We had a good evening swapping stories with our young Vancouver friends and another cyclist from Montana who had also shared the site. There were two downsides to our evening. It got really cold. I always thought the temperatures were to be warmer as we went south. It is during the day but it sure as heck is not after the sun goes down and the sky is clear. We also had a 'really' and I stress 'really' strange guy on the campsite next to us. He was into the 'God Bless' this and 'God Bless' that! Heck, I was blessed a half dozen times...anyone who knows me understands that that particular ship passed a long time ago!!!
We were first to leave the campground hitting the road by 8:10 with the temperature hovering around 7 degrees. But one thing is for sure, it warms up here in Southern California quickly. By mid afternoon it was 27 degrees.
Once again we rode through one of California's vegetable and strawberry growing areas...particularly strawberries. We rode through hundreds and hundreds of acres. The fields went on forever...we rode for over 25 kilometers through these fields. It is astounding the scale of this considering that these berries are all picked by hand. Hundreds of people were picking. This area was far bigger than the area we rode through a few days ago. Even more interesting is that if they do not irrigate the do not grow.
We were fondly looking at the berries and hoping we would find a place to purchase some when we were flagged down by a guy on a motorcycle standing in front of a stand. He was munching on a large box of berries. He was from Lithuania and was riding a motorcycle from New York to San Francisco. He had been on the road for 5 weeks. He was an interesting character and simply wanted to share his berries with us and converse with someone who he probably considered crazier than himself.
The day had been nice and flat but as most days have been on this adventure that did not last. When a road is called 'Harris Grade Road' you have to know that something is coming that is not good for cyclists. We climbed for 4 kilometers up and over to get us to our destination in Lompoc. We are camping in River Park RV Park in the edge of Lompoc. It was supposed to have a Hiker/Biker Site but it was closed back in June. Funny how their website makes no mention of this...how difficult could that be to change? However, our young friends from Vancouver arrived and shared our site. We beat the system. Hiker/Biker Sites usually cost $5 a person. This site was $15 split four ways.
Trip Distance = 82.10 km. Time on the Bikes = 5 hours 26 minutes. Average Speed = 15.07 km. Wildlife Sightings = Gold Finches, Red Tailed Hawks, Turkey Vultures.
One Of The More Unique Gates We've Seen
"Strawberry Fields Forever"
If They Do Not Irrigate They Do Not Grow
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