Still on the train, I have lunch in the restaurant. The people in the sleepers get the meals for free. The nice man next to me doesn't want his desert, so he orders for me a crumble and a Haagen Daz Ice cream. Yummmy!
I'm arriving 2 1/2 hours late. I have to wait a while for my luggage and bike to come out. I know I don't have far to go, so I just tie everything onto the bike and set off. I am staying with Carla and Josh, who live very close to the Amtrak Station. They are my first warmshowers hosts and what wonderful hosts they are. They live in a very interesting building, and old factory, that was converted into apartments. Josh builds cargo bikes, even designs them himself. One big part of the apartment is Josh's workshop. Heaven! Everywhere you see bikes hanging off the ceiling, or parts of bikes, like a row full of fenders or bike wheels hanging off a water pipe. Josh is checking out my bike, when he gets back from work, a bike store in town, that sells "old-fashion"bikes, many of them cargo bikes for hauling big stuff from Europe.
We have great dinner together and exchange stories about our past touring and travelling experiences.
May 20, 2011 15.6km, 1.10hrs, 13.1km/h Emeryville to San Francisco
I have to pack everything in its proper place again after having put it all into different bags for the train ride. It takes me until noon before I'm ready to leave the apartment. I first cycle to a health food store. They tend to be about 50 times bigger here in the States than in Canada and it's hard for me not to stay in there for hours looking at all the goodies they have. Unfortunately I have only so much space in my panniers( or as it happens none!), so I can't do a "Costco" type of shopping. Then I'm riding to REI, the equivalent to MEC. I need to get a map of Adventure Cycling for the Pacific Coast. It's 3pm by the time I get to the BART Station to go to the center of San Francisco. The station I buy the ticket first doesn't have an elevator, so I go to Berkley Downtown Station. I could not find an elevator again and just as I start daring the escalator with my heavy bike- a 45 Degree angle!- a police man shows me the elevator across the street. Lucky! In the station waiting for the train I start talking with another cyclist, a commuter. He cycles every day 1 hour each way to and from work. He helps me find my way back out of the station in San Francisco. I'm looking for Josh's bike shop and they help me find a hostel.
I'm riding along the shore to the Fishermans' Wharf Hostel, a great ride in the evening sun.
I store my bike and walk along the shore to see the Golden Gate Bridge from far away. It's super windy and I'm glad my bike is locked away.
A young woman,( sorry Spring? I must have lost your contact info, can you send me an email? thanks!) I'm sharing the room with tells me about a great bike ride she did the day before over the Golden Gate Bridge to Point Bonita. So I decide to stay another day and do this ride.
 |
| Golden Gate in the sunset |
May 21, 2011 32.51km, 2.11hrs, 14.7km/h San Francisco-Point Bonita in Marine Headlands and back
I start cycling along the shore and can't believe my eyes. I have never seen so many joggers and cyclists in one place before. And they keep coming, all day long. I see a man with a pink colored poodle. I make my way over the bridge and just as I am almost over I decide to call my parents. It's my birthday tomorrow and in Germany it's almost the 22nd. My parents have been on this bridge 15 years ago and they have good memories of San Francisco. I haven't seen the Saxophone player they talked about though!
The road leads through a tunnel, an experience by itself. It's like cycling through a cave with Stalactites and Stalagmites both present.
Coming out on the other side is indeed like another world. The air is clearer and more moist, here is far less traffic and a lot of cyclists. It's just fun being here. The people working in the Information Center are super friendly and happy to chat. I get a free bicycle repair kit from them!
The way back is a bit more challenging, the wind is very strong now, but luckily not gusty. The one side of the bridge is reserved for cyclists, this is where I cycle back. Sometimes it's quite narrow, but no crashes!
After a late lunch I go out for a walk, this time towards Fisherman's Wharf. There is so much to see!
There are swimmers getting ready for a long swim in the ocean. On some stairs are a lot of people of all nationalities drinking wine and beer in public! I thought this was not allowed in the States. I'm going back there after my walk and have my red wine.
I enjoy the sunset on the stairs, plenty to look at.
 |
| Golden Gate Bridge |
HAPPY BIRTHDAY STEPHANIE!!!! May 22, 2011 39km, don't know the exact riding time, my odometer broke down , San Francisco to Montara
I'm getting lots of emails for my birthday, facebook is a nice reminder to people.
Thanks everyone for remembering!
The ride to Daly City and Pacifica is a partly pleasant ride along the ocean, partly too busy for my liking. 5 or so km of the last 11km to Montara is horrendous! The first part goes through a dense forest, very windy, no space on the side. A white pick-up truck( what else!) honks at me before he passes me within inches in high speed. Not 2 minutes later a group of motorbike drivers are passing me and one of them is coming so close to me, I can feel his breath in my neck. And he shouts at me, just as he is beside me! I shout and scream and swear puffing up the hill and swear to myself that I will not do this part of the ride ever again! Isn't it hard enough to cycle uphill! No you have to deal with people who send their death wishes at you!
I intended to go to a camp site, but after this day and the temperature dropping, I decide to check out the hostel, which I am just passing. I'm glad I have stopped. It used to be a lighthouse and they turned it into a hostel. Great place. And I'm lucky to share it with a few other very nice people. I have a nice evening and we are only 2 people in the dorm.
 |
| Just before the Hostel |
May 23, 2011 76.23km, 3.46hrs, 20.3 km/h Montara to Davenport
I start around 10:30am and have tale wind. What a pleasure! The wind is getting nice and strong, so my average is up high! The road is still busy. On the road I meet a couple of cyclists from San Francisco, they are on a weeklong tour along the coast. We talked for a while, then I get back on the road. Shortly after I see another cyclist. Micky is from San Francisco on a week long tour down to Santa Barbara. He had heard about the landslide after Big Sur and started planning this trip to enjoy that part of the road with very little traffic.
We have a brake and the other cyclists are catching up. We talk for a while, then cycle together. At some point they turn off to go to a camp site, they have come all the way from San Francisco today! I keep going, I haven't done so much yet. Just before Davenport my knee starts hurting badly, when I stop I can hardly walk. Finally it loosens up and I go into a restaurant in this 300 inhabitant little town that has a Sushi - Night on tonight and a Blues Band playing.
 |
| The view from the hostel looking north |
 |
| Great bike path |
 |
| It's windy! |
May 24, 2011 95.22km, 4.59hrs, 19.1km/h Davenport to Monterey
The pastry at the pub- they have pub, restaurant and bakery all together- is amazing! My breakfast is one filled croissant after another. Delicious and no regrets! I even get a muffin for the road.
The road is great, traffic is less now and often the road leads away from the busy highway. Parts of it go through fields of strawberries and artichokes. All these nice smells! And the tailwind is so strong, it pushes me along. That's why I'm able to do 19km/h!
As soon as I hit Santa Cruz I'm actually off the main road. There is only a 9 mile stretch that is on Hwy 1, the rest is on side roads or bike paths.
At some point I'm catching up with the young couple from San Francisco a bit further down the road, we have a cup of tea and enjoy each others company and some more pastries. They just scraped together everything they need for cycling and camping and even borrowed her dad's bike. On a trip like this you learn things like how important it is to have cycle shorts! I could not do 80 miles without them!!
Going into Monterey the last 10 miles are on a bike path. I've noticed, that around towns they often build proper bike paths, that lead away from the main road especially, where it tends to get really busy. The quiet of the bike path is so much more peaceful. There are mostly good sign posts for the Pacific Coast Route, though sometimes they make you use your brain and map, just so you can exercise that part of you as well.
May 25, 2011 63.4km, 3.45 hrs, 16.9km/h Monterey to Big Sur
 |
| Along the 17 Mile Drive around Monterey |
The little detour around Pacific Grove and the 17 Mile Drive has some nice beaches, but mainly you're cycling through a huge Golf Course. Back on Hwy 1 it seems less traffic than coming into Monterey.
The road ahead is closed due to a huge mud slide that happened in April. We are hoping to get through with our bikes, though we've heard they won't let anyone through except of a High School kid who lives on the other side of the slide. They let him through early in the morning and when the days work is finished and the slide is secured. He walks down on a rope to the beach, pass the slide and comes back up to the road on the other side. So I guess we can do that too?! But with the bikes?
We have breakfast at Carmel Highlands. Clouds come in pretty quickly and it starts raining. We wait it out and set off in light mist. Most of the day is rain jacket on and off, hard to say how you get more wet. I'm happy to stop at Big Sur, which is off the coast right in the hills. It's a nice change of scenery, there are lots of great big trees here.
 | ||
| Coast looking north |
 |
| Lots of great beaches! |
May 26, 2011 80km, 3.35hrs, 22.3km/h Big Sur to Ragged Point
Today is the day! The Big Crossing!
It's cold in the mountains, especially in the treed part of the road, but the sun is out and the first uphill gets you warmed up good! No rain jacket necessary today!
Tail wind again, pushing me along. The coastline is stunningly beautiful. Not much traffic and just pure pleasure riding here!
Passing Santa Lucia for lunch and stocking up water we get to Gorda in the afternoon. Over the day we keep asking people about the slide and what the chances are that we can get through. The closer we get, the bigger our chances are! At first there is no chance at all, impossible to walk through. There are 2 police men, one is the good, who doesn`t see you, one is the bad, who gives you a ticket!
Someone approaches us and tells us just before the slide is a red bag on a post, after which is a rope, where you can go down to the ocean. This is where the High school kid is going too. He says the workers finish work usually around 5pm and at 7:30pm they are mostly gone.
When we are at the barrier 2 cyclists are just coming from there and they say there is no police and they went to watch the work. Still not sure, but now it is more and more likely we actually will do the crossing.
We go through the barrier, cycle down to get closer to the slide. Once we see it, we hide our bikes and ourselves and wait. There are 2 backhoes working on the slide, some people walking around, 2 bulldozers going up and down the far side of the slide. Surprisingly a pick-up truck passes us going to the slide, we manage to duck, hoping they haven`t seen us!
We get company, someone on foot is coming towards us. We show ourself, hoping he's not one of the slide watchers. We're in luck, he's a tourist, wanting to cross the slide too, so he joins us. The 3 of us are hiding behind rocks and high grasses, having cold dinner, cheese, nuts, bread and mueslibars. A great view of the ocean and occasionally we check out the work on the slide. 2 motorbike drivers pass, when they come back we show ourself and we get some even better info from them. They tell us, that there will be a black Toyota pick-up truck coming from this side, parking and crossing the slide by foot. He lives on the other side of the slide. He`s the last to check that there is no one around anymore.
Eventually the backhoes stop working, people seem to walk down the far end of the slide. The black Toyota pick-up truck comes as promised and the driver crosses the slide by foot, he's going straight across. We get excited, that would be the easiest option! Well, easier than cycling a 3 day detour with 16% inclines or even easier than carrying the bikes and luggage down to the beach, carry everything over huge rocks and boulders and then somehow take it all back up to the road again.
Around 7:30pm, when there is no one left, we set off quickly. Changing sandals to shoes, unloading the bikes I start off with 4 small and one big Ortlieb bag. The first steps on the slope are scary, so are all the others! On the right is the ocean, far down a nice and smooth slope, on the left is the seemingly endless slope with little bits of gravel coming down constantly! My left arm is killing me half way through. I struggle with every step, I breath like I haven`t done any exercise for 10 years! Michael is behind me struggling too, but being patient with me, since it would be pretty hard trying to overtake.
Micky has taken his bike across, a nice and light racing bike, perfect for crossing a slide! He comes back to get more luggage, encourages me to leave one set of bags in the middle of the slide, because I can`t carry them anymore, he'll pick them up later. I make it to the far side much faster. Suddenly I can actually walk instead of setting down the bags every step. Micky goes back for the third time and gets my bike, a packhorse, not on the light side. All Michael and I can do is watch him struggle and take pictures. I grab the bike, Michael pulls Micky up and we all catch our breath.
Michael is going to camp out near the slope and we start riding in the sunset. We still have some light and have to make it to Ragged Point. With all that excitement we actually forget to look at the map to see how the terrain is for this part. Just as well, there is a pretty good hill ahead. On the downhill part is not much light left and it's getting quite chilly. I'm shaking of cold by the time we get to Ragged Point.
 |
| Great coast line and beaches |
 |
| The big Slide- or as we call it the Big Divide! |
 |
| It's even steeper than it looks! |
May 27, 2011 Ragged Point Hike
For me this is supposed to be a rest day. I haven't had a day off in 7 days and I have been going hard.
Well, my rest day consists of hiking up a mountain for 1 1/2 hours, then running down the hill in 45 minutes. It's been great, but I'm not sure about the "rest" part!
 |
| Looking north from Ragged Point, magic coastal route! |
 |
| Just south of Ragged Point |
May 28, 2011 80km, 3.35hrs, 22.3km/h Ragged Point to Morro Bay
Beautiful sunny day! I have time to practice Tai Chi at a great spot with sea view right above the cliff.
Eventually I set off around 2pm and fly with the wind! I cannot stop, the tale wind is too good to give up, so I go much further, than I thought I would.
The landscape is flattening out into a wide valley. But there are long beaches with hundreds of sea lions. It's really interesting watching them, I could stand there for hours!
 |
| No high cliffs anymore but many long beaches |
 |
| Do you see all the sealions? |
May 29, 2011 111.20km, 5hrs, 22.2km/h Morro Bay to Lompoc
Another tale wind day! I love to fly with the wind! This is my furthest I've ever done in a day! Thanks to the wind!
There are a few more hills today, but the wind helps me to cover this huge distance! But it's by far not as spectacular as on the coast around Big Sur.
 |
| heading into the hills after passing lots of agricultural land |
May 30, 2011 96km, 4.50hrs, 21.3km/h Lompoc to Santa Barbara
I've never had so many days of tale wind before! This coast is definitely a north-south route, I would not enjoy it the other way around. All the cyclists going north are frustrated, even consider taking the train for a bit or going inland to get out of the wind.
After a hill and a busy Highway I'm back on the bike path 10 miles or so before Santa Barbara. It's so good to get off the busy road.
Santa Barbara has a mountain range on one side, palm trees, a long sandy beach and it is actually warm here.
May 31, 2011 15.83km, 1.06hrs, 14.3km/h Santa Barbara
I take a rest day. I cycle around Santa Barbara, sitting at the beach, checking out the skate board/ bike park. I see some great performances!
 |
| Santa Barbara |
June 1, 2011 79.41km, 4.48hrs, 16.5km/h Santa Barbara to Ojai
I'm leaving Santa Barbara and cycle mostly on bike paths or a road that leads parallel to the Hwy. Not very scenic, but pleasant enough. Once I turn to the east on 150 it gets much nicer. This is all fruit growing area, Avocados, Oranges, Kiwis, some trees I'm not sure, what they are. Everything is very green. The climb starts immediately. It's pretty much 40 km of climbing with very few downhill parts.
In a village just before Ojai I buy some strawberries that are so sweet, I eat the whole package on the spot. I wish I had more space in my belly. At the fruit stand a man on his bike tells me about a shortcut to get into the mountains instead of going to Ojai itself.
I decide I like to see Ojai, since this supposed to be a place not unlike Salt Spring. It's all on bike path now and I see the turn off to the Campsite Camp Comfort. I don't make it over the road, the traffic is far too heavy, so I keep cycling into Ojai. I just cycle through, get to the turn off to get to the campsite. Creek Road is going along the creek and it gets darker and darker. Not from sunset though, the camp site is situated in a deep valley and I don't really like this place very much, not much of comfort for me. There is sun up on top and that's where I want to be.
I'm pretty indecisive about if I want to keep going into the mountains today and try and find a camp site. I've been riding plenty already and I'm getting tired. Also after riding with people most of the time I'm aware, that cycling alone can be quite challenging at times and right now seems much less fun than sharing this adventure. So I want some comfort and not be on a lonely campsite in the middle of nowhere.
I get to the start of the mountain road and see a cafe. Someone tells me about Oak View, where I could find some more affordable motels. So I cycle that direction until I realize it's a long way back. I ask again someone and she tells me about a couple of decent hotels in Ojai. Back I go the way I came from. By now I have probably added another 15km just in cycling up and down in Ojai.
The Visitor Center is closed. I keep asking people on the road, they pull out their magic cell phones with wifi and try to find where a hotel or motel might be. I keep cycling through town and find 2 hotels. The first one is 119$, the second one is 109$. I check in and go out right away to get a beer or wine. Almost immediately I meet Daniel again, the guy I talked to last. He tells me, he was looking for me. He had called his father after I left and I can stay with them, they live right in town.
I manage to get my money back from the hotel and go with Daniel to stay with his parents. We have dinner together and when we get back I meet Richard and Maria. They are lovely people. They live in a really interesting nice house ( they are on a garden tour every year), their house is covered in tiles that they make themselves. Everywhere in town you can see their tiles. Ojai reminds me of Salt Spring Island, it has about 8000 inhabitants and lots of very artistic people.
We sit together in the evening, I enjoy myself very much. Maria has baked some Rhubarb Cake, it smells so good. It`s her favorite and it seems difficult to get hold of rhubarb in this area. She shares the cake with us and I feel at home!
Richard is going back into the workshop to fire some tiles, Maria and I sit chatting. Funny how this happens, this is exactly what I needed, some good company. And there is Daniel who is just out of the Armee, caring enough to organize my stay. Thanks Daniel and thank you Richard and Maria for your true hospitality! It was really wonderful meeting you and your family.
 | |
| climbing has it's advantages! |
 |
| The entrance to Richards and Maria's house |
No comments:
Post a Comment