Cambria to SLO, CA

7:15 and we’re ready to leave the Creekside Inn in Cambria. After a rainy evening we’ve got a window of time to get to San Luis Obispo before noon while staying dry. We’re ready to try go for it. 

It was a great Sunday morning for a ride. 

That’s Otero Bay on the right. 

The rains last night seem to have brought out the snails in force.  They were big-uns all along the shoulder of the road and we were careful not to run over them. 

The power plant up ahead is in Morrow Bay, part of our route to San Luis Obispo. 

We just had a coffee this morning at the hotel. We had been jonesing for chocolate milk during our morning ride but we had to settle for a chocolate shake and Bear Claw at the Sun and Buns in Morrow Bay.  It was good. 

On the way to SLO we finally met some touring cyclist heading north. They were locals headed up to San Simeon on a 4 day out and back ride. 

We’ve left Morrow Bay and headed inland towards SLO on the back roads. 

It’s been a really pretty ride and I’ve felt stronger today than I have all week. Maybe it’s the “End of the Ride” adrenaline that has me going.  In any case, we’re loving our last day of riding. 

Downtown SLO as we manuever in the Sunday Brunch traffic. It’s right at 11am and we’re almost done for the day as the gathering clouds darken. 

We’re here!

It was less than 15 minutes before I was soaking in that hot tub down below our room. 

And then the rain came but we were done for the day, warm and dry. Tomorrow we grab our rental car and head back to Ft. Bragg to pick up our van and drive back home to Colorado.

Some people like to celebrate with a beer. I like to celebrate with a rack of ribs.  Tomorrow I need to start eating like a normal person again. ☹️

Limekiln State Park to Cambria, CA

Morning at camp Limekiln, Angela stays warm with her robe and her sleeping bag. We had hot coffee and apples with peanut butter before we broke camp. 

After breaking camp we walked our bikes up an 18% grade back up to the Pacific Coast Highway immediately above where we pitched our tent the night before and said good bye. 

We had a nice but mostly gray day of riding down the coast, temps in the high 50’s and low 60’s. 

Pacific Valley had some beautiful wild flowers. 

20 miles in we stopped for a real big boy and big girl breakfast at the Whale Watchers Cafe along Big Sur. Apples and Peanut Butter alone would not see us through this day!  We needed pancakes, steak, eggs and hash browns!!  And more coffee too!

And this is the quarter mile long landslide that closed PC 1 through Big Sur for a year back in 2017.   It’s still showing signs of construction. 

  

That little yellow speck in the middle of the picture is Angela grinding up another coastal climb. We had one climb up to 1,000 ft. above sea level today. 

We stopped at Ragged Point around 1pm for a coffee and short rest. This women from Quebec had been riding her Harley Davidson Trike from home to CA when she got some over heating and low oil pressure alarms. She asked me for help in understanding the service manager (English was her second language) on the phone in order to get her some help. She had at least a two hour wait ahead of her but it was on the way and she was happy. 

After Ragged Point we had great coastal riding past the turn off for the Hearst Castle near San Simeon. 

We heard some strange noises and stopped along this ocean side creek to find a bunch of elephant seals playing around. 

Almost to Cambria and to our hotel. Just in time as the occasional rain drops or mist was starting to turn into rain. 

The last drops of my Jameson as I wait for my turn in the shower. Then off for the best cheeseburger and fries we’ve had on the trip at JJ’s, just a block down the street. 

Carmel to Limekiln State Park, CA

Ready to hit the road at 8:15.  Mostly sunny skies and cool on our way to the Limekiln State Park about 55 miles away. 

 

Just outside Carmel we see that PC 1 is open to Big Sur, 26 miles away.  That wasn’t the situation when we were here 20 months ago!

A quick break to admire the views and catch our breath 20 miles into our day. 

Old bridges and infinitely older cliffs above the Pacific. 

Just really georgous views all day today but a lot of climbing to earn those views too! We had about 6,000 ft. of  total elevation gain today and a peak of about 900 ft. above sea level. 

One of the reasons for the Big Sur closure in 2017 was the rebuilding of this bridge over Pfeiffer Canyon, completed late in 2017. 

We sometimes considered the rocky coast and emerald blue seas today as being almost Mediterranean, like the Amalfi coast in Italy. 

Time for some cashews, a view over the Pacific, and a rest as we grow more tired as the day grows long. 

We’re getting close!  Our spot for the night is about 4 miles past Lucia. 

Back down to sea level again. The hardest of the climbs are behind us now. Many of them were 10 to 14% grades, the steepest we’ve had so far. 

A recent addition to protect the highway from rock slides. 

And our home tonight is in our tent, under the PC 1 over 100 ft. above us.  We felt a bit like trolls!  

But we were right off of the beach with the sound of the crashing waves to soothe us. 

We had lots of local visitors offering to help unpack our bags too. 

Dinner via our wonderful Jet Boil-boiling water in 3 minutes for our dehydrated chicken and mashed potatoes. 

A quick visit to the beach and the setting sun and we were off to our tent to read and perhaps a game of cribbage. 

Down day in Carmel-by-the-Sea

In the morning after taking our Jeep Cherokee back to Enterprise in Monterey I walked backed to Carmel to walk around town and on the beach with Angela. 

It’s been raining off and on today as storm clouds blow in quickly from the ocean and dissipate. We got soaked a few times today on our walks but it was a nice day all in all. 

After a little afternoon nap we made it to the Hogs Breath to warm up by the fire for Happy Hour. Tomorrow we jump in our bikes and ride!

San Rafael to Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA

The weather gods are not smiling on us.  What has been and should be sunny, dry weather has turned into a mulitple day rainstorm expected to deliver the May rainfall today and tomorrow.

We chatted, researched and contemplated our next steps over breakfast at the Panama. 

And decided our best bet was to rent a car from Manny at Enterprise a few blocks away and skip down to Monterey/Carmel by the Sea for a couple of nights until the worst of the weather blows through. 

Angela got the first shift driving us south about 12 miles through Sausalito to the north entrance of the Bridge. 

Having missed riding across the Bridge 20 months ago on our Border to Border Trip I wasn’t going to miss this time, rain or shine.  Ang dropped me and my bike off and we agreed to meet on the other side in San Francisco for lunch. 

The weather cooperated by giving me a dry window and I made it across in style. 

I found Angela waiting for me at the Beach Challet Pub on the western edge of the Golden Gate Park where I warmed up with an Irish Whiskey. 

After a few hours heading south on the Pacific Highway we enjoyed dinner at the “La Bicyclette” restaurant.  Even if we didn’tride much today we at least enjoyed a great dinner around bicycles and bicycle artifacts.