Coasting California

I'm in San Francisco right now, staying with Lisa. Short story, rode to Monterey, injured my Achilles tendon there, and had to drive the rest of the way to SF. I'm still unsure about the way back, I'm on a wait-and-see schedule to see if I can ride down. Things aren't looking too good though. Bummer.

The rest of this post will be the long(er) story. I kept notebook and jotted down notes about the ride each day, mostly just highlights/lowlights. I'll briefly, reproduce them as the rest of this post.

Day Zero - Solvang Century

See previous post.



End of the century: 102 miles and feeling fine.

Day 1 - San Luis Obispo to San Simeon

The first day of riding was incredible. Started off a little slow, getting used to the Ibex and riding. Coming out of SLO to the coast was one of the most beautiful parts of the ride that day. I stopped in a town called Cayucos for lunch; feasting on a giant an of tuna and a loaf of bread. I stayed at a campground near the town of San Simeon where Hearst Castle is. There wasn't cell phone reception there, so I had to ride into town. Sure enough, no cell reception either so I spent the next hour cruising around looking for a pay phone. I made a couple calls, headed back to my site where I met an Australian woman Sharon and her husband. They gave me some pasta, tea, coffee, and chocolates and took this picture of me as I was leaving the next day:



Day 2 - San Simeon to Lucia

For the most part, this day was about climbing. Sometimes, the roads rose 1000 feet on cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean. It was some of the most beautiful sights I had seen, felt some of the best feelings I've had riding or doing anything else for that matter. I stopped for lunch/dinner in a small town called Gorda, where I met a guy who was buying an Ibex. I camped at a place called Kirk Creek Campground about 10 miles north of Gorda, near a town called Lucia. This site was right on the ocean and just gorgeous. I met there a bunch of great people: a father-son bike tour team who were riding from Mt. Shasta to L.A. in training for a week-long, unsupported tour in the Nevada/Utah desert; a couple from the Claremont colleges camping and backpacking over their spring break; and a Minnesotan couple of RV-ers. They gave me encouragement, beer and food, respectively.

Day 3 - Lucia to Monterey

This was the day I believe which destroyed my Achilles tendon. I rode a hard 62 miles up 1000-foot hills and facing a harsh head-wind pretty much the entire time. Perhaps my training was inadequate, perhaps I bit off more than I could chew. No sense in regretting what I did, I only have to look to what I can do to recover and get back on the bike. I basically set up camp in Monterey, hung around there until I faced the reality that I could not continue riding. So I sucked it up, rented a car and drove to SF where I am now. Monday's my deadline to make a decision to ride back down the coast or to rent a car again and drive back to LA where I can make a recovery. Time will tell...

In toto: I rode 260 miles in 4 days, saw some of the most beautiful natural sights I've ever seen and met some great, generous and hospitable people, all in such a short time. This trip is just a preview for many future tours I hope to experience.