Day Four, Paso Robles to Santa Maria

Day 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Beach Towns and Tailwinds

Today was a much better day. The allergy treatment worked, and now eye drops are a regular part of my rest stop regimen. Also, Benedryl is my new best friend.

It's a day of transition. The half-way point on the ride. Several miles later we cross from NorCal into SoCal. And shortly thereafter we entered Santa Barbara County, where we'll be for the next two days.

Beginning in Paso Robles we headed out to 34 toward Hearst Castle for a stretch known as the Evil Twins. I guess this is because there are two major peaks but the reality is that there are like 7, so you really don't know when you're done. Shortly after this there is a vista point where they hang up 'half way to LA' signs to take pictures with Morro Bay in the background. We skipped the lines for the picture with the sign and got some shots off to the side quickly, eager for the heavenly 7 mile descent down to the coast. A few miles later and we're in Cayucos, a lovely little beach town. Then Morro Bay, where I was able to grab a new battery for my bike computer.

Going into Morro Bay there is this amazing vista as you descend into the town, with a beautiful view of the coast and the ocean. By now the route is familiar when I see it but I often forget what is going to happen when- so that was a pleasant surprise.

Such an interesting progression because you go from Cayucos to Morro Bay to Pismo Beach, each distinct beach towns with cute landmarks and architecture and high points. Then we hit Oceano, "gateway to the dunes"- apparently the only state beach in CA where it's legal to drive on the beach. Now, maybe it's just a trick of the route but the part of Oceano we see is not that picturesque. Pretty much the dunes, train tracks, and a trailer park. Oh well, they can't all be Shangri La, I guess. And now I know where to drive my dune buggy!

Lunch was a Cuesta College, and my tentmate Shawn was talking up how much he loves that stretch, so today I saw it with newe eyes. You can't see the ocean, so I would just consider it filler, but after Shawn's comment I realized it's got some great views of California farmland. Plus it's a rural road with very little traffic. The stretch after lunch was pretty great too.

Rest stop 3 was only 11 miles later, we stopped to refill, but then we blew past the water stop, giving us a 21 mile stretch to rest stop 4, the last section of which is a really annoyingly harsh stretch with severe crosswinds. I was expecting more of the same between rest stop 4 and campn, but for the most part we had massive tailwinds which made it easy to sustain 25 mph on the flats. In retrospect, Shawn and I both felt that the afternoon was way better today than in past years. I averaged about 16 mph today over the 97 mile ride. Yee-haw!

Back in camp around 5:45 and before you know it, we're showered, unpacked (with thanks to our gear + tent guy Derrick for setting up our tent, which was unexpected and totally appreciated), and eating dinner. It's 8 pm already and time for bed soon I hope!