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
billrider2013 