Itinerary – October 17 – Ventura to Santa Monica – 55 miles (gain/loss 1,300’) Southern California ambience dominates the route today. In the morning, we ride through urban areas and farmland before reaching the scenic northern Malibu coast. As we get close to the actual town of Malibu, the road gets busier and we see […]
Day 7 – Tuesday 16 October – Lompoc to Ventura
Itinerary – October 16 – Lompoc to Ventura – 85-90 miles (gain/loss 3,100’) A long day, but most of the riding is relatively level along the coast. We start the day along an isolated stretch of Highway One meandering through rural areas before joining US 101 for significant stretches around Santa Barbara. US 101 is a […]
Day 6 – Monday 15 October – San Luis Obispo to Lompoc
Itinerary: October 15 – SLO to Lompoc – 60 miles (gain/loss 3,600’) Most of the cycling today is inland through pretty agricultural areas with small towns. One of the larger single climbs (Harris Grade) of the trip challenges us toward the end of the day, but we are rewarded with a long fun descent into […]
Day 5 – Sunday 14 October – Cambria to Obispo
Itinerary: October 14 – Cambria to San Luis Obispo (SLO) – 45 miles (gain/loss 2000’) In the morning our route sticks close to the coast and winds through the picturesque towns of Cayucos and Morro Bay before skirting Morro Bay National Estuary. There is a great option out and back to Montana de Oro State […]
Day 4 – Big Sur to Cambria – Saturday October 13
Itinerary: October 13 – Big Sur to Cambria – 70 miles (gain/loss 5,100’) The hills of the Big Sur coast get even bigger for the first 50 miles of today’s ride. You are either climbing or descending virtually the entire way, with Highway One often carved right out of cliffs that rise over 1000’ above […]
Friday 12 October – Day 3 – Monterey to Big Sur
Itinerary for October 12 – Monterey to Big Sur – 45 miles (gain/loss 3,200’) Today’s ride begins with a side trip out to scenic 17 Mile Drive to experience the storied golf courses of Pebble Beach. We’ll continue through Carmel, enjoying its white sandy beach and beautiful mission. South of Carmel, we enter the fabled Big […]
Thursday 11 October – Day 2 – Santa Cruz to Monterey
Itinerary: October 11 – Santa Cruz to Monterey – 45 miles (gain/loss 2,300’)From Santa Cruz to the Monterey Peninsula the coastal route weaves through farmland (watch for artichokes!) and along scenic dune areas with long stretches on bike paths. With the shorter mileage today, you’ll have plenty of time in the afternoon to explore the […]
Ready, Steady …….Go! Wednesday 10 October
The below is what our itinerary states that we should embark on today: San Francisco to Santa Cruz – 85 miles (gain/loss 3,900’) From San Francisco (Hyatt at Fisherman’s Wharf), our biking odyssey begins with an out and back on the Golden Gate Bridge and then rides through the Presidio and down to Half Moon […]
Travel and Tourist Days – Monday & Tuesday 8 & 9 October
Monday 8 October. Alan and I got picked up around 7.30/7.45 am by my brother-in-law Leon (thanks Leon) who squeezed two bike boxes and two pieces of luggage plus hand luggage into his car and we set off on a pretty slow journey to the airport. (Richard R and Craig are already in the USA, […]