Day Two, Santa Cruz to King City

Day 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Full Day

Wow, what a full day. It was an uncut, directors edition with special features type of day. I woke without an alarm at 4:30 (8 hours after going to sleep) and rolled out around 7:30, but didn't get to camp until 6:45 pm. And it was mostly flat so I averaged 15.8 mph (despite the fact we left Santa Cruz during rush hour and averaged 10 mph for the first 15ish miles).

It's not that we were moving slowly; it's instead what they call a time-management problem. Lots on the agenda. In addition to the usual four rest stops, lunch, and water stop, there's the artichoke stand, the swimming hole, and the cookie lady. We did it all.

The time problem started at the artichoke stand. There were only two bathrooms (as opposed to the copious facilities at the "offical" stops) so the line was long and slow. Before you know it, they were waving the incoming riders past the stop and threatening to SAG us if we stayed. This became the pattern for the rest of the day: ride fast, stop and hang out, then get booted out. All in all it made for a great, fun-filled day.

Getting into camp so late has its drawbacks. After setting up camp and showering it was a race to get in and eat two dinners before they closed at 9 pm. Yes, two dinners. ALC and cruise ships: the two times it's acceptable to gorge. I still woke up hungry the next morning.