After a week long hiatus in Santa Cruz, CA I am back on the road, continuing south down the California Coast. The weather has been beautiful with the exception of a few days on the Big Sur Coast where in true Big Sur fashion there was a steady rain throughout the day. Even with wet weather it was a wonderful stretch to ride and I managed to get one sunny day in. I made good time, covering the roughly 200 miles from Santa Cruz to Pismo Beach in three days. The last day I ended up covering 90 miles, my longest day with the trailer to date. I arrived in Avila Beach, just North of Pismo, to stay with an old friend on the 33 acre farm he lives at. The San Luis Obispo area was uncharacteristically cold, but I have never seen it so beautiful. As a result I ended up staying in Avila Beach for almost a week. I did some shorter rides during the days, explored some of the State Parks in the area, did some hiking and kicked back on the farm with a bunch of really good people. After making some new friends and catching up with old ones I hit the road once more. The ride from Pismo Beach to Santa Barbara included lots of farmland and some pretty epic ocean views. Riding the well established bike route in Santa Barbara was a treat and I got to ride through the UCSB campus on their innovative “bike highway.” After a couple days on the road I made it to Carpinteria, south of Santa Barbara. I threw down the money for a hike and bike site and planned my route back towards the Central Valley. Originally I was planning on riding all the way down the Coast to San Diego before cutting over to Arizona and New Mexico. Plans change though, and in an effort to avoid the hectic traffic and millions of people in the Los Angeles area I am taking the road less traveled and cutting over from Carpinteria, CA east towards Parker, AZ. Thank you Robert Frost for the inspiration.
My stop in Santa Cruz was full of great meals, good friends, sailing, and even a short weekend trip to Vegas with family. At the end of the week it was hard saying goodbye, as it always is with a comfortable place.
Rode Highway 1 most of the way from Santa Cruz South, only hopping back on the main 101 a couple times. The sections of the highway through Big Sur and San Luis Obispo County were the highlights of the ride.
Stopping in Moss Landing to look back on Santa Cruz County one more time. Till next time.
Fishermans Wharf in Monterey, CA
Proof that the miles do roll on. The calm before the storm in Carmel and getting closer to my favorite stretch of the California Coast.
First night back on the road after a week of luxory hotel rooms and guest beds. This spot near Garapata State Beach required a steep climb down from the highway, but it was well worth it and a great way to spend my first night back.
The Bixby Bridge and the rainy Big Sur Coast
After sitting and eating breakfast at this overlook and shooting some photos another cyclist came rolling up. Turns out the cyclist, Dave, came from Chicago. He was essentially doing the same route as me, in reverse, ending in Seattle. Got some good advice on riding the southern tier, thanks Dave.
A day of rain and fog on the Big Sur coast had a few peaceful breaks like this that allowed me to stop and take some photos. At this point in my ride I have mastered the art of finding roadside tripods, which prevent me from having to unpack my tripod to set up a shot like this. Here a guardrail does the trick.
Waking up to a beautiful morning like this, the misery of the rain-filled days before is forgotten. Glad I got one clear day on the Big Sur coast. Stopping to eat breakfast at a vista point.
Transitioning from the ragged coastline of Monterey County to the green rolling hills of San Luis Obispo County.
Riding into Cayucas and Morro Bay you pass through miles and miles of these open coastal fields before finally dropping down to the ocean.
Morro Rock and the Morro Bay Harbor.
Exploring Montana De Oro State Park in Los Osos, CA with my friends Nick and Kayli. Getting out on the feet alone for a couple days felt good.
Riding through Morro Bay State Park with Morro Rock in the background.
Took a day trip into Pismo one morning and walked out on the pier. This is what a day of rain looks like in Southern California.
After spending a couple dollars buying my apples down the road at Avila Valley Farms for the first days of my stay, I realized there was an apple orchard in the front yard. Two of the trees were full of Golden Delicious apples or at least they tasted that way. I raided the tree the rest of the week for breakfast and lunch and also took a bag of them for the road, and the weight was worth it. Thanks guys!
Two different kinds of animal here.
Big thanks to all the roomates, friends, dogs, cats, cows, and chickens of “The Farm” for the great week in SLO. These guys reminded me why I am doing this ride. The bbq’s, good food, jamz, back porch driving ranges, hikes and apples will not be forgotten.
Stopping for a look at the Santa Barbara Coastline, with oil rigs out of the frame.
Riding down a beachfront bikepath in Santa Barbara, CA. You know you are in Southern California “Proper” when you ride down your first Palm Tree lined walkway.
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