Sunday, June 1, 2008

All the Way West

Found myself in a pinch here. I figured I'd be in San Fran by Tuesday and I needed to figure out where I was going to today. It was way too expensive to stay an extra day up in Oakhurst and I didn't want to go to San Fran today. So after looking at the map, I decided to add on another site for Monday's ride; Big Sur.

So in order to get there, I went a little further south than I expected. That even showed on the GPS since when I went to activate the route this morning it said "Map files not available for parts of your route." After a quick look at the map, I knew it wasn't a very challenging route to Morro Bay.

So it was a short ride today (under 200 miles) and that was OK with me. Got some time to relax and load up in an slow and unhurried pace. Not to mention weather was looking good yet again.

Came down out of the foothills and just when I thought I was done with the long straight stretches...they show up again.


Except on these stretches there were loads of fruit trees and other agriculture items. Sometimes the rows of trees would go on for miles.


While nice and cool in the hills yesterday, this part of California was a touch warmer. Plus driving over black asphalt you can feel the heat coming up off the ground..it was starting to cook.


Stopped for gas (didn't really need it) just outside of Avenal, CA and grabbed some food. I was well ahead of schedule so I just sat and enjoyed the warm breeze and some pumpkin seeds. Pretty exciting huh?

Got back on the road and the day just kept getting warmer and warmer. On top of that, my old companion the wind was back. Fought my way across 46 with high traffic and gusty winds..not a whole lot of fun.

But then I hit the good stuff on 41...oh how good it was. I got in a few miles and saw a sign that every rider likes to see. Curvy road next 10 miles. Wow it did not disappoint. Rolling over these golden hills with a wonderful road just weaving around all over the place.




The road was a dream to ride on. I almost forgot I had a loaded up bike rolling through that area. Kind of a testament to how I've grown accustom to the new handling features of the bike.

After twisting through the hills I got within a few miles of Morro Bay and was welcomed by cooler temps. At first it felt really good, but then it got cold. Understandably so since it was in the low 50's. Welcome to the coast!


Tomorrow a short day in travel but a big day in scenery. The fabled Pacific Coast Highway begins. Should be pretty interesting.

Today's Pics

2 comments:

Unknown said...

"find a Queen without a King,
They say she plays guitar and cries, and she sings... "

Oddly enough, the more I read your posts from CA, the more that Led Zeppelin IV tunes waft through my brain.

I can't wait to check out the shots of Bixby bridge as well as some of the other facets of Big Sur.

mitch said...

Very envious man - enjoy Highway 1! You'll like it a lot more than I did, I think, due to my lifelong panic whenever I'm a passenger in a car that is speeding alongside steep drop-offs.