Carpinteria Hospitality - Day 49

According to our guidebook, we are done with all the big climbs for the rest of the trip so Sharla is celebrating that.  We met 2 guys this morning who are riding from Port Angeles, Washington to San Diego in 3 weeks time putting in 70 mile days so we know we won't be seeing them again.  We were mostly on bike paths or roads that ran alongside highway 101 today. We rode through the historic part of downtown Santa Barbara. We're stopping at all the bike stores we see because Ed needs a new mirror again. When we stopped at a bike store in Carpinteria, a gal, Rachel, who was on one of her runs (she runs 5 to 10 miles each day, 6 days a week) was glad we stopped. She wanted to catch up to us so she could invite us to stay at her house. She and her friend, Shauna, had recently finished going across country from West coast to East coast--Shauna on bicycle and Rachel and their dog, Romero, in the support vehicle but Rachel being the runner would run or go for walks while waiting for Shauna.  They experienced people's hospitality across the country and want to do the same for other people.  They have a great piece of property fairly close to the freeway and are even converting their backyard (they have 4 acres) into an area where bicyclists coming through their area can camp. We definitely felt their kindness and hospitality as they gave us their upstairs room, hot showers, and wonderful conversations hearing about their many experiences. A surprise blessing to end our day.  We rode 38 miles.

Side Trip and Bypass - Day 48

Before leaving the motel, we met a young gal from China. She quit her job in China, rented a car in U.S., and was touring mainly National Parks in Western U.S. She called us heroes when she found out how far we had ridden our bikes. She said in China they ride bikes to get to work...not for fun.

Ed was again amazed that after a 70 mile ride yesterday, Sharla was still willing to take a side trip to Solvang, a community founded by Danish people and has that feel with the architecture and even a few windmills. We had lunch there which we topped off with their famous dessert, Ebelskivers, a puff pastry dusted with powdered sugar and topped with a raspberry sauce. Sharla was also hopeful that this side trip would cause us to bypass the last big hill (900' elevation gain) of this journey which it did so Sharla was mighty happy about that.  There was still some climbs today but more in the under 500' elevation gain, so manageable. It was a sunny, pleasant day. This afternoon we were back on the busy Highway 101 . At times we had a tail wind but it was mainly pretty strong at our side.  Sometimes when big 18 wheelers passed, we would get quite a swirl of wind to deal with. We made it 45 miles today and are camped at Refugio State Park very close to the beach.

The Bribe - Day 47

We talked with a couple in the hiker/biker campground this morning from France, Mike & Sue, who are riding their bikes from Vancouver to San Diego and then back to Los Angeles where their daughter lives. We actually had previously met them at a pull-off along the road. They have done a lot of bike touring all over the world. 

After 4 nights camping, Sharla was telling Ed it was about time for a motel. The only campgrounds were 26 miles away or 70 miles away. Ed suggested we could either go the 26 miles and stay in a campground or go 65 miles to Lompoc and stay in a motel. Sharla chose going for the motel which ended up being a 70 mile ride since the motel was on the other side of town. This is a new record for the distance travelled in one day. We traveled on a lot of flatter, agricultural terrain which was inland and not particularly scenic but we did have a 950' elevation gain mountain pass to cross near the end of the day. The wind was favorable and on some of the stretches we were cruising up to 20 mph. At the motel we got the laundry done and ordered to have a pizza delivered.

Hearst Castle - Day 46

We were surprised to see David this morning--he arrived in camp after dark. We had a schedule to keep this morning. Be out of camp by 8, back track 2 miles to restaurant for breakfast, and then back track another 3 miles to the entrance for the Hearst Castle tour. There were lockers where we locked up our panniers and a place to lock our bikes so we felt safe leaving them. We watched a 40 min. IMAX movie on William Randolph Hearst and then got on the bus for our ride to the top of a mountain for our tour of the Hearst Castle. After the tour, they let you roam around the outside as long as you want seeing gardens, fountains, swimming pools and tennis courts. We felt the tour was very well done and worth the $25 charge.

At 2 p.m. we were on Highway 1 again traveling south. We had a tail wind again which helped carry us down the road. At one point Sharla was amazed as she was going 24 mph on flat terrain without pedaling. The scenery shifted from majestic cliffs to flat, sandy beaches that attracted a lot of kite surfers--it's easier to pedal too. Had another perfect temperature day. We can better understand why so many people choose to live in central and southern California coastal areas because of their weather. 

Wind at our Back - Day 45

Woke to another beautiful, California morning and had a chance to talk to David (we've camped 3 nights in a row with him) and found out he's a retired physician. He's feeling the pressure to complete his trip so we may not see him again. After a couple, gradual but moderate climbs (800' elevation gains), we had lunch at Ragged Point where we saw 11 Shelby Cobras who were on a rally to Carmel. We recommend this as a place to stop as they have reasonably priced food unlike a number of other small places we had stopped at. Further down the road just before Hearst Castle, we pulled off at Piedras Blancas, along with lots of other people in cars to watch hundreds of elephant seals basking in the sun on the sandy beach. They were quite active flipping the sand on themselves, going in and out of the water, and sparring with each other.  Apparently these are all young seals but some of them are quite large as an adult male can be 16' long and weigh 5000 lbs. If you want to see a live web cam of the elephant seals on the beach, you can go to www.elephantseal.org. We stopped at Hearst Castle to see if we could go on a tour but they were booked today so we scheduled a tour for in the morning.  We went on down the road 5 miles to San Simeon State Beach. The young couple, Tom & Brittany were also at this camp who we have seen on and off for probably the last month. They are also traveling from Canada to Mexico.  It seems that the car of choice for the last 2 days in this area has been Mustang convertibles.  The afternoon ride had a pleasant tail wind to help us along as well as the terrain was flatter so more enjoyable. We rode 36 1/2 miles today.

Scenic Day - Day 44

The day began with a couple of nice climbs (including the one we partially did yesterday). It was a good day for riding with no wind but a slightly overcast sky for most of the day. It was a picturesque ride along the coast with many magnificent views. Sharla encountered some knee pains which hopefully won't continue to be a  hindrance. We rode 34 miles and stayed at Plaskett Creek Campground.

Almost a Dream Day - Day 43

After a few days off the bikes, Ed was so excited to ride around Monterey Bay and through Carmel. It was a beautiful day with clear, blue sky. The ride around Monterey Bay on the bike path was phenomenal and we saw lots of birds, sea lions and deer. A perfect day for riding. We continued on to Carmel along the "17 Mile Drive". This drive is free for bikes and passes by several famous golf courses including Pebble Beach and many luxurious homes along this coastal drive. After a wonderful morning of riding, we got back on Highway 1 heading south. For only the second time on our journey, we had a quite strong headwind. This wind in conjunction with several sizable climbs was very tiring. Sometimes we even had to peddle downhill to keep moving forward. Along the way we kept leap-frogging with David from upstate New York. David is also on a journey from Canada to Mexico but he couldn't talk his wife into joining him.  Besides the extra work of the wind, we travelled a mile uphill past the campground because the park sign indicated lodging (there was a lodge there) but didn't list camping. Sharla was not too happy with Ed for not stopping and checking our guide book. These events kept it from being a perfect dream day. We rode 49 miles and stayed at Pfeiffer-Big Sur State Park.