August 30 and 31.

Yesterday and today were beautiful days but quite hard. Yesterday we rode through Big Sur almost entirely from north to south. The mountains come right down to the ocean and the road is cut through the mountains so that the riding was steep and hard. However the views are incredibly dramatic and it was a great day.  Today we left Big Sur and saw how the land flattens out so that we were riding almost at sea level past endless beaches. About 90 miles but with a good tail wind. We are almost done; There are five more days of biking before we finish in San Diego. Another great biking trip; not too late to contribute if there are those reading this who have the urge.

The last two days were studies in contrast. Yesterday we biked from half Moon Bay to a campsite In the middle of the California farm country. Half of the ride was along the coast and half thru very fertile huge fields of Brussel sprouts and kale. This morning we began in farming country; it is picking season for strawberries and brussels sprouts and workers were everywhere manually picking in the fruit and vegetables. Around  noon, we got to Monterey with a beautiful coastline, crowds of tourists and a ride called the 17 mile ride which borders the Monterey Peninsula which the the descendants of the Del Monte family and the community have privatized and charge cars $40 to drive through.

August 26th and 27th.

Yesterday was a rest day. I took the ferry from Sausalito to San Francisco and wandered around the waterfront. To a casual eye, San Francisco has not thrived during Covid. At Fishermans Wharf, probably  40% of all of the restaurants were shuttered. All along the waterfront, the piers that used to be busy commercial hubs seemed empty. There were crowds in the area, but overall it seemed a lot less vibrant than I remembered.

Today we biked across the Golden Gate bridge and down the coast to half Moon Bay. Riding across the bridge was a trip; there’s a separate bike lane but the crosswinds were really quite strong and so it was an adventure riding across. The bridge is amazingly high above the water; a lot easier to appreciate on a bike than a car.

August 24 and 25.

We are in Sausalito, about 2/3 of the way down to San Diego. Yesterday was kind of a hellacious ride; woke up to incredibly thick fog and a road with no shoulder, steep uphill climb and descents, and trucks that were for the most part quite considerate but not always. After about 25 miles the fog lifted and one could appreciate the beautiful coastline. We found an oyster farm along the coast that sold unshucked oysters for about a dollar each. I learned how to shuck oysters which I’m sure it will be a valuable skill going forward. Last night we stayed in a very nice campground on the Point Reyes  peninsula and today was an easy ride from there to Sausalito. Tomorrow is a day off which my legs dearly need and then we head down the coast once again.

August 23.

Today was a very long day, more than 80 miles in 6000 feet of climbing. Virtually all of it was along the coast on Highway one. The road is intermittently empty and wonderful to ride, and filled with cars and logging trucks which made riding quite frightening. The marine layer which hugs the coast is also very interesting. Last night it was so Misty one could barely see your hand in front of your face. Today it was mostly offshore, but occasionally you could see fingers of it coming onto the land dropping the temperature by at least 10° and reducing visibility. I’m not sure whether there are geographic characteristics that govern where it comes in; I know that it rolls in over the San Francisco Bay quite frequently and makes summer there cold and damp. We will be there in two days; hard to believe that at that point the ride will be almost 75% over.

Today was a particularly arduous ride. We started in the redwoods and climbed 1900 feet over a pass and arrived at the ocean in about 35 miles. The temperature change was immense. To the east, we were in the 80s, dropping  into the 50s by the time we hit the coast. As you can see the coast is beautiful but the marine layer rolled in around 1 PM and the rest of the day we biked  in pea soup.

I admit it. I hate sleeping in churches. I arrived late and all of the choice spots were taken so I ended up sleeping in a pew in the back of the church. 15 elderly snoring farting and and prostate challenged people made for a very restless night. There are about five possible church days left in the trip; I will do my best to find a cheap motel everyone of those nights. I know this sounds grumpy but I got no sleep.

Yesterday we moved away from the coast and into redwood country. We rode 30 miles on the Avenue of the Giants which was spectacular, with lots of small trails going through massive Groves. The history of redwood forest preservation in California started more than 100 years ago, as a Redwoods were being aggressively logged for railroad ties and other uses. I guess it was one of the first examples of successful conservation programs. Now the biggest threat is fire; I just read that 20% of all redwoods in the world have been killed in the last two years due to fire.

Tomorrow we head back to the coast, where I think we will stay for the remainder of the trip.

The last two days we have been continuing down the California coast with inland forays into old growth redwood forests. The redwoods were spectacular; I’ve been to redwood forests before but these seem more untouched. We camped in the middle of the forest and in the morning there were a herd of elk right near the campsite. The next day was a continuation of riding down the coast; I’m sure there were amazing views but they were completely obscured most of the time by the marine layer. Riding down 10% grades with logging trucks in almost no visibility was quite the challenge.

This area has been pretty heavily touristed for a long time; hence the huge Paul Bunyan in front of a old-style Disneyesque tour of modified redwoods with lots of talking trees and canopies. Very campy but kind of fun. Today we are in Arcata, a nice small town on the water where we were taking a rest day.

Days 10 and 11

No Internet last night. The previous night we stayed at Coos Bay; it’s a small formerly industrial city currently depressed like most formerly industrial cities. In the morning, we went to a local café; it opened at eight and there were 20 people standing in line. Three or four of them were regulars enough that they already had tables preset for them. Sort of like a Ted Lasso diner in that everybody was nice, talkative and quirky. Along the route, we encountered a guy who was making woods sculptures, some of which are in the pictures. He was happy to talk and talk about the meeting meaning of each of them- most had some relation to his late wife.

The Oregon coast is strikingly beautiful. The marine layer rolls in and out multiple times during the day. That means we are either biking in hot sun or in cool mist. It’s an odd combination. We biked 65 miles yesterday and 80 miles today, but I think the hills get much higher From here.

Day 9.

More biking along the coast.  From starting in Florence to arriving at Coos Bay, there is essentially one long ridge of sand. Paradise for ATVs. Staying at another church; I snagged the nursery so have a room to myself.