Utopia parkway

Things I'm looking forward to:

• finishing the Solvang Century
• Hearst Castle
• Big Sur
• a bike/road trip iPod mix that I just finished compiling (including the Fountains of Wayne song that lends its name to the title of this post)
  
• (possibly) seeing Shawna in Santa Cruz
• elephant seals
• tuna

Soon my dad and I are driving to Solvang. We're staying in a hotel around there before the Century ride bright and early tomorrow morning. Notice the weather forecast (according to weather.com) predicts an easy 44 degrees at 6:00 am when the ride starts.

6 am 44°F Feels Like 42°F

9 am 50°F Feels Like 48°F

12 pm 62°F Feels Like 62°F

3 pm 63°F Feels Like 63°F

6 pm 58°F Feels Like 55°F

9 pm 52°F Feels Like 49°F

After the ride's over (we should finish somewhere between 1 and 2 pm) the plan is to grab lunch and relax for a little. Then I'm gonna get dropped off at a campground in San Luis Obispo where my trip to SF will officially start.

I have a sketch of how the first couple days will look, the rest I'll play by ear on the road. On Sunday, I'm planning on taking an easy 35-40 miler to San Simeon State Park, which is on the coast and on the foothills of Hearst Castle. Either Sunday or Monday, I'd like to visit the Castle and go on a tour; I'll have to see how much time I have on either ride and how I'm feeling. Monday night the plan is stay at a campground or state park somewhere south of Big Sur. After that, we'll see. Shawna said she's might be in Santa Cruz on Wed, so I'll see if I could make it there by then.

With that I'm almost ready to go. I've paid my credit card bill. I've returned my library books. I've made my bed, cleaned off my desk, packed a separate overnight bag for Solvang with all my bike stuff. I likely will not be updated this blog on the trip, at least not until I get to San Francisco, as I won't have a computer or smart phone.

If you need to get in touch, for whatever reason, even just to say hi, I'll have my cell phone. I'm going to be leaving it off, to conserve battery, but I'll be checking messages a few times a day and using it to make calls out.