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.
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