First Post: 7:45 AM
Picture of Bixby Creek Bridge.
I am about to start day three. Day two was wonderful, but it did end with a surprise. After dinner I rode to Pfeiffer Big Sur Campground. This is a beautiful camp in the redwoods along the Big Sur River. When I arrived the camp was closed. They are doing restoration after the fires from last year. The campground was not damaged, but many of the areas with trails in the hills were. The next campground was miles down the road or back up north. Fortunately, the campground also has a lodge, with cabins, and these were not shut down. In the end I had a comfortable room in the trees with deer wandering around at dusk. Now it is time to hit the road. Being in a room allowed me to get all the equipment charged up. Hopefully it will last the next couple of days.
Morning - Afternoon:
The morning began with a long climb, but then I had a long coast downhill. That is how most of the morning has been. Ups and downs. I did have to stop and wait for about 20 minutes due to some construction. At first I was frustrated losing time, but after all the cars went by I had the road to myself for the next 30 minutes while the next batch of cars waited. This made the whole ride along the coast this morning light with traffic. See, what seems like a set back can really be a gain. Now I am having lunch in Lucia. This is a town with just a store, a restaurant, and a little motel. As I ride south, I will be going by a big fire in the mountains. It has not affected the highway, but I can see the smoke in the Santa Lucia Mountains.
Questions to come soon.
I left Lucia, and the ride ahead proved to be one of the best and the hardest I have ever had. After I finished lunch, I enjoyed the coast for a wonderful stretch. The fire was up in the mountains, but it was not a problem along the road. I did watch the helicopters hovering over the ocean to fill giant buckets of water. The first twelve miles of the afternoon were ideal. The road rolled gently, and the weather was comfortable. I stopped in Gorda to get some Gatorade because the sun was warming up. A rest there for a few before I began a grueling stretch of terrain. The next ten miles drained me. The first few were actually delightful. I coasted down a long hill and rode along the water with the waves crashing up nearby. I had to pay dearly for that first few miles. The next two were up and up and up. In a matter short distance I had to gain 800 feet. Every time I thought the next curve was the top, I was fooled. My legs groaned at each new corner. It was a slow, draining climb, and once I made it I had a descent of 400 feet. Yippee! Of course the opposite of descent is acsent, and I had to pay back with another steep climb. Finally I arrived at Ragged Point. There I rested, ate some food and simply stood up for a while. I still had twenty miles to go. The remaining journey proved to add energy rather than take it away. I rode through rolling pastures with cattle grazing. When I reached the coast I went by the Piedras Blancas Lighthouse, and as evening set in, I watched pelicans diving for dinner. I looked along the beach at log after log of bleached driftwood - but wait, the driftwood moved! These were not logs, they were sea elephants, and there were hundreds of them over several miles.I pedalled past Hearst Castle, and I contacted a friend who used to work at Castaic. She met me for dinner, and we visited for a while until it was time for me to go to camp. In camp there were two brothers who were cycling from Canada to Mexico. We visited and shares stories about our trips. Now, I am getting ready for bed, but first I have some questions.
Questions:
Lower grades:
1. I rode past several mountain springs where water flows out of the earth. Can you think of 5 words that rhyme with "spring?"
2. Today I saw sea elephants. What kind of animal is a sea elephant? Tell me about them.
Upper grades:
3. Look at a map and name three towns along Highway One that are between Monterey and Cambria.
4. Each time my wheel goes around I travel 7 feet. How many times does my wheel have to go around to tracelvone mile? You will have to concert a mile into feet.
Everyone:
5. What does "piedras blancas" mean?
6. I passed Hearst Castle today. It was built by William Randolph Hearst.What businesses did he own that made him rich? His father George started the family fortune with the Anaconda and the Comstock. What were these?William's mother, Phoebe, was a founding member of a very important organization. We have one at our school. What is the name of this organization?
