18 California Coast bike tour: CA Coast Tour

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: