Capture the tent!

     First of all, I’m sorry that I haven’t updated the blog in a few days.  In fact, when someone working non-stop on the presidential campaign has time to post a comment (thanks Rebecca), it’s a pretty good sign I am not being diligent enough.  We had internet access two days ago at the Santa Cruz public library.  Tragically, the internet (and the library) closed before I could complete the post. 

     Since my last post, much has happened, including an unexpected game of capture the tent.  As I explain below, Andrew and I got a late start on his first day, and we had to set-up camp in the dark at Half Moon Bay.  To complicate matters further, it was incredibly windy.  Andrew set-up the tent, but, as we tried to attach the fly (the fly goes over the tent), the tent blew away!  Andrew had the fly in hand, so I was left to sprint after the tent.  Unfortunately, sporting cycling cleats and feeling the lingering effects of a sprained ankle while traversing uneven turf in the dark, I did not sprint after the tent.  Andrew says I waddled after it!  Bottom line: I recovered the tent.*

      Amidst games of capture the tent, we have had an exciting 4.5 days of riding since leaving San Francisco.  In total, we’ve biked 226.5 miles during this stretch with four 1,000 ft. climbs in the last two days of riding alone.  Though the climbs have been a bit tough, the views and weather have been oustanding.  From Monterey to San Simeon (where we are staying tonight), there is barely any development, and the road literally hugs cliffs that plummet down to the ocean.  To go along with that, we have enjoyed clear skies, warm weather, and, for the most part, minimal wind.

        Along with challenging but beautiful riding, we have had a few interesting and somewhat comical experiences:

1. Leaving San Francisco — easier said than done

     The plan was to leave San Francisco fairly early on the morning of the 9th.  Things did not go entirely according to plan.  Andrew was staying with a good friend from high school in Michigan, and he was making his way into the city to meet me.  He called me around 9 to let me know he would arrive at 11.  Being the industrious cyclist that I am, I went back to bed for an hour and woke-up to eat breakfast and watch entourage around 10.  Lo and behold, at 10:30, Andrew calls to tell me he is almost at the apartment, and I say, “Well, I guess I should start packing.”  Oops. 🙂

       A couple hours after Andrew arrived, we finally got on the road.  The problem was we had to bike out of San Francisco, which, between the hills and traffic, is not an easy task.  We took a not so brief bike ride over the Golden Gate Bridge (absolutely spectacular) and then returned to the route for our 30 mile ride to camp.  Unfortunately, the route consisted of extensive climbing and a few key turns, one of which I missed.  Long story short, we made it to camp with just a hint of light left on the horizon.  Not the safest biking conditions and not a scenario we intend to repeat.

       Though I undoubtedly was largely at fault for our late arrival, I just think that San Francisco is a tough place to leave.

2. More animals!

        Two nights ago in Monterey, we packed our food (cheerios, cliff bars, and granola bars) into one of the panniers on Andrew’s bike.  Shockingly, animals undid the panniers (this entails undoing buckles and loosening draw strings) and ate our food.  We were angry because the cliff bars had about 2,000 calories! 

3. Wild Bill

         While on a spring break trip to CA last April, we met a guy named “Wild Bill.”  An acquaintance of ours remarked, “doesn’t every place have a wild Bill?”  Well, we met our wild Bill for this cycling trip.  While biking down Big Sur (the first of our four 1,000 foot cimbs), we met a man named Bill who has been biking 35 miles a day around the country for six years.  What makes him wild is that he has seizures occasionally but continues to bike.  More power to him!

          Now, as we make the transition from central to northern California, so too does the terrain change from steep ascents and descents to primarily flat land.  With friendly terrain, we should cover a lot of ground and expect to reach the outskirts of Los Angeles on Thursday night where we will stay with our good friend from college, Mike Badgley. 

          Between now and then, I promise more frequent updates and hope to retain our food and tent.

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*The tent got stuck on a sign, which allowed me to recover it.