I started on Sunday and have now (Friday) made it to Santa Barbara, where I am staying with friends.
I've averaged over 70 miles per day (not counting today's 20 total miles) and spending about 6 hours in the saddle (taking up most of each day). My itinerary has followed my initial plan:
Day 1: Montera to Santa Cruz (70 miles)
Day 2: Santa Cruz to Big Sur (70 miles)
Day 3: Big Sur to San Simeon (70 miles)
Day 4: San Simeon to Oceano (next to Pismo Beach) (62 miles)
Day 5: Oceano to El Capitan State Beach (20 miles north of SB) (80 miles)
Day 6: El Capitan to Santa Barbara (20 miles)
I plan to rest tomorrow and then it is off again on Sunday to LA and beyond. I intend to arrive at my final destination, Laguna Beach, on Tuesday. This is a day earlier than my original plans, due to leaving a day earlier.
While my thighs are sore, they are not the main source of bother. It is my gluteous muscles that seem to be the worse for wear, as well as some unknown connective tissue between by upper thighs and my pelvis bone (this is a guess). The main pain is the compression of my gluteous muscles when I sit down and the pain in my upper thighs when I stand back up.
The hardest day, by far, was the ride from Big Sur to San Simeon. There were three major climbs, the second of which was the killer. In fact, I felt the hill gods would only let me get to the top if I admitted that the hill was tougher than I was. Shortly after admitting this, both to myself and out loud, I crested the hill! I was only able to do the last 20 miles of flat terrain to San Simeon because of a major tailwind that pushed me at up to 20 miles per hour!
That said, this was also the most joyful part of the trip. Starting in Big Sur, riding the wild coast in the full sun, with almost no car traffic was so inspiring that it was hard to contain all the joy I felt. It was only later in the day, when the hills disappeared that fatigue overcame the joy.
After San Simeon, the terrain goes flat, the traffic becomes steady and speedy and the inspiring views turn to agricultural vistas. Also, the small towns become cities, where riding a loaded bicycle becomes more difficult and much less fun.
However, not all of it is druggery. The ride from Morro Bay to San Luis Obispo was mostly spent on a deserted road with the wind at my back. The next day (Wednesday), I road from Lompoc to the ocean through some stunning coastal hill landscapes that I really enjoyed. In 15 miles, I gradually gained about 900 feet (again, with the wind at my back). In 2 miles, I lost it all in a 7% grade that was straight down! I hit 42 MPH leaning hard on the brakes!!
The trip from there to Santa Barbara is on 101. It is noisy and seems a bit dangerous to be that close to cars, SUVs, and 18-wheelers going 60+ MPH. But, I made it without a problem. There is even worse 101 riding south of here that I have done before!
My bike has performed wonderfully. It has needed no attention and provides a smooth ride. It easily moves through the gears under load and the "granny" gear has come in handy several times every day.
A few people have commented upon seeing me, but, for the most part, touring bikers is such a common sight as to be unremarkable. It is nice not to have to talk with ever one I see, and the conversations that I have had have often elicited useful local information.
I (and my lower body) are happy to be resting. In the past few days, I have been consuming huge amounts of food and usually wanting more when I was done with a meal. Even after only riding 20 miles today, it seems I can't eat enough to satisfy my hunger. I'm sure that Mike and Danuta, my Santa Barbara hosts, were not quite prepared for the eating machine they invited to spend a few nights! I wonder how long the biking appetite lasts?
I've taken lots of pictures that will probably either look like trees, ocean, rolling hills, or my bicycle. When I get back to SF, I will try to put all this in a web-site for general viewing.
Thanks for listening!
Ray