San Bernardino Mountains and Big Bear

With the time change, we've been getting up these last few days before six and out by 7. Today was different. The phone/alarm clock ran out of battery in the middle of the night, so we didn't have to get up at the crack of dawn. We had a wonderful breakfast -- oatmeal and peanut better is a tasty way to start the day. Thank you, Bill, for hosting us last night. We enjoyed meeting Katy and appreciate all that you did.

It turns out that we weren't leaving that quickly. Danny discovered a flat tire, a problem he'll be having less often once he and Tam get new tires. Getting out of Bill's neighborhood was a lot easier than yesterday's climb to reach his house. (I admit it -- I walked up a few of those monster hills, cleats and all.)

Today we started at 4500 feet and spent most of the day climbing. By the end of the day we reached 6800 feet. I could hardly believe the number of switchbacks! Every time there was a switchback I kept hoping that the road would flatten out. No such luck. The road just kept going up, up, up. I felt like we would reach the sky. We had a few downhills but they were few and far between.

The higher we rode into the mountains, the more spectacular the scenery.  The clear day made it possible for us to see sprawling LA and the entire countryside around it. As we headed east we rode along the Rim of the World Highway in the San Bernardino Mountains and feasted our eyes on the incredible San Gabriel Mountains. No wind today. A definite plus.

Riding around Big Bear Lake in the city of Big Bear was beautiful and a favorite spot of Danny and Tam's. Lots of ducks -- coots, widgeons and buffalo heads -- think  so too. Danny and Tam were easily able to identify them.

Today was a total of 50 miles with thirty of them spent climbing. We arrived at friends of Tam's and Danny's and enjoyed the tortillas and salsa that Tam whipped up plus pizza that we ordered in. Right now they're playing Pandemic, a board game, and I'm contemplating bed.

- Leslie

Into the Mountains

Our elevation profile for today:

We woke up early in our desert campsite.  It was light by 6, and we left shortly after. The road took us up into the hills switchback after switchback, until we could see the desert far below.  Tam and I were unbelievably excited to be back in the mountains.  Up we climbed, up and up and up some more.  The sagebrush and creosote shrubs turned to pine and oak forest, and we enjoyed watching the vegetation change without traffic to worry about.

Mom climbing the mountain

My mom did a great job with the climbing.  There aren't any hills like this in Georgia!  We topped out around 7,000 feet at the Angeles Crest, having ascended almost 4,000 feet.

We stopped around noon to eat lunch in the little town of Wrightwood, then set off again.  Now we would descend all the way back down to the desert, almost 10 continuous, amazing miles of downhill.  Back where we started, on the desert floor, we picked up highway 138.  It was heavily trafficked for a few miles, but after we crossed highway 15, a wide gray ribbon of belching trucks, we had the road mostly to ourselves.  Back up we went.  If anything, this riding was more difficult than the morning.  The hills were short but very steep, and the cars, driving way too fast for the twisty road, didn't give us much space.  But we continued, as always, then reached the top and headed back down.  A long, straight downhill brought us to Silverwood Lake, a bright blue jewel in the desert, and as we passed it, we picked up a tailwind for the first time in days.  It felt sooo good to be able to get some speed on flat ground, and we took full advantage by riding fast.

It was almost 3:00 at this point and would be getting dark around 5.  Only 10 miles to go to our destination.  No problem, right?  The first few miles were what I call good uphill, with only a moderate declivity, but soon it got steep.  Really steep, with the steepest sections being between 12% and 18%, and the not-so-steep sections being pretty fearsome, too.  This awfulness was sustained for probably about four miles, and we were quite happy when we saw the grade lessen.  

Our home forest!

The hard part was over, and we were confident at this point that we would make it to Crestline before dark.  Unfortunately, we had been warned that the last part up to our warmshowers host Bill's house was all uphill.  It wasn't as steep as before, but I worked up a good sweat in the cool air.  As we were ascending one of the last hills, Bill drove up in his truck and took my mom the rest of the way up.  He knows just how bad the hill can be, and it was so nice of him to come down to see if we wanted a ride.  Tam and I biked.

The view from the top was beautiful, and powering ourselves up on our own power made it worth that much more.

Our evening at Bill's house could not have been better: great food and conversation, and an early bedtime!  Many thanks to Bill and Katie for having us!

Wind and Traffic

We woke up super early at our hotel and took full advantage of the complimentary breakfast: omelettes, pancakes, hash browns, fruit, yogurt, waffles, and more!  When we left around 7, the sun was already high in the sky.  We rode through the suburban tangle of Santa Clarita, finding bike paths here and there until reaching the outskirts.  We picked up Soledad Canyon Road, which took us through a narrow canyon with steep walls and interesting rock formations.  There wasn't much traffic; in fact, it was a great road for biking.  Unfortunately, from the moment we left in the morning, the east wind was blasting: a constant headwind. We battled against the wind for hours, going slowly uphill.  It was physically and mentally challenging riding.

Finally we reached the small town of Acton, which isn't significant except that we decided to stop for lunch.  It was cool in the shade, and we enjoyed our hummus, cheese, cucumber, and avocado tortillas before warming up in the sun.  Back on the road, headwind still  roaring, we pushed uphill.  The riding was tough, but we kept at it.  Then, all of a sudden, the shoulder disappeared.  We were on the Sierra Highway at this point, a busy road with a lot of truck traffic.  Not a good road to bike, let alone without a shoulder.  We were turning off in a mile anyway, so we walked our bikes in the gravel shoulder until reaching our turn.  The California Aqueduct, a shimmering blue ribbon in this parched landscape, greeted us at our new road.

Finally we were on a smaller road.  The wind had let up somewhat, and we left the traffic behind, making for better evening riding.  We rode a little ways on some back roads then camped off the road among the desert creosote and sagebrush.  Because of daylight savings time, darkness fell around 5:30, and we ate dinner under an incredible sunset.

Delicious Fruit and a Surprise Hotel!

We wake up and enjoy a lovely breakfast with Karis and her mom June then say our goodbyes. It has been so wonderful to spend the last few days here with Karis, Bayard, and June. Thank you guys for everything!

First we ride out of Ventura, crusing down the Main Street packed with small businesses. It's still early enough that things are quiet; places are just getting ready to open for the day. Out of town we ride on Telegraph Road, passing through orchards of lemons and avocados. When this road ends we merge onto 126, the road we'll be on for the rest of the day. This is a big road, but we have a huge shoulder with a rumble strip so it's not bad riding. We stop at a small roadside stand to purchase three small baskets of strawberries. They're so sweet they taste like candy!

For lunch we stop in a park in the small town of Fillmore. There are no picnic tables, but there's a really cool playground so we sit under one of the towers in the shade. It's like a mini pavilion!
For the rest of the afternoon we try to ignore the noise of the traffic as we fight against an annoying headwind. Luckily there is some beautiful scenery; we pass many more orchards and farms, and desert mountains are all around us. We stop at one of the fruit stands we see to purchase fresh oranges, a mini avocado, a pomegranate, and some guavas. Everything just looks so good!
As we near the end of our ride we hit a construction zone, which means that the shoulder on our side of the road closes. We have to cross and ride on the other side for a bit, then cross back. It makes for an exciting, slightly stressful end to the day.
Tonight we are staying at the Embassy Suites hotel, a wonderful surprise gift from a family friend, Karen, who lives in the area. Deciding that we should have better accommodations than her backyard, she made us a reservation at this beautiful hotel. We've already enjoyed the hot tub and large quantities of the complimentary snacks! Thank you so much, Karen!

At the Taylors

June at the farmer's market

Making the frame bag

We spent yesterday and today with our good friend Karis and her family in Ventura.  Most of our time went to making frame bags for our bikes, but we still found some time to play music and watch movies.  It has been a restful few days, and we cannot thank Bayard, June, and Karis enough for allowing us to make a huge mess of their living room, winding bobbins and triple-stitching seams, dressing up, recommending melodious bluegrass tunes, cooking delicious food, and generally being supremely wonderful people!

The newly handmade frame bags:

These, for now, are additions to the rear panniers and backpacks we carry.  Our setup will change more in the next few weeks... Stay tuned for updates.

Karis!

We got an early start, rode a bit in the much-needed rain, passed through eclectic downtown Santa Barbara, then stopped at a small farmer's market.  Tasty almonds and hummus (27 kinds to choose from) provided a delicious supplement to our lunch.  Then, back on the road, we followed a newly constructed bike path paralleling the highway and the ocean all the way to Ventura!  

Last night we were lucky enough to hang out with our good friend Karis and her family.  Passing out candy to trick-or-treaters, watching The Princess Bride, playing music, eating homemade pizza, and falling asleep to the sound of rain drumming on the roof... Life is good in Ventura!

A fantastic picture of Karis

Pancakes to Skunks

After a wonderful night of sleep in a bed, we head downstairs and find our incredible host Bill already making breakfast. He is preparing aebleskivers, a Danish breakfast food which is essentially a spherical pancake. This was especially exciting for Danny and Leslie because making this type of pancakes is a thanksgiving tradition in their family. 

After packing up and fixing an unfortunate flat tire, Bill escorts us out of town on a beautiful quiet road. 

Bill and Kandy, we can't thank you enough for your incredible generosity! It was such a pleasure to meet you two and Olive.

After Bill turns back to head home, we take off on route 1 for about a mile before turning onto Harris Grade Road. This little back road has very little traffic and takes us over a fairly easy pass into the town of Lompoc. Even though it's still a bit early in the day we decide to have lunch because we won't be seeing another town for a while. Leslie treats us to quesadillas and nachos at a delicious little Mexican place.  Thanks Leslie!

After lunch we pick up enough food to get us to Ventura and hop back on the road. It's not great riding through town on the trafficked streets, but once we're away from the strip malls we have a large shoulder to ride on. All afternoon we trek across rolling hills covered in dry grasses and dotted with shrubby trees. Most of this area appears to be used for ranching. There's a fair amount of traffic, the road is bumpy, and we have a headwind so it's slow going. 

It's a relief when we descend back to the coast. All along the coast Route 1 merges with the 101 (a larger highway) so there's a lot of traffic. However, there's a nice shoulder and we develop a bit of a tailwind.

After a little over 50 miles we stop to camp at El Capitan State Beach. For $10 per person we are unimpressed. The hiker/biker area is the part of the campground farthest from the entrance, it's right next to the road and train tracks, and showers cost extra. 

We do get to watch the sun melt over the ocean in a vibrant display of color and meet another touring cyclist named Scott. Over dinner we sit and exchange stories. Originally from the UK, Scott has toured down the east coast, across the US, and now up the west coast. He's been having a fantastic time bicycling and we greatly enjoy chatting with him.

As we get ready for bed we notice a skunk sniffing our stuff. We carefully shoo him away, but a few minutes later he's back. Danny and I decide to sleep in the tent with Leslie tonight. Moving my shoes I notice that there are cockroaches crawling into them. This campsite gets better every minute.

Aiming for our friend Karis's house in Ventura tomorrow! Can't wait.

Miles and Miles

Part of our criteria for selecting a hotel is a continental breakfast.  We eat so much; why not take advantage?  The one this morning was great, and after filling our bellies, we set off.  The road paralleled the ocean, giving us great views of spectacular Morro Rock, which we compared to a smaller, half-submerged Half Dome.  Then we headed inland.  Route 1, the Cabrillo Highway, was now a big, busy road.  Fortunately the shoulder was big as well.  We stayed inland for awhile, following frontage roads when the 101 merged with the 1 and swelled it to a massive freeway.  The signage was super easy to follow, even when passing through downtown San Luis Obispo.  We didn't linger long away from the coast, only stopping for a long break at lunch.  Dinosaur Cave State Park provided us with beautiful views and a shaded gazebo, a godsend on this hot, cloudless day.

After lunch, the road turned back inland.  Our shoulder dwindled, even disappearing entirely at times, and the scenery consisted of farmland, namely sprawling fields of lettuce.  To call the riding mind-numbing would not be much of a stretch, except for the traffic, sometimes trucks, which kept us on our toes.

Just before we turned off of highway 1, we began talking with a German traveler, Kai, who was wrapping up an around-the-world trip with his 50cc car.  A very small car.  We enjoyed talking with him for a bit, especially seeing his eyes light up when telling us about the "shrubberies everywhere" (meaning the fields of lettuce) and that he would love to just hop a fence and grab some.  I wonder if he's seen Monty Python.

63 miles from this morning in Cayucos, we pulled in to the driveway of Bill, who, with his wife Kandy, would be our host for the night.  We shared a delicious dinner and had a fantastic time making cookies (not to mention eating them), talking, watching the culmination of the World Series, and even dancing in the kitchen.  

Magnificent Route 1

Today's scenery was magnificent. The three of us hugged the coastline for the entire day, mesmerized by the rocky intertidal and the vast expanse of ocean.

We climbed and climbed and climbed all morning, although there were some downhills and an incredible tailwind. The wind certainly made the 60 miles go faster.

Lunch along the way was at an elephant seal rookery. There were hundreds of them along the beach. Although most of then were juveniles they were still huge! We watched as they splattered themselves with sand and some of the males practiced fighting. It was interesting how close they lay together on the beach, even though they are solitary at sea.

Down the road we passed Hearst Castle, a national historic mansion (costing 10 million to build over 30 years) perched on a bluff overlooking the ocean. On the surrounding ranch we were surprised to discover zebras grazing among the cows. 

We ended our day in the small town of Cayucos where Danny and Tamara took a dip in the ocean- brave souls. 

Cayucos is the home of Brown Butter Cookie Company. We took full advantage.

For dinner we ate in an interesting restaurant with both Mexican and Italian food. 

More adventures tomorrow! 

-Leslie 

Big Sur, October 27

We start our day by climbing through the forest, passing redwoods left and right, to arrive at our first destination: Big Sur State Park. Here we walk around for a bit enjoying the magnificent redwoods and the Big Sur river. The forest is beautiful, but I really want to see the beach. I convince Danny and Leslie to take a 4-mile detour to Pfeiffer State Beach. Once arriving, we all agree that it was worth it. The wind is blasting and the tide is up. Huge waves are crashing onto the jagged rocks and sending up clouds of spray. Out in the water are featured boulders created from bulbous jumbles of rocks. There are three arches in these boulders, windows to the ocean beyond. It's great fun to watch the waves roll through, bouncing off the sides of the arches and creating showers of sea foam.

We run through the water; the sand under our toes is streaked with glorious pink patterns.
I would happily stay here all day, but there's more to explore. We climb the hill up and away from the beach, then climb some more. Spotting a post office on the side of the road we stop to mail a few things ahead and to enjoy lunch. We eat in a garden of giant cacti outside of a little cafe. It's lovely.
The hill we're been climbing all morning ends shortly after lunch. Suddenly we're out of the forest and have a spectacular view of the ocean. The tremendous expanse of blue is positively sparkling in the sun. All afternoon we bike on a cliff overlooking the ocean, waves crashing on dramatic rocks far below. We stop at Julia Pfeiffer State Park to walk out to an overlook of a 50 foot waterfall. Once this waterfall poured into the ocean, but a landslide about 30 years ago created sediment that has now formed a small beach under it. The black cliffs,  delicate waterfall, aqua blue water, and soft sand make this cove look downright tropical. Staring down at this beauty Leslie comments that it's hard to describe in words- and it is.

Our final miles of the day are illuminated in the gold of the setting sun. Now we're camped at Limekiln State Park, eating dinner on the beach as the sun sets over the restless waves.

Three By the Sea, October 26

After a delicious and filling continental breakfast, we said goodbye to the comfy hotel and biked a short distance to Trader Joe's to pick up some groceries.  Then out to the coast!  Sea lions lounged casually by the pier, and everywhere were birds of all kinds: pelicans, cormorants, gulls, grebes, and more.  The water of Monterey Bay was calm, and there was a slight breeze from the north.  We took the coastal bike trail along the peninsula, stopping along Cannery Row to soak in some history, and stopping again more and more frequently to marvel at the deep blue water and the pounding surf.  10-plus foot waves pounded the rocks; this was not a shore for swimming.  

But, with the path and the general air that here was not a place to drive hurriedly through, it was perfect for biking.  Not to mention the tailwind!  We passed Pebble Beach golf club and a number of overlooks along 17 Mile Drive, then, as we were figuring out how to get to highway 1, a cyclist asked where we were headed.  We told him highway 1, and he said to follow him; he would show us a much better route.  His name was Kevin, and he and his riding buddy Angus rode with us along the Carmel seashore, even pointing out interesting spots like a Frank Lloyd Wright house designed to look like a ship and Clint Eastwood's restaurant.  Then he gave us directions to Safeway to get water, and as we were repackaging food, he showed up and chatted for awhile.  Thanks, Kevin, for showing us around Carmel!

We stopped for a beach lunch a few minutes later and enjoyed the warm sand and the crashing waves for over an hour.  Then back to the road.  The closer we got to Big Sur, the  steeper were the cliffs above the ocean.  This road was unlike any we had ever biked.  

The wind was whipping around like crazy (fortunately a strong tailwind for most of the time), causing huge waves to crash on the rocks far below and send spray high into the air.  We reached Big Sur around 4:30 and set up camp at Andrew Molera State Park.  We're far from the beach, but that's okay.  We enjoyed polenta, rice, and refried beans for dinner, then Tam pulled out a surprise box of Oreos for dessert, which we happily dug into.  A wonderful first day on the coast!