San Diego to the Mexican Border

I can’t help it. I have to write about food. This morning I went to a Mexican restaurant in San Diego Old Town and had Huevos Rancheros. This is the perfect place to have it and I couldn’t resist.

I took the hotel’s van to the rent-a-car place and picked up what they call a full-size car. It seemed a bit too small, but I could pack it with my suitcases and my bicycle with the back seat folded down. I drove over to the Lynn/Martin house and met Ann and Suellen.

After changing into my cycling clothes, we drove to Coronado Island for lunch. Then I got onto my bicycle, rode down the Strand through Imperial Beach and out to Border Field State Park. My intent was to get as close to the Mexican border as possible to reach my goal of riding from San Francisco to Mexico. Well, I got as close as possible but nor close enough to touch my wheel onto Mexican soil. It seems that the last 1/4 mile of the road is subject to flooding and today was one of those flooding days. I could have ridden through the water covering the road, but I was warned that it was contaminated by the lack of sewage treatment from Tijuana. I rode west to the beach instead. And I got a photo of the Plaza de Toros across the fence.

After that, I turned around and rode back to Coronado, met Ann and Suellen and drove back to Ocean Beach. Here is a link to my route.

John got home just after we arrived. We all cleaned up and went to Stone Brewery for dinner. I had a small (aka large) garden salad and Mac and Beer Cheese. We tasted Sublimely Righteous Ale, Cali-Belgic IPA and OAKED Arrogant Bastard Ale. Suellen had something from the Russian River.

We are back in Ocean Beach. It’s almost 9:00. Suellen and John are in bed already. Ann and I are getting ready.

Carlsbad to San Diego

Can you believe cinnamon roll French toast? That’s what I had for breakfast at the Daily News Cafe next to the hotel. I also had juice, coffee and a side of bacon. After that I packed up and got rolling at 9:00.

Going south, we made very good time through Encinitas and Solana Beach, past the Del Mar racetrack and along the coast to Torrey Pines. We opted to take the steep climb up to the Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve. After that, it was on to La Jolla where we stopped at a cafe for coffee and a King Kong muffin.

In La Jolla, we decided to ride through the busy part of town instead of the less busy bypass. We wanted to watch the affluence as we rode by. Then it was on to Mission Bay where we stopped for a Subway sandwich.

We were now fueled up as we rode to Ocean Beach past the dog beach and over to the Lynn/Martin house. We had a nice visit with John who showed me the rest of our route on Google Earth. This was very helpful to get a visual presentation of the streets we were going to ride on. We skirted Ocean Beach and Point Loma and rode out to the Cabrillo Monument Visitor's Center.

Turning around, we rode down the hill and around Shelter Island. Then we meandered around the airport, along the downtown harbor and on to the Best Western Hacienda Hotel in Old Town. We got here around 3:40.

Here is the link to today’s route.

Our farewell dinner was at a nice Mexican restaurant near the hotel. I had a Caesar salad, lobster and crap enchilada and crème brûlée.

It’s now 9:25 and I’m ready to go to bed.

Dana Point to Carlsbad

I had my normal breakfast – juice, coffee, corn flakes and English muffin. We got on the road at 9:00 passing first through Doheny State Beach. This was fun because there was a rally of woodies there. There must have been 100 of them. They were all in great restored condition and were attended by grey-haired men living in the past.

Riding south, we following an excellent bicycle route through San Clemente, a bicycle route through San Onofre State Beach, a well-marked bicycle route through Camp Pendleton and ended up in Ocenside harbor for lunch. It was a beautiful day and a bunch of us ate lunch in an outside patio overlooking the harbor.

After lunch, we rode to Mission San Luis Rey after stopping at a Mexican bakery for some sweets. Then we headed to our hotel, the Carlsbad Inn and Beach Resort. I arrived around 3:00.

Here is the link to today’s ride.

For dinner tonight, nine of us went to Paon, a California restaurant with a French influence. I had a beet salad with candied walnuts and roasted pork shoulder with crispy spaetzle. Both were excellent.

It’s approaching 10:00 and I’m going to bed.

Seal Beach to Dana Point

We continued the tour of the SoCal beaches today. After having a normal breakfast, I took off at 8:40 with several of my cohorts. Soon, Deborah and I pulled away going at a slightly faster pace. The weather was sunny and a little warmer than the day before. We rode on bicycle paths when they were available on on mostly quiet streets when they weren’t. The sand on the paths was gone so we could set a steady pace.

We passed Huntington Beach where I got a photo of the pier. Then it was on to Newport Beach and all of its cramped beachside houses. The Balboa Pier was next where we stopped and I had coffee and and a cinnamon roll. We made a short loop here to view the Wedge – a famous surfing spot. Surf must not have been up because we saw no surfer dudes. Then it was on to Balboa Island via a ferry from Palm Street. We rode through the island, crossed “The PCH” and rode an optional loop around Upper Newport Bay. We probably rode close to Hoby and Alanna’s house but I was reluctant to stop and interrupt the routine with their new baby. At the end of this loop, we bought a sandwich at a grocery store in Newport Dunes, a fancy RV park.

Back to the beaches, we passed some of my old college haunts – Corona Del Mar and Laguna Beach. (The house below is the colonel’s childhood home on Oak Street).

From Laguna Beach, we powered our way into Dana Point and the Dana Point Marina Inn. We check into our rooms and moved our luggage into them. Then we took off to San Juan Capistrano and explored its historic district. We didn’t go into the mission or see many swallows. I got back to the hotel at 4:00. Deborah decided to ride a little farther to reach 100km for the day.

Here is a link to my route today.

I had dinner with Kathy and Chip at the Harbor Grill. I had a dinner salad and fresh seafood brochette. Chip forced Kathy and me to share a mud pie.

It’s now after 9:00. I finished my last book so I might try reading one with Kindle software on my netbook.

Santa Monica to Seal Beach

When I took out my earplugs this morning, I realized that the wind had died down. When I got up, I saw that the sky was clear. These were good omens despite the crummy breakfast buffet at the hotel (coffee, juice and muffins).
I left the hotel around 8:30. We wandered south and eventually reached the bicycle path in Venice Beach. The beachfront stores that were bustling the day before were all closed and none of the characters were out to distract us. Our route followed the bicycle path all the way to Palos Verdes. We thought that the ride would go very quickly and that we would reach our rendezvous with the ferry in San Pedro way early. We were wrong. Here’s why. The very strong winds from the day and night before blew sand across the bicycle path. There were segments where it was 3-4 inches deep. Each time we reached one of them, we had to dismount and walk our bikes. This happened all morning. We would ride only for 1/4 mile or so before we would have to do it again. So the tour of the beaches became a tour of the sand dunes.
We had fun, though. We stopped in Manhattan Beach for a nature call and an apple and Hermosa Beach for a cinnamon roll and coffee. We got to ride through a parking garage in Redondo Beach on the bike path – a first for me. We got to watch all of the beach volleyball players and surfers along the way.
When we reach the end of the bicycle path, we climbed into Palos Verdes where we got terrific views of the ocean and Catalina Island. We stopped at Pt Vicente Interpretive Center where I watched the whale watchers while Deborah rode laps around the building trying to find the women’s bathroom. The watchers had been there for six hours and had not spotted any whales or dolphins. It must be a social thing.
We arrived in San Pedro before 1:00 and stopped at Rex's Cafe for lunch. I had a California sandwich which was turkey with avocado, etc. and some rice soup. It was good and filling.
We met the rest of the group in front of the Los Angeles Maritime Museum and boarded our ferry to Long Beach. The ride across the harbor maintained our laid back pace of the day. We saw lots of boats, two APL container ships and some harbor seals.
The rest of the ride was along Long Beach bicycle paths and Seal Beach city streets. we reached the Pacific Inn at 4:00. Here's a link to my route today.
I had dinner with Marcia and Deborah at an Italian restaurant. I pigged out with fettuccini carbonara.
It’s now 9:00 and I am ready to call it a night.

Port Hueneme to Santa Barbara

I was looking forward to breakfast this morning because the hotel advertised “real” food starting at 6:30. So I got up at 6:00 and was ready when they opened. It was a decent buffet with scrambled eggs, bacon, hash browns, juice, fruit, yogurt and coffee. This was after eating too much the night before.

I started the day’s ride around 8:10 with partly cloudy skies and cool temperatures. There were eight of us that started together. Soon there were two of us riding together. Deborah from Victoria joined me as we pulled away from the rest of the group. We had good tail winds and were pushing 20+ MPH on level pavement. As it turned out, we rode the entire ride together – a first with me on BAC trips.

Our first stop was at an outdoor missile museum a few miles south of Port Hueneme. Although I am not a weapons advocate, I felt that I should record something for the day just to prove that I stopped once in a while.

We traveled another 2.5 miles and turned onto “The PCH” where we stayed for almost all of the ride. We made a short detour at the Pt Dume area known as the Malibu Riviera where we passed some nice houses with beautiful landscaped yards. Before turning onto the detour, we stopped for coffee and a snack at a Starbucks where we were supposed to see some movie stars.  We might have seen one or two but we wouldn’t have known it.

We rode through the middle of Malibu on “The PCH”. I have ridden this stretch a couple of times and have run into a few dangerous situations between all of the parked cars on the right, speeding cars on the left and very narrow shoulders. This time it wasn’t so bad. We had a scare or two with cars backing out of driveways and Deborah had a fright when a little dog stuck its nose out of a car window and barked at her.

Entering Santa Monica, we got onto the bicycle path and followed it past the pier into Venice Beach. The wind had picked up and sand was accumulating onto the path. We managed to avoid it. It was fun riding along Venice Beach looking at all of the characters (similar to Telegraph Ave in Berkeley) and to see all of the storefronts selling T-shirts, tattoos, medicinal marijuana, pizza, etc. We stopped at a decent restaurant where I had a Venice Beach club sandwich – salmon, bacon, lettuce, tomato and more on rye bread. It was very good.

After lunch, we aborted our attempt to find the canals and struggled against the wind back to the pier and the Ocean View Hotel. We arrived at 1:30. Here is a link to my route.

My room looks out to the ocean and the pier. The wind is so strong that it is blowing through the edges of my balcony door. It was vibrating the un-weather stripping making a sound like a motorcycle. I shoved a flier into the crack to stop the sound. Now I just get a nice fresh breeze. I won’t have to open a window tonight.

After cleaning up I walked two blocks to the Third Street Promenade. I bought a smoothie and then wandered into the Apple Store to get a demo of an iPad. It’s an impressive computer.

For dinner tonight, I wanted small potion comfort food. Others were going to an Indian restaurant and other places that I was not interested in. So I walked 1 1/2 blocks to Il Fornaio. I had rigatoni in a tomato sauce with sausage, etc. It was just right.

It’s now 7:30. The wind is letting up. I’m going to surf for a while, read and go to bed.

Santa Barbara to Port Hueneme

This morning I was ready to start riding early because of forecasted afternoon rain. I awoke at 6:10 before my alarm went off. This is a regular occurrence. Only once has my alarm woken me up. I got most everything packed and went to the continental breakfast at 7:00. I had my regular juice, coffee, oatmeal and breads. Although I was the first in our group at breakfast, everyone else arrived shortly.

I started riding around 8:30. There was a heavy mist that hung next to the coast. I rode in and out of it for the early part of the ride. It wasn’t heavy enough to put on rain gear. Parts of today’s route were new to me. We bypassed all hills, took bicycle paths where they were available and peddled on roads with light traffic with a couple of major exceptions. There was an option soon after leaving Santa Barbara to go east that would have added 14 miles and 1400 feet of climbing. I didn’t take it for a couple of reasons. First, it began on a narrow road and it looked like there was a lot of traffic on it. Second, I was worried about the pending storm which was coming in the afternoon. I wanted to get to the hotel before it started.

The major exceptions to light traffic were a 5-mile stretch on “The 101” and a 6-mile stretch on “The PCH”. Traffic wasn’t very bad on “The PCH” but the pavement was terrible. This is where RVs park on the ocean side of the road for their city get-away. I can’t imagine camping next to a busy highway.

I was getting hunger pangs when I caught up to another cyclist. I asked her how far the nearest coffee shop was. She was riding at my pace, so she led me along the route as we chatted. It turns out that she is a BAC member and has been on a couple of BAC trips. As we approached the outskirts of Ventura, it started to rain. I decided to stop under an overpass to put on my rain gear. My companion told me how to get to the coffee shop after I told her that she didn’t have to wait for me. The rain was increasing as I pulled into Palermo Coffee. I was able to park my bicycle under the awning next to an open table. I had coffee and a blueberry scone while I watched to rain shower go by.

Starting my ride again, I decided to make a quick bypass to look at the historic Ventura City Hall. (There seem to be a lot of historic municipal buildings on our tour).

The route took us over “The 101” and along the Ventura Harbor. There were lots of houses on one side of the road and boats on the other side. At one point, I looked out  and saw a canal with houses on both sides. This looked like good Southern California living.

I thought that I was feeling hunger pangs again, so I made a detour into the harbor area and had some chowder and a crab cake sandwich at Andrias Seafood Restaurant and Market. I should not have ordered so much. The chowder was enough. While I was eating, another shower blew past. This one was not as bad as the last one.

Continuing on, I rode to  the Country Inn and Suites in Port Hueneme. I arrived around 1:40. Here is a link to my route. I have been glancing out my window from time-to-time, and the weather has cleared. (It’s now 4:45). This could be good news for tomorrow.

This is an interesting hotel. Between 5:00 and 7:00, there are appetizers and free cocktails – real booze – limited to 2. This is where we had our Social Hour tonight. Then it was off to a Thai restaurant where I had Spring rolls and pad thai. It was good but way too much to eat.

It’s now 8:30. I’m wrapping things up for the day.

Santa Barbara

I was up at 6:40 this morning. Even though it was a rest day, I wanted to get up and say goodbye to the people from our tour that were going home. I did that at the breakfast buffet. Our continental buffet was sparse, but good. I had juice, coffee, oatmeal, a scone and a croissant.

After I went to my room, I got out my cleaning supplies and made my bicycle look a lot better. I didn’t want to waste a clean bike, so I put on my cycling clothes and went exploring Santa Barbara.

First, I went out to the levee and got some good views of the harbor and of the hills. It was sunny at the beach and downtown, but there was high coastal fog in the hills. It was illegal to ride my bike on the sidewalk to the levee, so I walked and pushed my bike.

Next, I rode to the wharf. This time I could ride out on the bumpy, timbered roadway. They allow cars to drive on it but they have to go very slowly. There was not much to see on the wharf – several restaurants and shops.

Continuing on my tour, I rode south on the bicycle path along the beach out to the bird refuge where I saw Pat and Chris with their binoculars and tripod.

I turned around and rode back to State Street, the main street that is perpendicular to the ocean. There are bike lanes on both side of State Street and there are about 100 traffic lights. This is good for taming traffic, but it is hard on the cyclists who must constantly click out and into their pedals. I rode up the street until it got uninteresting. Then I turned and went over to the Santa Barbara Courthouse.

Lunch today was back at the harbor. I ordered fish and chips from the Minnow Cafe, a little hole-in-the-wall, and sat in the sun eating it. It was very good – fresh and not greasy. Vinegar, but no mushy peas.

We had our orientation meeting tonight at our dinner restaurant – Eladio’s. As is customary, each person gave a self-introduction. This is a smaller group than the one from San Francisco. There are four of us carried over from that trip plus eight more.

My dinner was very good. I had clam chowder, mahi mahi and tiramisu. I couldn’t eat it all.

It’s now 9:10. I’m going to read for a while and then get to sleep. Tomorrow is not a long riding day, but we expect showers later in the day. So I’m going to get up early and leave soon after breakfast.

Solvang to Santa Barbara

There was a little fog in Solvang when I got up at 6:30. I would have slept later, but the complementary continental breakfast started at 7:00 and I didn’t want to miss the “delicious assortment of breakfast breads and fruits”. I’m still trying to find them. I did get some Cheerios, a Danish (from Cosco) and a muffin. I walked away with a banana for later.

I got rolling around 8:20. The fog was starting to lift, but it was cool enough to wear long-finger gloves. After a few miles we turn onto Hwy 154 which is a major road between Solvang and Santa Barbara. We thought that traffic would be light on a Sunday. There weren’t a lot of cars, but the ones that were out there were moving very fast and close to the shoulder when we had one. I took a break at Lake Cachuma to get my nerve back. I was not the only one to be happy to turn onto Stagecoach Road at mile 17.6.

Apparently, Stagecoach road was the major route many years ago. It is now a seldom used road that is not maintained. Even so, the pavement was better than some of our earlier roads. This turn marked our climb up San Marcos Pass.

I was getting pretty hungry at around 10:30, so I pulled into Cold Spring Tavern for a real breakfast. As I was ordering French Toast and bacon, Chip came in and joined me. This is a real gathering spot for locals with food inside and outside. There were several people picnicking.

We took about 30 minutes to eat and then it was back to the climb up the pass. After the summit, the road descended for a while. We turned back onto Hwy 154 for a two-mile descent. Then we turned onto San Marcos Road for a very steep descent into Goleta.

The rest of the route was on city streets and wonderful bicycle paths. On the way we passed lots of very big houses in Hope Ranch. I arrived at the Franciscan Inn at 1:00. Here is a link to my route today.

I spent the most part of the afternoon wandering around Santa Barbara. I needed some supplies at a bike shop, some money at an ATM and some IPA and fish tacos at the Santa Barbara Brewing Company.

At 6:00, most of us who had not gone home met in the lobby a went to The Brewhouse for dinner. Because this was my fourth meal of the day, I ordered an appetizer of calamari along with an IPA. The ale at the other place was better, but this one was OK. We had a table of 12. The place was very noisy so conversation was difficult.

It’s now about 8:20. I’m going to publish this blog and then read for a while. Bed time will be early. Wake up time will be late.

Santa Maria to Solvang

I set my alarm for 6:00. When it went off, I tried to remember why I set it so early. It must have been because of the 6:00 opening time for breakfast. So I went to breakfast at 6:45. I was the only one in the restaurant. I had the continental buffet – juice, coffee, oatmeal, fresh (unripe) fruit and scones. My stomach was giving me signals from my mega-beef dinner the night before, so I didn’t eat very much.

I packed up and left the hotel at 8:20. I rode with Ruth and Darrell for the first 12 miles. We passed Rod and Howard along the way. Darrell sets a fast pace. I decided to back off and take some photos after pacelining at 17-20 MPH. I rode the rest of the way solo. The weather became warm where arm and leg warmers were no longer necessary.

We started out of Santa Maria through more rich farmland. This continued after 6 miles where we turned onto Foxen Canyon Road which we followed for the next 29 miles. After several miles, the farms disappeared and the vineyards appeared. From then on, vineyards were interspersed with vacant land.

I had ridden on Foxen Canyon Road several years ago, but I didn’t remember any of it. It was very flat for the first few miles. Then it gradually climbed with a couple of steeper pitches. I passed many wineries, but I was too early to visit them. The two I remember are Zaca Mesa and Fess Parker.

I was stopped at the side of the road to take off extra clothing when a woman stopped in her SUV and asked me if I knew where Michael Jackson’s ranch is. Of course I couldn’t help her. I told her I thought it was near Santa Barbara but she insisted it was on Foxen Canyon Road.

I reached Solvang before noon. It was a beautiful ride on almost traffic-free roads. Here is a link to my route.

It was too early to check into my room, so I locked my bicycle, put my bicycle bags in the van, got my sandals out of my suitcase and walked over to a Danish cafe and bakery for lunch. I had a Danish chicken salad sandwich on sourdough break, a Danish pink lemonade, a Danish bear claw for dessert and a dozen Danish butter cookies to go.

I got into my room at the Hotel Corque (isn’t that cute for a wine country hotel?) around 1:30. It’s a real nice hotel run by an Indian tribe that also owns a nearby casino. (There are shuttle buses to and from the casino).

I spent the afternoon killing time by walking around town and resting in my room. Solvang has grown a lot since I was here before. I don’t recognize many of the buildings (i.e. hotels). It looks like there are new streets for all of the vendors.

Our last group dinner was tonight. We ate at the hotel’s restaurant. The food was excellent. For starters, I had an iceberg lettuce salad. It had a whole head of lettuce cut in two. One half had a blue cheese dressing. The other had a vinaigrette. My entree was a huge pork chop. For dessert we had a custard-like pudding that had a crust like creme brulee. We gave the Sterlings a card of appreciation signed by everyone.

I am back in my room and it’s nearing 9:00. I’m going to read for a while and then go to sleep.

Morro Bay to Santa Maria

Breakfast was at 7:30. I awoke hungry, as usual, so I loaded up on juice, cereal, a hard boiled egg, pastries and coffee. The breakfast room off of the motel’s lobby was small and cramped with little round tables close together. I had to hold my elbows in. It met my objectives – fuel.

I left around 8:50. The sun was out, it was a little cool and the wind was at my back. I wore arm and leg warmers and a light jacket.

Our route took us along the coast for a short distance. Then we cut inland going toward San Luis Obispo on a beautiful, quiet country road. After we got onto another main road, there was lots more traffic. The shoulder was wide so safety was not an issue.

We skimmed the western fringe of San Luis Obispo and headed back to the ocean at Pismo Beach. I stopped at the northern edge of town when I spotted a grocery with its fruit displayed outside its front door. It looked very European. I bought a sandwich, chips, a banana and a blueberry scone. I ate the scone and packed the rest.

After Oceano, I headed inland again. This was on Hwy 1. I recognized a lot of the route from other trips. I didn’t recognize the dogs that tried to stop and heard me into their yard. One of them was pretty aggressive and I had to get off of my bicycle and shoo him away. I continued on to Guadalupe where I stopped at a covered bus bench and broke out my lunch. When I looked at my tuna sandwich, I realized that it was a big piece of real tuna, nut tuna salad. It was really good on focaccia bread.

After eating, I continued on the last 15 miles into Santa Maria  with a strong tail wind. I arrived around 1:40. Here is a link to today's route.

We are staying at the historic Santa Maria Inn.

Dinner was at Shaw’s Steakhouse and Tavern. We went there because I found out that Santa Maria has world famous BBQ. We had to wait for a while for our table of 15, but we got in and had a good meal. I had beef ribs. I don’t need beef ribs again for another six months. It was a long, but fun dinner.

It’s now almost 10:00, so I’m shutting down.

Ragged Point to Morro Bay

Breakfast wasn’t until 8:00 so we all got to sleep in. I set my alarm for 7:00, but I woke up way before that. I fiddled with my thermostat and got the fireplace to light and my room started to warm up.

I met everyone else at breakfast right as it opened. I usually don;t order eggs, but today I had scrambled eggs with bacon, potatoes and a blueberry muffin. The eggs were way too hard but the bacon was good.

I started out at 9:15 turning south on Hwy 1. The sun was out and it was much warmer than our start from Big Sur the day before. I stopped twice to take photos of elephant seals.

While I was stopped at the elephant seal watching place, I noticed that one of my bicycle’s S&S couplers was loose. When I tightened it, most of my shifting problems that plagued me for the last few days went away. I’m going to make a bike check each day to make sure my bicycle is ride worthy.

My next stop was in Cambria where I snacked on a scone and bought a sandwich to go. It was only around 10:30, so I wasn’t ready to each lunch.

Our route took us through town so we got to see all of the sights in Cambria. On the way out of town, I took an optional route out and over Santa Rosa Creek Road. Jeff will remember this road from one of our Great Western Bicycle Rally routes. It is a gradual climb on a country road along the Santa Rosa Creek. After about 10 miles, the grade picks up. Then it picks up again with some very steep pitches. You have to stand up and pedal with your weight over the handlebars or else your front wheel will lift up and leave the pavement.

When I reached Hwy 46, I crossed it and descended Old Creek Road and continued on the normal route. I ate part of my lunch at the top of Old Creek Road and the rest of it when I got to my room at the Best Western Inn in Morro Bay. I arrived at 2:40.

It was a nice riding day. The sun stayed out and it was warm enough inland to shed my arm and leg warmers. The winds on the coast continued to be from the WNW which gave us a good tailwind.

I had dinner tonight with Peter. We both had seafood linguine. It had clams and mussels in it. I hope history doesn’t repeat itself.

Here’s a link to today's route.

Big Sur to Ragged Point

Our cabins vertical wall furnaces that worked through thermostats.  Mine turned on soon after I went to bed.  The noise scared me. I didn’t want to listen to it turning on and off all night. So I turned it off. It got pretty cold during the night. That was OK because I had a thick comforter that kept me warm. But when I got up in the morning, it was freezing and it took a long time for the furnace to heat up the room. I guess that cold nights are normal in Big Sur.

We had a breakfast buffet at 7:00. It was very good. I had mixed fresh fruit, yogurt with honey, oatmeal with brown sugar, a croissant and coffee. They even gave us bagels with cream cheese and salmon wrapped in plastic wrap to take with us on our ride. Services are unpredictable from Big Sur to Ragged Point so I made sure that I had something to eat on the way.

I got started just after 8:30. Some us hung around in the parking lot to watch a California Condor heating its wings on top of a tree. At least we thought it was a condor. It could have been a large raven or a turkey vulture. It was far enough away that we couldn’t see any bands on its wings.

Our direction for the ride were very easy to follow – turn left on Hwy 1, go 48 miles and turn right into the Ragged Point complex. The weather was cool and sunny. We had tail and cross winds all day. There was little traffic so when the shoulders disappeared, it wasn’t a safety hazard. The riding was not too strenuous if you didn’t push too hard. I took it easy on my solo ride, but I did feel the 4000+ feet of elevation gain. Most of the uphills were moderately steep rollers. We had three or four longer climbs though. The downhills were nice except I had to be very cautious because the cross winds pushed me around more than usual. I think that it was because of the pack I had on my rear rack.

I stopped a few times to take photos and to look at the views. I ate my bagel sandwich at Sand Dollar Picnic Area. From there I forged on and arrived safely at Ragged Point just past 1:30.

After cleaning up, I went over to the fast food area and had a second lunch – toasted cheese sandwich and fries.

It’s nearing 4:00 and I am sitting next to the open door to my balcony at the Ragged Point Inn listening to the pounding surf and the water birds. The breeze makes it a little cool, but we are protected from the wind which makes it very pleasant.

It is now 8:10 and I just got back from dinner. The hotel’s restaurant looks out over the ocean. We had a wonderful view of the surf and then the sunset. Food is good. I had pasta with a light rosemary cream sauce with sun dried tomatoes and capers. A nice tossed greens salad with raspberry vinaigrette was my starter. If we are in this area again, this would be a good place to stay.

I am anticipating the cool evening. When the thermostat kicks in the fireplace will turn on. hopefully this will happen before I go to sleep.

Monterey to Big Sur

This was eye candy day. Our route went along the ocean all day. We followed the bicycle path through Monterey and then followed the shore through Pacific Grove. Then we rode along the incredible 17 Mile Drive past dozens of ocean vistas with crashing waves. We heard seals and sea lions along with hundreds of birds. I stopped at a deli in Pebble Beach to get a snack (a huge muffin) and a lunch to go (egg salad sandwich, chips and a banana. Other from our group stopped there too.

We then rode on past multi-million dollar houses to the Carmel Gate. We wound our way through Carmel along the coast. The houses were smaller and closer together, but they all had magnificent views of the ocean.

Once we got to Hwy 1, we followed it up and down all the way to Big Sur. Traffic was sparse and I felt safe even were the shoulders disappeared.

Our Big Sur Lodge is away from the ocean in a heavily wooded area. We are in cabin-like room that are very comfortable. I have no fireplace today.

I started out before 9:00 and arrived at the lodge before 2:00. I took my time, stopping several times for photos and to look at the scenery. The temperature was cool to warm. There were some clouds but not many. Winds were mostly at our back coming from the WNW. This was the opposite direction from yesterday.

It’s now after 9:00. I just got back from a very filling dinner at the lodge. I had a salad with beets, trout that was baked with a cheese crust, and chocolate mousse cake. I’m going to struggle up the first hill tomorrow.

Santa Cruz to Monterey

It’s around 3:30 and I am sitting in front of a fire in the fireplace in my room at the Colton Inn in Monterey. They have done a good job maintaining the motel having large, clean rooms and amenities like microwaves, refrigerators, TVs with DVD players, free wireless internet and really good smelling soap for the shower. We were greeted with cookies and hot tea when we checked in. But I am getting ahead of today’s story.

I was up at 6:30. I looked out at the breakfast area at 7:00 when it opened, but nobody in our group was there. So I went back to my room. At 7:30 there was activity, so I joined some of my mates and had juice, coffee, Cheerios and raisin toast – very close to my normal Monday breakfast.

I was the last to load my luggage at 9:00. Most of the group had their bicycles ready to roll but they were waiting for some showers to pass. I went back to my room, put on my rain gear and pushed off 9:15.

I could tell right away that today would be a good test for my rain gear. The roads were wet and showers came and went. Some of the showers were fairly heavy. All through the inclement weather I was warm and dry. The full fenders on my bicycle worked perfectly – no rooster tails on my jacket.

Our route took us past some farm land where they were growing strawberries and artichokes – good cash crops in this part of California. We then headed out towards the coast. I stopped in Moss Landing for lunch at Phil's Fish Market at the marina area. I had never been to this part of Moss Landing before and I might go there again and order something other than the crab cake sandwich. It wasn’t very good but it put fuel in me which was important at this point in the ride.

I continued on south with about 20 miles to go. The showers had let up but I was riding into a headwind. I guess that a headwind had been slowing me down before this, but I didn’t notice it as much. I was riding solo as usual which made the winds even more tiring. (I seem to end up riding alone on these tours. I don’t like to push hard to keep up with the fast riders and the slow riders frustrate me).

Just north of Seaside after around 10 miles in the bicycle path, I met up with Chip who was taking photos of the ocean vista. This was one of the windows in the day where the sun was shining, The waves were pretty big and blue. I am hoping that Chip and others will share their photos. I haven’t taken any photos for two days. Being bundled up in rain gear makes it difficult to find my camera when I need it. I’ll try harder when the bad weather lets up.

When we were ready to leave, I was telling Chip that my bicycle was shifting radically wrong most of the day. The rear derailleur was skipping and it was driving me crazy and tiring my legs. I lifted my bike to get it in position to leave and we both noticed that my rear quick release was open. It must have been that way for the entire ride because after I closed it, shifting became normal. I’m lucky that I didn’t lose the wheel on a bump in the road. That would have been the end of the tour for me.

Chip and I rode the rest of the way to the hotel together helping each other interpret the queue sheets. Kathy was there with the van so that we could get our luggage and go to our rooms. There was also a hose for us to wash our bicycles. They really needed it after a day with wet, mucky roads. Darrell Athay, who lives in North Bend and is used to this kind of weather, brought a soft brush with him which he was kind enough to use to clean our rims and other grimy places.

I had dinner tonight after our Social Hour with several others in our group at Turtle Bay Taqueria. I had their Pescadero Plate which had fired shrimp, salmon and sand dabs. It was OK. The dinner conversation was much better.

I’m now back in my room with another log on the fire. It’s after 8:15 so I am winding down with cookies from the lobby. Reading sounds good and then bed.

20100411 – Pacifica to Santa Cruz

As expected, we awoke to the start of a strong southwestern storm. Anticipating this, the Sterlings hired a bus to transport our bicycles and us to Santa Cruz. So, we got to sleep in, eat a leisurely breakfast and get onto the 40-passenger bus at 10:00. The ride to Santa Cruz was 60+ miles and we went via the coastal route so that the non-local people in our group could see the Pacific in its fury. As we drove south, the storm picked up. Huge waves were breaking over the rocks and their spray was blown high. It was quite a sight.

We drove over Devil’s Slide and could see where the tunnel is being dug. Both portals are in place and there is a lot of construction equipment at both ends.  As we drove past Pescadero where I planned to have lunch, I regretted having to ride on the bus instead stopping for artichoke bread and other goodies.

We got to Santa Cruz and the Best Western All Suite Inn before noon. It was raining here but not too hard. We got the bicycles and luggage unloaded and stored in a large room next to the lobby. Our rooms weren’t ready yet so we split up – some of us going to lunch and some sitting in front of the big screen TV in the lobby watching The Masters.

I had lunch at a Thai restaurant with Bruce Schweitzer. He had pad thai which he rated C-. I had satay and a salad with a peanut sauce dressing. It was B+.

Bruce left to get a foot massage while I headed back to the hotel in a driving rain storm. My room wasn’t ready, so I joined the group watching The Masters. My room was ready at 3:15. It is large, but it’s not a suite. My window looks out onto an air space to the next building.

We had our regular Social Hour at 5:30. We were joined by a new couple from Pleasanton. They delayed joining us because of the Cinderella (I feel guilty).

For dinner, I was joined by Chris, Pat, Peter, Howard, Darrel and Ruth for a noisy but fun meal at an Italian restaurant across the street from the hotel. It served pizza, pasta and other entrees amid disco lights and music. There was a large table of families celebrating one of their children’s birthday. The very young kids got up and danced to the disco music.

It’s now 8:30. I am ready to go to bed and read for a while.

20100410 – San Francisco to Pacifica

I woke up to dense high fog and cold temperatures this morning. I brewed coffee in my room. The hotel has no restaurant so I wandered over to Pat’s Cafe on Taylor and met some of my tour mates at the 7:30 opening. It was a good breakfast spot with a large selection. I had oatmeal that had apples and cranberries baked in it. It was covered with a sliced banana. I added some brown sugar and milk and it was ready to eat. Along with whole wheat toast, my meal was filling.

We loaded the van at 9:00 and then met for our bicycle tour of San Francisco at 9:15. Pat Greene and Chris Witt, friends for GPC who are on this ride, created the day’s route. We headed up Columbus towards the Pyramid Building, turned left on Bush, went down Market and found the Embarcadero. Being Saturday morning, traffic was very light.

We went south on the sidewalk to view one of the strange sculptures.

We reversed directions and headed north on the Embarcadero all the way past Fishermen’s Wharf, Fort Mason, The Marina Green and Crissy Field until we reach Fort Point. After a short visit, we reversed direction and met at the Warming Hut to take care of nature calls.

The weather was getting windy which made it colder. This made me a little anxious about crossing the Golden Gate Bridge. We did it though and the wind gusts were not too bad. There were more cyclists on the bridge than I have ever seen. It made it a bit tricky maneuvering around inexperienced cyclists.

We went up Conzelman and stopped at Bunker Spenser to look at the view back to the city.

After that it was back across the bridge, through Pacific Heights and up to the Legion of Honor. Then it was over to the Cliff House and out the Great Highway. We stopped at the Beach Chalet to look at the murals. Then, because we were all getting hungry, we turned on Sloat and went to the Java Beach Cafe for lunch.

I had a good chicken sandwich with jack cheese, avocado and a sweet sauce.

We left the cafe and made a beeline to Pacifica to get into our hotel rooms and get warm. On the way, I road past Jeff’s old apartment. We are staying at The Best Western Lighthouse Inn.

Here is a link to today’s ride.

Happy Hour was at 5:30. After that I went to a hamburger restaurant with several of my riding friends. I won’t describe my hamburger. It was big and tasty.

Tomorrow is predicted to be very stormy. Because of this, we have rented a bus to drive us to our next stop in Santa Cruz.

It’s now 9:00. I almost done with the blog but I can’t finish it because I can’t get to the internet. So I’m going to read for a while and then go to sleep.

20100409 – San Francisco

I know that you all have been wondering when I would start up my blog again. Well, it’s time. I’m on another BAC trip. This time I am riding from San Francisco to San Diego. Ann drove me to the Columbus Motor Inn early this afternoon where I checked into my room. It feels weird spending the night just a few miles across the bay from home. I got settled then wandered around outside to get oriented and to find a snack. I was forced to buy a piece of an apple chocolate chip coffee cake at Starbucks.

At 5:15, our group of 20+ gathered in the lobby and walked over to Fior d’ Italia, America’s oldest Italian restaurant. We had a banquet room reserved. Kathy and Chip Sterling, our ride directors, gave us an overview of the ride and its procedures. Then we introduced ourselves. Chris Witt and Pat Green created the route for tomorrow’s ride and they presented it to us. We will be making a grand tour of the San Francisco parameter before heading down the coast to Pacifica.

A mural on the wall shows the basilica in Assisi. The scene surrounding it represents various sights in northern Italy.

Dinner was very tasty. We all had Caesar salad, pasta, an entree (I had veal picatta) and tiramisu for dessert. The restaurant was nearly empty when we arrived, but it had filled up by the time we left a little after 8:00.

It’s now past 9:30 and I am going to bed.