Day 3 Lucia to San Luis Obispo - 87 miles

Today was an "easy" day as I had calculated the distance at about 85 miles. For some reason, this day seemed harder than the previous 2, even though the distance was less and hills were fewer. I made more stops for food/water and just to stop and stare out at the view. Maybe I didn't want the ride to end.
Anyway, I was up again and out on the road at 7:00 AM, missing the "complimentary continental breakfast" at the Lucia Lodge. The "free" breakfast didn't start until 8:00 and I didn't want to wait. There was some light rain falling about an hour after I got to Lucia the day before and I was concerned it would be a bad weather day so I wanted to head out early to get a head start.

Had the road pretty much to myself for the first hour or 2. Just me and the Volvos blowing by with bikes strapped to the top and advertising logos painted all over them. Seems there was a century that day called the "Volvo Best Buddies Challenge". That ride started that morning in Carmel and finished 100 miles later in San Simeon. These cars were heading to the various rest stops and expos or whatever for this event. I had at least a 50-mile head start on the century riders and, although I never saw any of them, I kept expecting to see some hotshot century rider who thinks it's a race coming down on me in my rear-view mirror.

The scenery was still dramatic. Every turn had another picture postcard waiting to be taken, but I was on the home stretch so I took only a few. Besides, the battery in my camera ran out right after these shots were taken.

The first rest stop was in Gorda, but the store was closed. The cafe was open, but they had no bottled water but offered to fill my water bottle from the tap. Some good-sized climbs south of Gorda and a long downhill section into Ragged Point. Another rest stop at Ragged Point for a 7 dollar turkey sandwich on white bread. A downhill section south of Gorda and then BAM!, it flattens out and the dramatic scenery gives way to a mostly flat and open ride. I had read in the Kirkendall book where they said of this section that "the miles fly by" and I kept that in my head and kept waiting for that to happen. It was more of a boring section with open sightlines so you can see how far you have to go and not a lot of dramatic vistas (compared to the previous 70 miles).

Another rest stop at the mini-mart in San Simeon. Now the tour buses were out in force, taking the curious up the hill to the Hearst Castle. Nothing much in San Simeon except a strip of motels, tour buses, and my mini-mart. The shoulder was like 8-feet wide so it felt like you're on a freeway.

On thru Cambria. Not much there either except a short strip of artsy shops. Past Harmony which I'm not sure why it's on the ACA map because there's nothing there.

Next stop is Cayucos. Lots of surf shops and stuff like that. Another rest stop at the local market for a Gatorade and some packaged raisin snails. They couldn't compare to the fresh-baked raisin snails from the bakery 2 days ago back in Pescadero, but they did the trick to keep me fueled.

Highway 1 turns into a semi-freeway somewhere between here and Morro Bay. Still a good shoulder, but it seems like everyone is in a hurry again. The ACA map directs me off the semi-freeway in Morro Bay onto surface streets and I have a little trouble following the directions. Some helpful advice from a passer-by and I'm back on track thru Morro Bay State Park and then out onto some rural roads and into San Luis Obispo. Tom's apartment was right on the ACA route on Foothill Blvd. Pulled into the apartment parking lot around 2:30 PM. Another brief rest stop before heading over to the motel 2 miles away. Thru a nice Santa-Barbara-like downtown and I'm at the motel,

There. I made it. My epic ride is over. I should be happy but I'm not sure how I'm going to handle not being able to spend tomorrow riding another 100 miles.

Day 2 Santa Cruz to Lucia - 102 miles

Blowing over the Bixby Bridge.

The shot was copied from a video taken from my digital camera mounted on the handlebars.

Up again and on the road at 7:00 AM sharp after a lovely breakfast of bananas and mini-muffins from the 7-11 on the corner, plus the in-room coffee. From Santa Cruz south on the ACA route, you barely catch sight of the ocean for the next 50 miles. The route takes you inland through the farmlands of Aptos, Watsonville, and Moss Landing. The route re-joins highway 1 briefly before connecting with a nice bikepath that goes all the way to Monterey. I made only 2 stops for food/water on this leg and that was first at a Whole Foods in a shopping center in Monterey right before taking a left on Soledad. Got a nice turkey sandwich and stocked up on water and bananas. The next stop was at a market somewhere in Big Sur for a couple of candy bars and some Gatorade. Part of the reason I didn't stop was that there just wasn't anything convenient, like a 7-11, on my side of the road and plus I had gotten some extra bananas and a turkey sandwich at the Santa Cruz 7-11 and stuck it in my jersey pocket for the long ride thru the farmland knowing that the only food available was about 16 gazillion artichokes as far as the eye could see.

From Monterey, it's over Carmel Highlands and then you finally see the water. A couple of good-sized hills, the first outside of Carmel and the second when you head inland at Big Sur. Once you get back to the ocean after Big Sur, there are about 72 miles of highway 1 that cling to the cliffs on the ocean down to Ragged Point. Around every turn there was another picture postcard.

The Big Creek Bridge south of Lucia.

Between Big Sur and San Simeon, there is very little lodging choices of the motel kind. I checked around and could not find anything around the area where I expected to finish up on day 2 except the Lucia Lodge so I made the reservation. A bit overpriced for a basic room with no TV or phone.

The Lucia Lodge. Note the "no vacancy" sign. I think I got the last room available.

The view from the Lucia Lodge. From the Lucia Lodge parking lot, not my room.

My view was of the parking lot.

Day 1 Moraga to Santa Cruz - 118 miles

Headed out at 7:00 AM sharp. 46 degrees and cloudy. It would warm up to a nice 65 - 70 when the sun came out. The usual aggressive commuters in BMW's on the climb over Pinehurst trying to shave a few seconds off their commute time by taking the back roads. Nobody on Redwood Rd. except for a few stragglers. First water stop was at the Willow Park golf course.

Thru Castro Valley where everyone seemed to be backed up at the light waiting to turn left on Bollinger Canyon Rd. Probably another commuter shortcut. Out to Palomares and another world.

Fixing the flat took 15 minutes. I carried 2 spare tubes and a patch kit and it would turn out I needed both spare tubes as I flatted again later in the day just 5 miles out of Santa Cruz. After a good climb up and over Palomares, it was a right on Niles Canyon Rd. That section has better shoulders than the section from Palomares to Sunol. The 2nd refreshment stop was at one of at least 3 7-11's in Fremont for a "Big Turkey and Cheese" sandwich. Then thru Fremont on Paseo Padre Parkway, a nice wide street with good bike lanes most of the way. Not much traffic either since by this time, everyone was either at work, in school, or somewhere other than on the roads. A right on Marshlands Rd and soon you're heading over the Dumbarton Bridge.

After the bridge, it was thru some nice sections of San Mateo and Palo Alto before heading out on Sand Hill Rd. Then over Old La Honda Rd, a very narrow hilly section with virtually no traffic.

After La Honda Rd, it was down to the town of La Honda for another refreshment stop at the La Honda market, and then to Pescadero Rd to Pescadero for some pastries at the Pescadero bakery. A couple of raisin snails later and it was off to connect to Highway 1 and head south. It was just 1 picture postcard scene after another from here down to Santa Cruz.

The shoulder was good pretty much all the way on this stretch of Highway 1 and traffic was light as it was a Thursday afternoon in mid October. On the weekends and in the peak summer tourist season, the traffic is much heavier.

A final refreshment stop at the Davenport market. By this time, I had done almost 110 miles and, although not bonking yet, I needed a little boost to make it into the Santa Cruz. Had my second flat tire just 5 miles outside of Santa Cruz. Stopped at a bike shop as soon as I got into town to pick up another spare tube in case I got yet another flat in the 2 miles left to the motel.
Made it to the lovely Travelodge on Ocean Ave in Santa Cruz by 5:30 PM with about an hour of daylight to spare. I'd played it safe and made reservations but I probably didn't need to. If it was the weekend or the summer, you should probably make a reservation unless you want to go motel shopping. Spent the evening in the motel room patching my 2 flat tubes in preparation for the next day's flats. I could now handle 3 flats without cracking open the patching kit on the road.