Pacific Coast Tour: Day 20

Day 20: San Luis Obispo, CA to Refugio State Beach, Santa Barbara County, CA

 

Approximate daily mileage ~ 93 miles 

Approximate total mileage ~ 1,593 miles 

Approximate daily elevation gain ~ 3,700 feet 

Approximate total elevation gain ~ 68,000 feet

Day 20 started out in a great way. That start was with pancakes of course! The hostel had batter for pancakes made and fresh coffee brewed for a donation. I couldn't have asked for a better place to stay before spending the next few nights camping again. 

The weather seemed to be absolutely perfect as well with clear blue skies, a gentle breeze, and slightly cooler temperatures than the last 2 days. The ride out of SLO was a smooth and scenic then the route returned toward the coast. The first town along the coast was Pismo Beach. After Pismo Beach the course turned inland again and passed through the small towns of Guadalupe, Santa Maria, and Orcutt. From that point the choices are to take Highway 1 through Vandeberg Air Force Base or take a climb on Harris Grade Road over a large hill directly into the town of Lompoc. I chose the climb which turned out to be a good choice. It was a steady and fairly steep climb with great views at the top and a fun descent. 

By the time of reaching Lompoc it was nearly noon and time for lunch. I had been craving Mexican food, and there appeared to be a great place in town called Floriano's. It turned out to be the perfect stop for lunch with delicious food and generous portions. Just behind Floriano's was a Subway. So after eating lunch I stopped to pick up a footlong sandwich for the next meal of the day. This was important as there didn't appear to be any other places for food before the planned stop for the night. 

The next stretch was a gradual incline for a number of miles trending back toward the coast. Once the gradual incline peaked there was a 7% grade descent for about 2.5 miles. On the way down there were some large bumps in the road. At a rest stop I stopped for water and to check out all the equipment on my bike. It all seemed fine at the time. Continuing onward, Highway 1 was again running parallel to the coast with only 10-12 miles left for the day. Around that time I noticed my rear tire had a flat. Luckily, it was in a location along Highway 101/1 where there was an extra wide shoulder to get away from traffic, and it even had nice views of the ocean. 

I attempted to simply re-inflate the tire with a C02 cartridge hoping that the sealant I had in the tube would seal any small leak. It was worth a try, but the tire was holding no air at all. Thankfully, my brother had shipped an extra tire to my cousin's place in Oakland so I had a brand new tire and also a brand new tube. As it turned out, both were needed to fix this. The old tire had 2 gashes that rendered it useless. The only hard part left was actually getting the new tire on the wheel. Usually, this is no problem, however, a new Gatorskin tire combined with racing wheels is a real challenge to pry the tire onto the rim. So I made a few attempts without success and even broke a tire lever on the last try. It was at this point I began looking for other options. Eventually, another cyclist came along who I had actually passed much earlier in the day. He stopped and asked if I needed help! He was the only other cyclist I had seen all day and definitely the only person to stop and ask if I needed a hand. It turned out that he had the same first name as me, Steven. Sure enough, he provided the extra set of hands needed to pry the tire on the wheel to complete the job! I couldn't thank him enough. He thought nothing of it and continued on. 

The tire held air and looked to be good to go. Unfortunately, when I re-mounted the wheel on the bike I must have accidentally forced the chain to get dislodge within one of the jockey wheels of the rear derailleur. This didn't allow the chain to move at all. It was difficult to tell exactly where it was jammed. So I called my good friend, Brian, who really knows a lot about bikes, and he guided me through disassembling and freeing the chain. Also, I am extremely grateful for his help. So finally, after about an hour and a half with completely grease coated hands I was back on the road. The rest of the ride was smooth with great views of the ocean with occasional Amtrak trains speeding past. 

Soon enough, Refugio State Beach appeared! This state beach was one of the best encountered as it is situated directly on the beach side with unobstructed views of the water. The campground was completely full with the exception of the large hiker/biker section. There was no one else there! So I had my pick of all the sites and chose the one with the best view under the large canopy of a tree. Just after I arrived I was approached by two men who seemed really excited to see a cyclist. They said they had been camping there the past two nights, and I was the first cyclist they had seen. They were named Mark and Richard. Both of them were Angelinos, were avid cyclists, and had done a lot of cycle touring as well. They saw my grease-caked hands and realized I had some type of mechanical issue at some point. Then they invited me over to their camp later as Mark's wife was in the process of making a peach cobbler over the fire. They went back to their camp, and I continued my process of setting out gear to dry. Not long later, Richard came back and gave me a pork chop, bratwurst, and a beer! Unbelievable! I kindly accepted and could not thank him enough for his generosity. It was all delicious! 

After showering and getting everything set up for the night I found my way over to their camp on the far side of the campground. I really just wanted to thank them for the food, but sure enough, they had leftover peach cobbler which they insisted I try. It was also very tasty. On the walk back to my camp the clear night gave way to the bright stars with the sound of the ocean waves crashing in the background. This turned out to be yet another day along the journey which proved how great people can be to one another and how something as small as stopping for a few seconds to lend a hand or offering up a bite of food can make a huge difference for someone else. 

Pacific Coast Tour: Day 19

Day 19: King City, CA to San Luis Obispo, CA

 

Approximate daily mileage ~ 95 miles 

Approximate total mileage ~ 1,500 miles 

Approximate daily elevation gain ~ 4,400 feet 

Approximate total elevation gain ~ 64,300 feet

Day 19 started early waking up around 5 am. Wide awake with no sign of more sleep to come I began gathering my things and utilizing the electric hand dryer in the bathroom to dry everything that wasn't able to air dry completely overnight. It was a peaceful morning and the temperatures had cooled nicely after climbing into the 100's the day before. This day was expected to be equally as warm which was another reason to get an early start for the day. 

Just as the sun was rising I was ready to commence the day's journey. Luck would have it that there was a Denny's in King City. It's been mentioned in previous posts, but if you're looking for a calorie dense meal to keep you cycling all day, a massive carbohydrate heavy breakfast is a great way to go. The calories are greatly necessary. For example, a day like this one riding 95 miles I would expend over 6000 Calories!

With a stomach crammed full of pancakes and coffee the day of riding began. The temperatures were already slowly climbing, but nowhere near their peak which ended up somewhere between 105-110 degrees F. Before leaving Denny's I was sure to replenish my water bottle and Camelbak reservoir. The roads quickly turned very rough within a mile or two of the route. The expansion gaps every 10-15 yards in the pavement on the farming access road I was riding had all turned into speed bumps. On a road bike this really takes a toll on the hands and saddle not to mention greatly reducing the speed of riding. This trend continued for the first 25 miles of the day. By this time both of my hands had developed blisters in the crease of the palms. 

Much of the scenery thus far consisted of rural fields for farming. At this point I came upon a huge field of Chevron oil rigs. I never would have expected to come across this site in the middle of California. As the rigs slowly churned up and down my legs did the same. At this point I had an option to continue on the same extremely rough road or try my luck on Highway 101. "How much more rough could it be?", I thought. Apparently, it was in fact possible to be even more rough. This stretch of shoulder along Highway 101 showed me exactly that! The pounding continued for between 5-10 more miles. Turning around wasn't an option, however, at one point I did consider hopping the fence and hiking while carrying my bike what seemed like couldn't be more than 1/2 mile to a farm access road. Just when I was nearing my breaking point the shoulder of the road miraculously took a turn for the better. Funny how that works sometimes. 

I was grateful for the improved road conditions, and from this point it was a very long stretch along Highway 101 before the next towns of San Miguel and Paso Robles. During this stretch I stopped at a rest stop to fill up on more water. There didn't seem to be a drinking fountain anywhere in sight. There was a water faucet for pets and just as I was about to use that to refill one of the workers saw me and offered to water from their break room. He was a really friendly young man who said he always offers water to cyclists whenever he sees them along the freeway. On top of that it was ice cold water out of a Culligan container in the briskly air conditioned building! What a life saver.

The hot and grueling ride continued until reaching the Paso Robles. It was early afternoon by this time and I was in need of some more calories. So I made my way to a gas station to refuel. Coincidentally, it was the same company as the oil rigs I passed earlier in the day, Chevron, and I wasn't refueling with gasoline. It was such a hot day that the only thing sounding good at the time was ice cream. So I had Snickers and Twix ice cream bars in addition to 2 Powerades. That was lunch. 

From that point there were detour signs stating bicycles were not allowed on Highway 101. I followed the signs which led through the towns of Templeton, Atascadero, and Santa Margarita. The route led back to Highway 101 after Santa Margarita. One more climb was in store for the day. Following the uphill climb was an epic descent that locals call "the grade". This was a joyous finale for a long, hot, and trying day. It also isn't for the faint of heart. It is a busy stretch of Highway 101 with cars zipping by as you maneuver the conditions along the shoulder. It really forces vigilance to avoid catastrophe. 

Rolling into San Luis Obispo makes it all worthwhile. Right away I saw a bike shop called Cambria Bike and stopped to check it out. It looked like a great shop, and they even lubed my chain for free! From there I found my way to the hostel which I had previously reserved for the night. It was 4 pm with the hostel opening at 4:30. I sat on the porch in the shade of the sunny day just thankful to be there resting. It was a combination of a sense of accomplishment and also relief. 

Arriving early in San Luis Obispo (SLO) was a treat as well. The town has so much to offer from great restaurants to Bubblegum Alley to Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa. There is much to see and do in this wonderful small city. 

Pacific Coast Tour: Day 15

Day 15: Oakland, CA – Rest Day!

 

Approximate daily mileage ~ 10 miles

Approximate total mileage ~ 1,183 miles

Approximate daily elevation gain ~ 0 feet

Approximate total elevation gain ~ 50,000 feet

Day 15 was my one day off during the entire journey down the coast. And what a much-needed day it was! After quickly drifting off to sleep the night before, I didn't move an inch for more than 10 hours. Ida and Chris' luxurious couch was just the right medicine after so many nights outside. If nothing else, this trip provided a huge new appreciation for comfortable sleeping accommodations.

Once I finally got up for the day, Chris kindly made a delicious latte like a well trained barista. He also borrowed a book from his friend who had done some bicycle touring as well. This book was titled, “Bicycling the Pacific Coast: A Complete Route Guide Canada to Mexico”. It is another very popular guide to the route along the coast, and many of the fellow cyclists I encountered were carrying it along their journeys. Reviewing it provided some very helpful tips for the remainder of the trip.

The remainder of the day consisted of a trip to Whole Foods, going for a very short ride to check out a huge and spectacular street mural in Oakland, working some bugs out of my Go Pro mount with Chris, and hanging out with Ida, Chris, and their infamous pug, Mugsy. It was a beautiful sunny day in Oakland, and I couldn't have asked for a better day of rest.

Even if I didn’t make it any further than Oakland, it would have been an immensely gratifying journey. However, I was feeling quite well. Even with taking one day completely off for rest, it seemed there was still plenty of time to complete the journey to Mexico before my already booked flight out of San Diego.