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.

Pacific Coast Tour: Day 14

Day 14: Samuel P. Taylor State Park, Lagunitas, CA to Oakland, CA

 

Approximate daily mileage ~ 50 miles

Approximate total mileage ~ 1,173 miles

Approximate daily elevation gain ~ 1,700 feet

Approximate total elevation gain ~ 50,000 feet

Around 7:45 AM I awoke still underneath the same majestic redwood. It had a fresh new look in the early morning daylight and the same fresh tone was set for the day. The British men were just arising out of their tents as well. They promptly started making coffee on their camp stove. My breakfast consisted of water, carrots, and the remaining 1/3 jar of peanut butter. I gathered and carefully packed my things for the 14th time. While I was eating I watched the two guys from the UK who rode all the way from Boston take only a fraction of the amount of time to do the same. It was clear they really knew what they were doing by now.

The four of us were packed and ready to go around the same time, and we were all headed toward the Bay Area as a destination. It was decided. We would ride out together. In order to ride toward the San Francisco from Samuel P. Taylor State Park there were two options. We could backtrack the way we entered then return to Highway 1 or we could continue on Sir Francis Drake Blvd eastward. We chose to continue eastward as two of the guys wanted to get to SF as soon as possible to check into their hostel and explore/rest for the day. It quickly became apparent these two guys were in shape after riding across the country! Their pace was pretty quick as I pushed more than usual to keep up. Unfortunately, the other solo rider from the UK wasn’t able to keep up so we said our goodbyes and continued onward.

Soon enough, we rode through Fairfax and San Anselmo. None of us had the best idea of where we were going while navigating through these suburbs. The British guys had the same Adventure Cycling Association maps that I did, but referring to these on the go during traffic is a little challenging. Instead, I took the lead and used Google maps directions. This worked well and even took us up a good climb on Corte Madera Ave which had great scenery and a fun descent. Again, those guys had no problem climbing up the hill staying right on my rear tire the whole time. This route took us south toward Marin City and quickly through the beautiful Sausalito. This would have been the perfect little rest area for a coffee before approaching Golden Gate Bridge. Next time, we were on a mission to reach Golden Gate and SF as quickly as possible.

A short incline follows after departing Sausalito then the iconic Golden Gate Bridge makes its grand appearance. I had seen it once previously, but the others had not. Moreover, none of us had cycled across. One of the great things about the bridge is the dedicated lane for cyclist and pedestrians with their respective lanes. Once we began on the bridge we all stopped for some scenic landmark photos. At that time we said our goodbyes as they continued toward their hostel. I slowly pedaled across the bridge stopping intermittently in admiration and for more photos. Again, after reaching the other side I made sure to stop and capture some more memories as the view from this side was just as spectacular. And just like that, I was standing in San Francisco!

It was well before noon at that time, and I still had a lot of time before meeting up with my cousin late in the afternoon. For the first time thus far I found a good portion of extra time to casually explore and enjoy the surroundings. It couldn’t have been a better day either as the sun was shining and temps climbed to the 80s. I couldn’t have asked for a better city to explore. San Francisco is a gem and really bicycle friendly. Plus, there are plenty of hills for a nice challenge. Some highlights of the day included riding through Golden Gate Park, enjoying an ice cream shake at Ghirardelli Square, eating two double doubles at In-N-Out Burger at Fisherman’s Wharf, walking my bike through the Ferry Building Marketplace, enjoying a delicious coffee at Blue Bottle Coffee, and watching the historic San Francisco Cable Cars.

SF was indeed a real treat and remains one of my favorite cities overall. After all of the city touring, it was time for the best part of the day - meeting up with my cousin, Ida! She had been working downtown that day so it worked well to meet up and take BART to Oakland where she and her husband, Chris, let me crash on their couch for a couple nights. It is always great to see family, and Ida and Chris are exceptionally fun cousins. I was long overdue on laundry so that was first in order. Then they showed me around some of Oakland, and we had a fun meal with some of Chris’ coworkers. Staying at their place meant I’d be sleeping on their luxurious couch which, after many nights outside on picnic tables, felt like sleeping on a cloud of satin comfort.

Pacific Coast Tour: Day 13

Day 13: Gualala Point Regional Park, Gualala, CA to Samuel P. Taylor State Park, Lagunitas, CA

 

Approximate daily mileage ~ 90 miles

Approximate total mileage ~ 1,123 miles

Approximate daily elevation gain ~ 5,100 feet

Approximate total elevation gain ~ 48,300 feet

The large and well used picnic table served as one excellent bed as I had a great sleep after such a long distance ridden yesterday. The overnight temperature was very mild and my bivy provided great shelter from the dense mosquito population. By the time I woke up, the man from Austria had already departed. I was left with the entire hiker/biker campsite to myself. As usual, I took my time carefully gathering and packing my things. Although, this day was different. During the time I was packing a man approached me and offered for me to join him and his family at their campsite for breakfast.

Their campsite was just across the small road in the campground. They apparently saw me arrive the previous night, and they observed that I slept on the picnic table. The man’s name was Carlheinz. He, his wife, and two high school aged children were from Germany. They had taken a month to tour a good portion of the Pacific Coast and Pacific Northwest. It turned out that Carlheinz and his wife really enjoyed cycling as well and had done a great deal of touring about Europe. They frequently hosted people cycling around Germany at their home and offered for me to do the same in the future. As we conversed we had a breakfast of sausage, toast with jam, and tea. All was delicious, and the hot tea was a treat. What a pleasant and warm family! We exchanged contact information and both moved on toward beginning the day’s plans. I could not thank them enough for their warm gesture.

As I returned to my camp and was gathering the last of my things it came time to pack the remaining food. It is always best to store food in the bear/raccoon proof storage containers, and this is where I had placed everything in the dark the previous night. As I picked out the last of the items from the container I noticed a message carved into that shelf. The message read, “PEDAL HARD AND SMILE WIDE”. From that point forward that message really stuck with me. I’ll be the first to admit that up until that point the trip had a lot of great moments and also moments where a smile was not to be found. Although during that moment, that day, and throughout the entire remainder of the trip I couldn’t help but think - What could more aptly fit this day and the entire trip in general? Nothing. It was just right.

Indeed, it was an eventful day, and the ride hadn’t even begun yet! As if that wasn’t enough, there was one other very rare astronomical event. It was the day of a total solar eclipse! This is something that millions of people across North America had been awaiting and planning. I was no different. August 21st, 2017 was highlighted on my calendar nearly a year in advance. As I peered up at the sky there was a thick layer of clouds. There was a slim chance on the coast in this area to observe the eclipse. I still held out some hope. Even though, if it wasn’t visible through the clouds this day was already more than gratifying.

Around 10 am it was time to begin the day’s journey south. The pace for the day was slow and steady as I was making a great effort to cover a good distance toward San Francisco so I could have a relatively short way to go the next day and have some much needed rest. After covering well over 100 miles the previous day, my legs were far from feeling fresh. That, combined with frequent steep and winding roads, provided for another great and challenging day in the saddle of my trusty bicycle. The beginning of this day again felt very rural seeing little of the ocean at times and likely the fewest cars I would encounter on any single day of the entire trip.

The first stop was after about 20 miles on Highway 1 when I stopped at Ocean Cove General store. There I made a mini-feast of cinnamon rolls topped with peanut butter and a side of carrots. From that point Highway 1 returns to closely parallel the coast. What followed was approximately 28 miles of breathtaking scenery and breathtakingly steep hills combined with about 10 hairpin descents. I have yet to see the entire world, but if I had to make a guess I’d say this is a stretch of world class cycling any enthusiastic road cyclist would enjoy.

That stretch continues until the town of Bodega Bay which has a few restaurants and stores as expected in a small town. The supply of cinnamon rolls, peanut butter, and carrots continued to satisfy my appetite as I continued onward past town. Then the route of Highway 1 turns back inland and passes the tiny establishments of Valley Ford and Tomales. Shortly after Tomales more water is eventually seen as the road is directly adjacent to Tomales Bay. By this time the wind had picked up, and it was one of the rare times it was a straight-on head wind. The day was growing older. Even without being able to see the sun hidden behind the clouds the entire day, it was still clear our nearest star was quickly lowering beyond in the sky.

In hopes of reaching a campground for the night, I continued on. Finally, the town of Point Reyes Station appeared. What a welcoming sight this was! I had heard from Carlheinz that Point Reyes was a perfect town to stop and grab a coffee or pastry at one of their bakeries. It was a little late in the day for coffee (or so I thought at the time), and there were plenty of other restaurants and shops to grab something for supper. Point Reyes Station had a really cool essence as it still remains in my mind as a place which would be desirable to return. Toward the edge of town I came upon a sandwich and pizza place named, Whale of a Deli. It didn’t look like much on the inside, but they made one delicious and extremely large fresh burrito for me. While they carefully crafted it, I devoured some ice cream and sipped iced tea. When they handed me the burrito it felt like it weighed nearly 4-5 lbs! Into the backpack it went.

At this point I still wasn’t exactly sure where I was going to stay for the night, and it was nearly 7 pm. I called a campground not far out of town and asked them for availability. They had a tent site available, but it was $44. Having paid only $5 for top-notch state campgrounds in Oregon, $44 seemed awfully pricey. After talking with a local and checking my maps, there happened to be a state park, Samuel P. Taylor State Park, about a 10 mile ride out of town taking a road off Highway 1. It still wasn’t clear if they had hiker/biker campsites or reservation only, but it seemed like it was worth a try and really the best option at that point in time.

A couple more hills were in store for the ride out. It seemed really quiet with very few cars all the way out there. Any worries were quickly alleviated as gigantic redwood trees made another appearance and soon enough followed by the campground entrance. The office was closed after hours, but there were self pay envelopes. It was only $7. Perfect! So I wrote a check for $7 and pedaled into the campground. Sure enough, they even had a hiker/biker campsite. It was an impressive campground. There were numerous sites spread about and all were surrounded by a dense forest of tall redwood trees. I quickly came across the hiker/biker site and was welcomed by the site of three other cyclists already there. 

It was always great to have the company of other like-minded cyclists at the end of a long day on the road. They knew exactly what it’s like and had their own experiences to share. Oftentimes, they had great lessons or pointers as well. For example, two of the three cyclists at this campsite were from London. Their cycling journey began in Boston, Massachusetts. They rode all the way across the US to Seattle and south from there! They were planning to finish their trip in LA before flying back to the UK. The other fellow was also from the UK. He flew to Vancouver, bought a bike and all of his gear, and then started his journey toward San Diego from there. We all took turns trading stories. While the British guys were cooking a meal over their camp stove I was able to enjoy that massive burrito from Whale of a Deli, and it was absolutely delicious. The final decision of the night was where to sleep. We were all sharing the one picnic table, and there happened to be the most majestic redwood directly in the middle of the site. It was decided. I’d sleep right beside that tree sheltered from wind by the wide trunk and under its large overhanging canopy. Trying to savor the moment, I stayed up by myself far later than I should have. For all being well, tomorrow would end in San Francisco and Oakland.

Pacific Coast Tour: Day 12

Day 12: Standish-Hickey State Park, Leggett, CA to Gualala Point Regional Park, Gualala, CA

 

Approximate daily mileage ~ 109 miles

Approximate total mileage ~ 1,033 miles

Approximate daily elevation gain ~ 7,900 feet

Approximate total elevation gain ~ 43,200 feet

Day 12 began as I woke up on the top of the picnic table selected the previous night. This seemed to be the best sleeping option yet: the combination of the sleeping pad, the top of a picnic table to get off the ground, and warmer temperatures. It allowed for some intermittent deep sleep which was much needed and had been rare up to that point. As usual, I meticulously gathered and packed all my gear. During the time it took me to do that, eat a Clif bar, and drink tea, Neal and Thomas, the other cyclists, had done the same and departed ahead of me. All of us were heading south and we all knew what was ahead of us for the day.

What lie ahead was the single largest climb in one day of the entire Pacific Coast route. We all knew it, and Neal actually was looking forward to it as he enjoyed the challenge of climbing hills. All I could think of was how much energy I would be expending this day and that the store across the road had breakfast burritos on their menu which sounded scrumptious. So after refilling only my water bottle and very little in the Camelbak (to keep as light as possible) I made sure to stop immediately for the large breakfast burrito which did not disappoint whatsoever.

It was then time to hit the road. The uphill climb started immediately. I had taken extra time to stretch beforehand. The combination of stretching and the previous day’s saddle adjustments had my knee feeling okay with the muscles of my legs feeling fresh after a relatively low mileage day yesterday. The grade of the road was definitely steep, but it actually seemed quite manageable as I was able to get in a good groove and gradually kept moving at a good pace as the road curved back and forth upward. After not many miles I reached the point to turn right onto the start of Highway 1. If you happen to miss this turn and continue straight on Highway 101 you would be in for an even longer day. There was little traffic overall, and the traffic which was present kindly provided plenty of room while passing by. Eventually I caught up with Thomas and rode down one steep descent portion with him. Then on the next incline I continued on and caught up with Neal. We rode together for a short while, and I later moved on continuing yet another portion of the climb. The advantage of a carbon racing bike and little gear was again very evident in the hills.

As the mountain hills came to pass, the dense forest eventually did too. This meant that the coast was again nearby. Riding up the hills I had worked up quite a sweat and after the descent and the arrival of the cooler ocean air it felt quite a lot cooler. This is a constant changing factor with cycling – the layering of clothes to stay warm then removing them before getting too warm and sweating through all of them.

The ocean was a drastic change from the previous couple days and was a welcome sight. I stopped shortly after reaching the coast to enjoy the scenery and grab a quick snack. Continuing onward I was able to maintain a fantastic pace as there was little wind and the roads were rather smooth. The cool and wet ocean air felt chilly which was perfect with the right combination of clothes. There were numerous small coastal towns along the ride including Rockport, Westport, Newport, and also MacKerricher State Park before reaching the larger small city of Fort Bragg, California. By this time my hunger had returned and before leaving Fort Bragg I made a stop at McDonald’s. The reasons for McDonald’s stops on this tour were always twofold: quick inexpensive calorie dense food and electric hand driers in the bathrooms for drying my wet clothes. Then menu on this stop consisted of a McChicken, McDouble, and McGriddle breakfast sandwich – approximately 1390 calories worth of food. I’m not saying it’s healthy, but on a long day like this a lot of calories are necessary to keep going.

Upon leaving Fort Bragg with freshly dried clothes/socks and a full belly I came upon another cyclist. He was riding home after running some errands and was an avid rider around the area. He had done the Leggett hill many times and asked where I was headed for the day. I told him and he said it was at least 60 miles away and said it should be a good ride. The issue was that it was already nearly 2 pm. So at the best pace possible the ride continued with more gentle rolling hills the remainder of the way. Very quickly I came upon the town of Mendocino which I had been told was a fun little town to check out. With the day growing onward I debated stopping such a short distance after Fort Bragg, but decided to take advantage as it may be a long time before a return visit to this area. Indeed, Mendocino was a picturesque little town with numerous cafes, shops, and restaurants sitting right on the coast. I stopped for a great coffee and muffin at a nice little coffee shop named Moody’s Organic Coffee Bar. Great place!

Then it was time to really cover some ground with still over 50 miles to go. Immediately upon leaving Mendocino there was one of the many extraordinary views overlooking the sheer cliff on which the town is perched with the Pacific waves crashing loudly below. The next 50 miles seemed to blur together as they were a combination of intermittent steep grades followed by equal descents, many curving roads, and an incredible amount of rural scenery with very few other people around. There would be occasional cars and motorcycles with very little else. I stopped for a break after going around 20-25 miles. Thinking there was no one else around near this farmland I grabbed a snack and was startled to hear two people saying hello. There were two people under a shade tree enjoying some food with their bicycles parked just beside them! Asking them where they were going, they replied, “North…to Alaska. We started in Argentina.” WOW. Just as I was beginning to wonder what the heck I was doing and second guessing myself these two people appeared and instantly provided inspiration and reassurance.

The next twenty-something miles were spent thinking about those two people and what they must have encountered and overcome along their journey. Truly incredible. During this time the scenery of this stretch reminded me of home actually. Although hundreds of miles away there was a striking resemblance to the rolling hills of Madison County, Iowa with large stretches of farmland accompanied by the intermittent farm home.

At some point the smooth pavement turned to quite rough tarmac and my hands were really feeling every vibration through my stiff bike. In due course, the town of Point Arena appeared. A highlight of Point Arena is their lighthouse. Unfortunately, the closing time of 4:30 had already come and passed so I continued south with hopes of reaching the town of Gualala before 8 pm as that was the closing time of Gualala Supermarket. Sure enough, Gualala appeared and after a quick tour through the neat town I arrived at the supermarket with a big appetite. After locking up my bike outside I made a few select choices including carrots, 2 bananas, a 6 pack of cinnamon rolls, a jar of peanut butter, and a quart of chocolate milk. The milk was rapidly devoured as everything else was packed. It was only a few more miles outside town to reach the campground on the east side of Highway 1.

The Gualala Point Regional Park campground was a pleasant surprise with well maintained facilities, hot showers, and a great hiker/biker site tucked into the dense trees overlooking the river all for only a $5 fee. I was welcomed by only one other cyclist who was a friendly young man from Austria, and there was a great big picnic table to claim for a bed. I ate that evening’s meal in the dark using my headlamp for light as I snacked on carrots dipped in peanut butter and cinnamon rolls topped with the same. Simultaneously, this was the best opportunity to take a look at the map and plan out a tentative destination for the next day. During the planning and eating in the dark I was filled with a great sense of accomplishment for the day covering the greatest distance and greatest amount of elevation gain in one day of the entire tour. The feeling didn’t last long as the evening grew later. It was time for much needed rest to prepare for the next day of riding as many miles still lay ahead before reaching my ultimate goal of crossing into Mexico.