Monterey to San Francisco

I decided to stay an extra day in Monterey. The weather was great and I had the opportunity to watch the start of Stage 4 of The Tour of California.

This race has become a major race in the cycling calendar. While a number of the teams had their top riders competing in the Giro Italia (eg. Cadel Evans for BMC), the Sky Team had Bradley Wiggins riding in this race. The start was held in the main street. It was a bit of a carnival – I suspect not a patch on the Tour de France- but pretty good. I got some good pictures of Wiggins et al and the support vehicles.

In the afternoon I rode back towards Pebble Beach. The scenery is very impress will lots of seals and sea lions lounging on the beaches and rocks. This is great to see.

Inland through Salinas

I decided to head inland for a bit. The route took me through Salina and Castonville. This is a pretty bleak area. Check out the pictures. At least I know the location of the ‘Artichoke Capital of the World’.

Problem with the Rear Wheel

As I headed down the road I heard a loud ‘crack’ and the bike started to wobble. The thought ‘WTF’ was that. I hopped off the bike and looked down at the wheel. It had cracked and the outside of the rim was bent upwards. Of course the tyre was completely flat.

I started walking down the road until I ran into an exit. This led me to a Service Station. I asked the manager if there were any buses into Santa Cruz. He said there he was no aware of any. A customer, overhearing the conversation, said that he could give me a lift into Watsonville, which was about 10 miles away.

We loaded the bike and my panniers into the truck. The bloke dropped me off in Main St and I headed off looking for a place to stay. At an intersection, I ran into a cyclist and asked him it there was a bike shop in town. He told me that the one, and only, bike shop was two blocks away.

The owner, Hugh, was amazed at the state of the wheel. “I have never seen anything like that before”, was his comment.  He also said that “he had never worked on a wheel with a Rohloff before, but would like to give it a go”. I left the bike with him and headed to the nearby Best Western Motel.

In Watsonville things move a little slowly. The bike shop didn’t reopen until 11.00 am. When I turned up, Hugh’s assistant had half-finished the job, leaving the tricky bit to the man himself. I headed off for a Chinese meal. I should have tried Mexican.

The wheel was finally finished about 2.00 pm.   It seems that it was a pretty good job. It you ever find yourself in Watsonville CA and need something related to cycling, this is the place to go: http://www.watsonvillecyclery.com/

New Brighton State Park (lesson in USA geography, economics and politics)

Hugh from the bike shop gave me some tips for the rest of the trip to San Francisco. This included a great camping place – the New Brighton State Park. I headed there for the night.

Like of other State Parks I had stayed at, this New Brighton is great spot. After a meal and a nearby ‘Deli’ I returned to the park. I struck up a conversation with a fellow cyclist. This bloke is a Geography lecturer at California State University, currently on a sabbatical.   He had a lot to say about the current economic and political situation in the USA. I won’t attempt to describe his views here, but they were very interesting.

One point he did make was that the USA can be divided into 8 distinct regions that are as diverse as most separate countries. These include the ‘liberal North East’ and the very conservative ‘Deep South’. He said that many individuals migrate to the areas where they “ feel comfortable and they are with like-minded people”. He wouldn’t be surprised if “one day in the future”, some of these regions formally separate from the Union”.

Santa Cruz

Next day I headed in to Santa Cruz. I was bit of a disappointment. It is a tacky tourist town. However, I did find a great Italian restaurant for a late lunch.

I ended up deciding to stay the night and found myself in an overpriced motel. The place was near to capacity due to it being a Saturday and the running of a Half Marathon the next day. This was a classic case of ‘differential’ pricing.

To Pigeon Point

The route out of Santa Cruz took me along the coast. Part of the way was where the Half Marathon was being run. I was riding in the opposite duration to the runners. Judging by the speed they were running and their appearance, these were the stragglers. At least they were having a go.

Hugh from the bike shop told me about a Hostel at Pigeon Point, that was my destination for the night. He also told me about Brewery about two miles south of the Hostel. That was going to be where I was going to have a meal.

Young People with Interesting Jobs

Before I go to the Brewery, I can across a rather odd ‘café’ on the side of the road. It was part of an ‘organic’ farm, which grew among of things, lemons. The café served lemon pies and homemade lemonade. As I ate my pie, I got into conversations with a young German bloke and his American girlfriend.  They had recently moved to Silicon Valley (Palo Alto). They told me that “they were paying USD 3,200 per month for a tiny one bedroom flat.

The bloke told me that he was working for a company that is developing new batteries for cars and bikes. He said that “the world will be completely changed by the developments in battery technology in the next few years, and the changes will come quicker than most people expect”. The girl said she worked in the ‘Internet of Things’ space. Her company advises cities of the implementation of ‘smart technology’ to improve the efficiency of basic infrastructure, e.g. street lighting etc.

Interesting Stuff

I had my meal a couple of beers at the Brewery and headed to the Hostel. The accommodation was in the old lighthouse keepers cottages. It was basic, but a great place to stay.

Into San Francisco

I got up early to try and beat the wind.

The route into San Francisco took me through Half Moon Bay and then on to Pacifica. At one point I went through a long tunnel. I suspect that took heaps of klms off the trip.

I finally made it to the city outskirts and tried to follow the Route 85 Bike route signs into the down town area. I found following the signs impossible. I had to ask people for confirmation of the direction to the ‘downtown’ area. Virtually everyone said “it’s a long way” in a way that implied that they though it was too far to ride. I ended having to say that “I have ridden from Santa Monica, so distance is not an issue”.

I finally came across some cyclists, all of whom agreed that the bike route signs were confusing, but were able to direct me in the right direction.

I finally made it to the Hostel which is in a great location,  just one block way from Union Square.

Back in San Francisco for the first time since 1986.

Flickr Links

https://flic.kr/s/aHsjYhtSJr

https://flic.kr/s/aHsjYhzroL

 

Garmin Links

To Watsonville

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/501522990

To New Brighton State Park

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/501522980

To Pigeon Point

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/502535254

Into San Francisco

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/503213139

 

 

To Big Sur and onto Monterey

It took me a while to fix my pannier rack with the assistance of the mechanic in the local garage. I left Cambria and headed to the coast.  I did not get far before deciding to stop in San Simeon for lunch.

I headed up the highway and came across a camping area.  I decided it was time to use the tent.  Shortly after setting up the tent and fellow cyclist arrived.  The cyclist tuned out to be a bloke from Glasgow.   We decided to head back to Cambria for a couple of beers at the Ale House.

Hearst Castle  

Next morning I headed north, but again not too far before stopping at Hearst Castle.  This really is an extraordinary folly.  Check out the links.

After a tour of the castle, I watched a film about William Randolph Hearst on a big screen.  This was surprising good.

I continued on to Ragged Point where I checked into the one and only hotel.   I was a bit pricey, but it was good.

Next morning the place was covered in fog.  While having a coffee I chatted to a young English bloke who had arrived from Kirk Creek.  He said it great place to stay.

Spectacular Scenery

The road north became quite narrow.  The scenery is very spectacular.  At times the narrowness of the road makes riding quite dangerous.  You always have to look out for bad drivers – typically in trucks or large 4WDs.  As everywhere, the excessive size of a vehicle is inversely proportional to the  IQ of the driver.

I arrived at Kirk Creek late I the afternoon.

On the track to the ‘Hiker/ Biker’ camping area I was greeted by a couple – Cheryl and Whit who told me that they lived in Cambria.  Cheryl told me that she worked in Victoria as a teacher in the early 1980’s.

She told a very funny story related to the use of words in Australian and USA English.  The two words central to the story were ‘root’ and ‘fanny’.   The punch line of the story was that the headmaster of the school where Cheryl worked told her that he had heard reports that “she had been telling her students that she had sex with all of the Collingwood footy team and she has accused the boys of the school football team of having vaginas.

On to Pfeiffer State Park

I continued up the coast.  The scenery seemed to be coming even more spectacular.

I checked into the ‘Hiker/Biker’ in the Pfeifer State Park.  There were a few other cyclists and a Canadian girl with a cart.  She is walking from LA to San Francisco.  One of the cyclists was an American bloke who is riding both coasts of the USA.

They told me about a tavern about 2 klms up the road that is part of a private camping area and lodge complex.  They said that there was a music festival at the complex.  I decided to check it out.  The music turned out to be mainly ‘country’ style which is to my taste.  The tavern’s beer was good though.

I decide to stay in the State Park for another day.

To Monterey

I only had about 60 klms to go to Monterey.  Again the scenery was spectacular.   The road has a number of steep climbs and some great descents.

I stopped off in Carmel for lunch.  The place had Welsh Rarebit on the menu.  I gave it a try.  The cook had obliviously been to Fortnam and Masons.  It was the strangest Welsh Rarebit I have ever eaten .

The village of Carmel seems to all restaurants and art galleries.

A Place for the Rich

I took the road that follows the coast.  There a gatehouse at which you are required to stop.  The guard told me that it was a private road – a large gated community.   I continued on.  The houses are rge but overly so.  It is a bit however, that they see the need to cut themselves off from the riff raff.

I have decided to stay in Monterey for the day.  The Tour of California Cycle Race will be in town tomorrow.

Flickr Links

https://flic.kr/s/aHsjY4xLWN

https://flic.kr/s/aHsjY4wQfe

Garmin Links

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/497860287

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/497860264

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/497860233

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/498579041

 

 

 

Pismo to Cambria

I decided to get up early in an attempt to beat the wind.  As it turned out, I didn’t leave as earlier as I had planned.

I headed north on Highway 1. Somehow I missed a critical turn and rode on a dead-end road leading up the coast.  It led to quite a nice bay, but wasn’t necessary.  When I got back to the highway the wind had started to pick-up.  It was hitting me at about an angle of 9 o’clock.

Rattlesnake

At one point I noticed a snake on the road ahead of me.  I was not the first snake I had seen on this ride. However, unlike the others, this one was certainly alive.  I cut across to other side of the road, putting several metres and passing trucks and cars, between me and the snake.  Check the Flickr pictures, I am pretty sure it is Rattlesnake.  I suspect that, unlike Australian Tiger snakes, these snakes will only attack when threatened.

I stopped for lunch at a Mexican Diner in Morro Bay.  I am not a huge fan of Mexican food.  When it is cheap, you definitely get what you paid for.

Extreme Wind

I continued north from Morro Bay.  I was forced to be in the lowest gear for the whole 35 plus klms to Cambria.  I suspect the winds was well over 30 kph with gust well in excess of that.   The wind was blowing directly into my face.

I pulled into Cambria and decided that was enough.  I found a motel and checked in.  As I moved the bike into the room, I noted that the left side of the pannier rack was not attached to the frame.  I was too tired to even look at it.

I headed off the Ale House for a craft beer and a meal at a restaurant next door. Both the beer and the meal were excellent.

The Bartender  in the Ale House told me he was a cyclist and had decided not to ride on this day because of the wind.  He told me that it “was not usual to be this windy”.

Small Town Garage Most Useful

In the morning I discover the small bolt holding the pannier on left side of the bike was broken.  The remaining piece was stuck in the thread on the rack.  It appeared impossible to remove.

I took the rack to a garage down the street.  The mechanic managed to extract the bolt with a small drill.  As in Australia, you can rely on mechanics in small towns to fix anything.

I have decided not to travel far today.  I will probably stay in San Simeon.

Flickr Link

https://flic.kr/s/aHsjXYw9Ns

Garmin Link

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/494692118

Into Santa Barbara and North to Pismo

I left Oxnard and headed north towards Ventura.  Like most places I have seen on the trip so far, there appears to be distinct areas of affluence and poverty in this area.

I stopped for lunch at Ventra Harbor.  The salmon salad was really good.

The road follows the coast.  At one point there was a live large campervans ( RVs).  It must have been over a kilometer in length.  This is a serious concentration of ‘grey nomads’.

At one point I noticed that a bicycle path is being constructed next to the highway.  This is good to see.  However, to put things into perspective, a bit further along the route, I was force to ride up the wring site of the freeway.

Soon after that I ran into a couple of cyclists heading south.  They were amazed that I was ride north “into the wind”.

Santa Barbara

The ride into Santa Barbara was good.  There are quite a few kilometer of bike trails.

I checked into the International   Hostel in Santa Barbara.  The place is restricted to students and overseas visitors.   Most of the quests were from Scandinavia, the UK and Australia.

Next day I decide to stay in the town for the day.  It is a bit of a happening place.  The main street – State Street, has lots of cafes and bars.

Leaving Santa Barbara

I tried to follow the ‘Pacific Cycle Route’ signs north out of the town.  At one point, I lost the trail of the sign and ended up on Highway 101.  I had not gone far when a police car came up behind me.  Apparent I was on a ‘freeway’ section of the road.  Bicycles are not permitted on freeways.  The female police end me to office told me that she could “give me a ticket to gaol”.  I told her that I did not choose to be on the freeway and suggested that the signage of the cycle route was poor.

I finally found my way out of the city.  I had lunch in small State Park.  Shortly after that, the route heads inland.  At one point, the road passes through a tunnel.  The wind in the tunnel was amazing.  It was impossible to ride against the wind.

As the route turned north towards Lompoc, I hit the first big climb of the trip.

I got into Lompac late and checked into the Travelodge.

To Pismo Beach

I head off towards Santa Maria.  The route passes a large US Airforce base.  The facility is a missile and space base.  The Minute Man Missiles were developed there.  It covers an amazing large area.

The route passes Santa Maria and heads west towards the coast.  At this point I was riding directly into a very strong wind.  A fellow cyclist moved in front of me. That didn’t make much of a difference but was much appreciated. I stopped for lunch Guadalupe.  This looks like a third world town.

As I headed into Oceano, I came across a series of ‘Mobile Home’ parks .  These are very depressing places.

Late in the day I made it into Pismo Beach.

US Airforce Base

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vandenberg_Air_Force_Base

Garmin

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/491603678

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/492424202

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/493378583

Flickr

https://flic.kr/s/aHsjXdkY48

https://flic.kr/s/aHsjXUUHJM

https://flic.kr/s/aHsjXhDj67

 

Heading North from Santa Monica

After a great stay in LA, I finally got on my bike and headed north.

I rode along the beach front of Santa Monica before joining the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH). I had spoken to a German bloke and his daughter about the route. They had ridden from Seattle to LA. This advice was that there are few options apart from the PCH. For the most part it is OK, with a reasonably wide verge. He did say, however, that it was very busy in parts. This is a busy part.

I stopped for lunch at a fish place opposite Malibu Pier – excellent food at a reasonable price. It is a pity that it seems impossible to buy sparking mineral water at these places.

The road follows the coast until just south of Oxnard. Towards the end of the ride the wind become very strong. It was very hard going.

The area leading into Oxnard has strawberry growing on a massive scale.

I finally found a place to stay – the Ramada Inn.

Very Disappointing ‘news’ coverage

This gave the opportunity to watch some TV. I watched some of Fox News. It is worse that I had expected. One current stories is about a convicted murderer who was executed a couple of days ago. The execution went horribly wrong in that it took over 30 minutes for him to die and he suffered extra ordinary pain. The Fox take on that is that there is nothing wrong in that execution was botched because his victim suffered.

It seems that the Fox News people seem to be oblivious to the fact that all of the civilised world has stopped using Capital punishment. Not only that, but they seem to be suggesting that torture should be added to the punishment.

I know that News Ltd is simply pandering to morons to increase their ratings and profits. It is disappointing however that company (especially an Australian company) could stoup so low.

I real problem this that this ‘so called’ news coverage spreads other parts of the News Ltd empire. We are now seeing extreme right wing opinions being peddled on Skye News Australia. This is not good for informed political discussion.

Garmin Link

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/490489457

 

Flickr Link

https://flic.kr/s/aHsjXMgW91