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!