Two Wheels in Transit: Cycling the Left Coast: What Time Is It Anyway?

Sunday, November 2, 2014

I was up at 6:00 this morning...no wait...Sue asks: "Did you remember to set the clock back last night"? I ask: "Why would I do that"? "Well it is daylight savings time" Sue says. I ask: "How do you know"? Sue says: "Well we talked about it last night over dinner". "Oh" I say. "I guess I missed that part of the conversation".

So we were on the road by 9:20...no I guess it was really 8:20. I am not sure about this time change. We will be able to leave earlier in the morning...Sue will not like that. But we will be in the dark by 5:30...I sure as heck will not like that.

Thirty minutes into our ride we stopped for our second breakfast...this being able to eat as often and as much as you like sure is nice. The rest of the ride can only be described as special. The riding was flat, the sun shone, it was warm (despite the fact that at 6:00 am or was that 5:00 am?...it was 7 degrees outside), it was a short riding day, the wind for the most part was in our backs, and once again we were riding through cattle country. (It is a mystery what these cattle are eating because absolutely nothing is green.)

The last 20 kilometers was along the coast again with the last 15 urban riding. We were treated to a ride through Cayucos, a town that is right out of the wild west movies. From Cayucos to Moro Bay was the longest stretch of sand beach we have encountered in California. I am sure there will be many more kilometers of beaches to come.

We arrived in Morro Bay and for once were able to navigate through an urban area without difficulty. We are camping in Morro Bay State Park Hiker/Biker. The young Vancouver couple that we have stayed with for the last 3 nights have also arrived. He is sporting a brand new tire that he is going to install in the morning. Another young cyclist that we have encountered a few times over the last couple of weeks has also arrived.

Trip Distance = 51.86 km. Time on the Bikes = 3 hours 35 minutes. Average Speed = 14.41 km. Maximum Speed = 44.03 km. Wildlife Sightings = Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Scrub Jay, Coots, Whimbrels, Turkey Vultures, Wild Turkeys, Hummingbird, Ground Squirrel, Owl (flying through the campsite just at dark).

P.S. This getting dark at 5:30 really "sucks"!!!