As we departed Cambria this morning, cycling along Moonstone Beach, we could finally see the ocean again.

The fog has lifted but it is still overcast.(Funny aside, the packaged coffee in the hotel room is called “Foglifter”). This weather condition is fine with me as I would rather ride with clouds and have the bright sunshine in the afternoon once the ride is over. It just makes for gray photos.

If you have been following the trip, you have probably noticed as we have that the landscape has changed from vivid green fields, thick forests, and loads of wildflowers. We are now in the land of “brown”.  Rocky cliffs, brown fields, dusty roads, sandy shoulders are now the visual field as we ride, if the fog has lifted!

We took a detour through Cambria on Business Route 1 to check out a unique dwelling called Nit Wit Ridge, a historical landmark because of its unusual construction. Art Beal built this “three level fantasy environment from collected materials in Cambria – the locals call it the Poor Man’s Hearst Castle” Beal was a local trash hauler and also some of the materials were scavenged from the Hearst Estate.

From Wikipedia:

“Nitt Witt Ridge, one of California’s remarkable twentieth-century folk-art environments, is the creation of Arthur Harold Beal (Der Tinkerpaw, or Capt Nitt Witt), a Cambria Pines pioneer who sculpted the land using hand tools and indigenous materials, inventiveness and self-taught skills. A blend of native materials and contemporary elements, impressive in its sheer mass and meticulous placement, it is a revealing memorial to Art’s cosmic humor and zest for life.”

We took a few photos and then a vehicle drove up with Virginia license plates, which we haven’t seen in 3 months. Turns out the driver was a Navy man, stationed in San Diego, his wife went to William and Mary AND was a student at Coventry Elementary School in the 90’s when I taught there… she remembers Mrs. Beal for kindergarten and Mrs. Nadig. She remembered my name but did not have me as her third grade teacher. After third grade her family moved to Vermont. “6 degrees of separation”

We cycled on through town and up a few brown hills with the sunshine, then as soon as we turned back toward the coast, the fog drifted back in.

We stopped in Cayucos for a coffee break and met several cyclists (also on a coffee break) from the San Luis Obispo Cycling Club. There were tandem riders, and trike riders as well as regular two-wheeled bike riders. We had a great time sharing stories with them. In a few more miles we reached Morro Bay where we are staying this evening.  Another small world story – as we checked into the hotel, the manager said, “Oh you are from Williamsburg, I used to live on Mooretown Road” (about 3 miles from our house).

Tomorrow we cycle through San Luis Obispo then on to Oceano/Grover Beach for the evening.

This morning we enjoyed a leisurely breakfast at the Ragged Point Inn. We walked around the grounds waiting for the restaurant to open and tried to capture a view of “Big Sur” through the wooden sculpture entitled Portal to Big Sur – fog blurred the view. Hummingbirds were darting everywhere but have been too quick for the camera.

After breakfast we cycled on Route 1 towards San Simeon and watched the Elephant seals from a spot on the side of the road, instead of the vista point 2 miles south. A new road is being constructed east of the Elephant Seal Rookery as the seals now cross the road. They think the grass is greener, I guess.

We stopped at Sebastian’s General Store at the San Simeon State Beach.

Bill was able to capture some great photos of Hearst Castle.

Bill has toured once and I have toured twice so we skipped the castle today and walked out on the wharf at San Simeon. A group of students from Paso Robles was participating in the coastal experience with docents from the Discovery Center. Sure brought back memories. Three quick whistles and the students who had been previously all over the beach were lined up ready for the next activity. (Still the teacher in me).

The ride today was like “a walk in the park” not only short mileage but flat roads with few hills.

By noon we were already in Cambria, our destination for the day. WIth great wifi, I am playing catch up.

Tomorrow, another short ride will take us to Morro Bay.

With a long day ahead of us (50 miles), we really needed some coffee to start our ride. Unfortunately, there was no coffee in the cabin. As we left Riverside Campground and Cabins, one of the office staff met us at the exit and shared that we could get coffee in three miles and we would have completed most of the first climb by then. We stopped at the Big Sur Bakery at 7:40,

they didn’t open til 8:00, so we got our books out and sat at the outdoor tables until they opened. Breakfast food was expensive, so we just settled for coffee. On the downside of the first hill we stopped at Deetjen’s Inn

for a real breakfast and met up with a couple on a tandem and two ladies cycling from San Francisco to San Simeon.
After breakfast it was off to conquer the rest of the 50 mile ride with a long hill at the end but a nice descent for about 3 miles. Lots of bridges and a few road construction sites were part of the ride today.

We also met up with a group of 35 dads and sons who were cycling through Big Sur as a Scout Troop.

We rode with them most of the day as they would stop and chat and gave us a round of applause when we cycled into Ragged Point just a few minutes after they had all arrived for their ice cream snack break. They still had about 15 more miles to cycle to San Simeon where they were camping for the evening. It was amazing to see the young men (Scouts) meeting the challenges of the hills and mileage today – glad to see the dads and scout leaders encouraging this type of activity. Hooked on bikes!

Tomorrow we have a short ride to Cambria, just past San Simeon and Hearst Castle.

On Wednesday morning we climbed immediately leaving Monterey on our way to BIg Sur.

We spent the day cycling on Route 1 with glorious views out over the cliffs, bridges that I wanted to get across quickly, hills to climb, headwinds, and curves.

We cycled past the Point Sur lighthouse, built in 1887 and turned over to the State Park system in 2004, while still being an active Coast Guard Light Station.

As we cycled over the bridge (there were many)

and then on up to Hurricane Point, the fog was still lingering on the upper part of the mountains to the east.

Most of the photos reflect the lack of sunshine today. One of the rocky coves seemed to be especially intriguing to motorists and their cameras. So we stopped to take a look. What originally looked like white rocks

turned out to be seals snoozing on the rocks. Bill’s zoom on the camera is fantastic.

We stopped for the afternoon at the Riverside Campground and Cabins and have an old cabin in the redwoods about two miles north of Big Sur. We walked through the woods to a pub for dinner and will be early to bed for the long and many-hilled ride tomorrow to Ragged Point.

Another cloudy, foggy, misty, overcast start to the day, as we cycle on to Monterrey. Our route takes us off Route 1 for the day, a blessing! (Well, there were 2 miles as we cycled on Route 1 along Moss Landing).

As we left Aptos, and crossed over Route 1, we were thrilled to be on the backroads and byways. Traffic was backed up for the regular morning commute.  After a few miles through the beach communities, we were passing through what I refer to as the Salad Bowl, acres and acres of strawberries, bibb lettuce, artichokes, romaine lettuce, turnips?, asparagus and even a mushroom farm – and other unidentifiable vegetables.

After the first 20 miles we were back on a trail that we had cycled a few years ago. The trail runs from Castroville (the artichoke capital of CA) to Monterrey through  Marina, the Fort Ord Dunes State Park

then along the Monterrey Bay through Seaside, and into Monterrey.

Our hotel for the evening was right on the route. We arrived early enough to take in a movie and after dinner on our walk back to the hotel we heard a voice echoing through the buildings in old Monterrey. We followed the voice to discover Bernie speaking from Colton Hall – where the first constitutional convention was held in CA in 1849. Pretty impressive crowd, speaker, and location.

Tomorrow we head to Big Sur!

With an early start from Davenport under misty, overcast skies, we beat the Memorial Day traffic and had an interesting ride.

About four miles from Davenport, Bill started noticing personal identification and cards strewn along the edge of the road. He picked up a few and we managed to meet up with a CHIPS – California Highway Patrol – we handed over the personal ID cards, drivers license and pharmacy card for a young 24 year old woman. It appeared that things had been tossed out of the wallet over a two mile stretch. After handing over the personal cards, we cycled on another mile and found the wallet! It contained a few more photos, but we figured somebody stole the wallet while she was on the beach yesterday. The next sheriff we saw was in the town of Santa Cruz and we handed over the wallet to him. Don’t know what they do with those items but at least we feel it is in someone else’s hands.

When we walked around Davenport last night we asked the sheriff who was cruising by about leaving the bikes locked up outside and he indicated that should be fine. He did say bikes were the prime item for stealing by the homeless – and Davenport was pretty good about not letting the homeless stay around. He advised us when we got to Santa Cruz to be sure and lock them inside. After hearing that and knowing we were only 9 miles from Santa Cruz we brought the bikes into our room. last night, which we have done at most of the places we have stayed.

We did cruise through Santa Cruz on a beautiful coastal multi-use trail filled with joggers this morning. As soon as we arrived at the “Boardwalk” we stopped for a coffee. Continuing on along the boardwalk, it reminded us a little of Virginia Beach of old, amusement park, volleyball games going on and surfers.

We traveled across an old trestle bridge that was in the movie, “Lost Boys” vintage 1987.

From the coastal area, we traveled inland through Santa Cruz Harbor (Bill got his boat fix)

and then on to Target to pick up trail mix. From Target we cycled back down towards the coast into the  quaint town of Capitola, described as the oldest beach resort on the West Coast.  We have stopped for the day in Aptos. Before dinner we walked down to the Seacliff Beach State Park where families were enjoying the last of the Memorial Day weekend and we were missing ours. (Cue the violins)

Pictured below is a concrete ship, built in 1919 but decommissioned as WWI was coming to an end. It is used now as a barrier reef at the end of the Seacliff Pier and sadly, broke apart during bad storms this past February.

Tomorrow we head to Monterrey – another short ride.

After a wonderful day of R and R in Half Moon Bay, we left this beautiful coastal town to continue on down the coast.

We left Half Moon Bay early under cloudy skies and little traffic. As we cycled past the fields outside of town looking over the Pacific, I mentioned to Bill that it reminded me of the fields in Normandy.

With overcast skies and headwinds, it still was a beautiful day for cycling. Most of the day was on the coast with cliffs that have fallen away into the ocean.

Up and down rolling hills was the pattern for the day. We did take a break for lunch at the Highway 1 Brewery and plowed through a Ploughman’s lunch.

Bill sampled the Milk Chocolate Stout (only a 10 oz.).

After lunch traffic was a little heavier as the sun had come out and the vacationers were enjoying all the beaches in each of the protected coves along the coast. At one point we cycled past a major slide area that carried over on the ocean cliffs side as well.

I was grateful for the wide shoulders today and traffic so far has been courteous. We even had one truck driver who had pulled off at one of the vista points and cheered us on with “Keep getting it, yeah, yeah” as we started up another steep hill. Once we reached the top, he was driving past us tooting his horn for all he was worth and giving us a big thumbs up.

At one of the vistas, we could see (through the aid of Bill’s camera zoom) Ano Nuevo Island, with abandoned structures and herds of elephant seals and stellar sea lions. This Island is part of the Ano Nuevo Marine Reserve and is not open to the public. This island is also home to some seabirds, auklets , cormorants, and Western seagulls.

We arrived at our destination of Davenport with 40 miles accomplished today.As we cycled into the small town, we passed by the Cemex Plant – which has been shuttered (was owned by a corp. in Mexico. Due to increased levels of Mercury it has been closed down and now will become a park. Odwalla juices were also headquartered here for a few years before moving to Half Moon Bay.

We’re staying in an old Roadhouse( a small house behind the roadhouse with several rooms for guests).

We took a walk around the small village and checked out the church,

the jail, the local school and garden,

the general store, and an artists’ co-op operating out of an old Airstream trailer. I picked up some lavender soap made from goat’s milk and a copy of the book, Blue Mind, The Surprising Science That Shows How Being Near, In, On, or Under Water Can Make You Happier, Healthier, More Connected, and Better at What You Do. The book is written by Wallace J Nichols, a research associate at the California Academy of Sciences and founder of Ocean Revolution, SEETHE WILD, and LIVBLUE. I’m thinking that cycling next to the ocean definitely has made me healthier, happier, more connected and a better cyclist for sure!
After shopping in the Airstream Artists Co-op, we walked across Highway 1 to the bluffs to witness the beautiful power of water, again. I could sit and watch all day.

According to the Innkeeper at the Roadhouse, we should have seen whales as well, but they didn’t get the message. We returned to the Roadhouse for a scrumptious dinner and we’re checking the map for our ride tomorrow (a short one) to Aptos – the other side of Santa Cruz. We’ll spend some time cruising around Santa Cruz!

Trifecta plus one – hill climbing, no shoulder, headwinds, heavy traffic.

We left Daly City this morning and immediately started climbing a hill upwards of 650 ft., straight up it seemed. Then we had a quick ride down-both on neighborhood streets so we weren’t bothered by the traffic on Route 1.

After a quick breakfast sandwich in Pacifica, we headed up the long and winding Route 1 with traffic, no shoulder, and wind. By the time we reached the top I was breathing a sigh of relief  that we could

head off on an alternate trail (Devil’s Slide Trail) around the ocean side of these cliffs instead of through a tunnel that was built two years ago due to the constant rock slides and erosion. San Mateo County Parks and Recreation Dept. has created a nice 1.5 mile paved trail on the old Route 1 with beautiful vistas, historical and environmental information plaques. We met two young

fellows who had cycled up the same hill (they were from Oakland, CA) and they were as winded as we were upon arriving at the top. The climb was worth it and the photos below are proof.

We had a mostly downhill or flat, coastal route to cycle for the rest of the day and have secured lodging for the next two nights at Half Moon Bay.

With the Memorial Day weekend and more college graduations, it was difficult to find lodging. Half Moon Bay is a nice coastal town in which to spend an extra day. Might even get my nails done. Boy do they need it. We trekked into town using the coastal trail to avoid Route 1, got the laundry done and then headed out to an English pub for dinner. We still think we are in Ireland. Bill had real Guinness on draught and chowder.

Tomorrow we might hit the bookstore and walk on the beach and stow the bikes for the day.

Eagle Cafe, we have returned.

After 20 plus years, we  have finally made it back to San Francisco and had breakfast at the Eagle Cafe. When we were here umpteen years ago, Bill was on a “business trip” with the Shipyard and I was able to stay with him for the few days he was here. We walked down one morning to Pier 39 to have breakfast at the Eagle Cafe, where fisherman and ship captains, business men (and a few women) and blue collar dockworkers all shared the same tables. It was a unique experience.

After leaving Mill Valley this morning, we headed for the Golden Gate Bridge. With fog on the horizon, the views out over the water weren’t as picturesque but still this bridge is an amazing engineering feat. We crossed over on the east side. Different days have different sides to use to cross the bridge. Since it was early, 8:00 AM, we were crossing with (or should I say against) all the commuting traffic including cyclists and pedestrians.

Once we were actually on the bridge (we had to get the bikes down a set of stairs, cross under the bridge, then up a another set of stairs) it was smooth sailing but very noisy.

On the San Francisco side we traveled through Golden Gate Park and the Marina, then the historic Maritime district to Pier 39 where we finally were able to eat breakfast. The Eagle Cafe has been modernized a little since our first visit, but the views were great and the food was scrumptious.

After breakfast we went to the end of Pier 39 to watch the sea lions – they reminded me of Kate’s dogs, Dazey and Enzo, always lying on top of one another.

We cycled back the way we came then headed through the Presidio Park and Golden Gate Park again after taking a few detours to get us back on route.

After the construction site detour and the Lover’s Lane climb, we were back on our route and traveled through Golden Gate Park again to reach Great Highway, which parallels the Pacific Ocean headed to Daly City.

San Francisco is a very unique city. I have heard every language under the sun and what a diverse population – tourist and otherwise. This is the first city we have cycled through that has great cycle lanes, paths, and trails and many folks on bicycles.

We are done for the day in Daly City and will be in view of the Pacific tomorrow as we make our way to Half Moon Bay.

Today’s ride was so pleasant as most of the miles were traveled on back country roads or bicycle trails, even if we did end up at the wrong hotel and had to climb one more hill to get to the right one and it was a doozy of a hill – a short one that I walked about 1/2 of, once my front wheel came off the ground.

Our B and B served the two stage breakfast, coffee at 8:00 and breakfast at 9:00 (blueberry pancakes and sausage – um um good). During the “coffee hour” we struck up a conversation (imagine that) with a couple who had retired to Groveland, CA from Silicon Valley. They have horses and the B and B was set up with stables for the horses. We shared our cycling stories and they shared their horse camp stories. They have a daughter in Haymarket, VA.  We have similar interests – grandchildren, traveling, sailing. Their retirement home is a ranch near Yosemite.

After leaving the B and B and Point Reyes,

we had a gentle downhill ride for about 6 miles where we joined the Cross-Marin Bike Trail for another six miles.

After a lunch stop in Lagunitas, we traveled the highway miles on a route with a wide shoulder into Fairfax.

At this point we left the highway and traveled through several small towns; Fairfax, Ross, San Anselmo, on village streets – dedicated, signed bike routes – very pleasant. We arrived in Corte Madera at the hotel only to find out we were at the wrong one and had to go a few more miles to Mill Valley to the right one. We were able to go the last few miles on the Sausalito-Mill Valley Bike Path.

The closer we get to San Francisco, the more dedicated bike lanes, bike paths and bike trails we are finding.

Tomorrow morning we head to the Golden Gate!