Travel Break

I took the family up to Cambria for a little beach time on the Central Coast. I left the trikes at home to give the new hips a break from pedaling. 

Byron, me and Leili

Carrie and me (of course)

Leili pointing out my 4 foot cairn that failed shortly.

Back at the Cambria Pines Lodge, Byron and Leili.

My daily 6:30 (in the morning) tea on the beach.

Central Coast Beach'n It

Started off Wednesday morning at 6:30 with my usual cup of tea at the beach and a mini cairn.

Ended up at Moonstone Beach later in the day.

With the nasty chip seal covering all parts North of Cambria (more on that later) my trike sat idle. Great for hanging the kids clothes to dry

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Thursday started off with morning rain and then it cleared up for another day at another beach.

Leili

Of course more cairns...don't ask why...I just like to...

No. 1

No. 2

Leili and Byron

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Today, Friday, last day to have my morning tea at the beach and...

and construct my final mini cairn. Now time to head home.

Central Coast Chip Seal

Started out my morning in Cambria at the beach with a cup o'tea and marking my territory with a cairn.




I headed out on my Catrike 700 at 9am and started riding North along Highway 1. WHAT WERE THEY SMOKING at Caltrans when they decided to resurface Highway 1 with chip seal. One of the most beautiful and popular rides along the California Coast has been destroyed by this coarse excuse for road maintenance. No consideration for cyclists just get it done cheap. Caltrans figured out that they screwed up big time and they are now in the process of trying to reverse some of the damage. Angry cyclists as well as motorists with cracked windshields from the loose chip seal rumble have voiced their disgust with the weak minds at Caltrans.
Before giving up on my northerly route I rode through a construction zone and managed to talk to a couple of the Caltrans crew. They admitted there has been much to say about the nasty new road surface and Caltrans is now trying to resurface some sections of the new surface. They managed to screw up 30 miles of highway from Cambria to the Monterey County line.
I had heard about the lousy new road surface and had even signed a petition without knowing how truly terrible the new road surface was until now. I didn't think it could be that bad, it was indeed a nasty ride on my 700. Even my Expedition would have a hard time with this stuff. You need suspension to enjoy this part of the coast. After a couple of miles I turned around and headed south. The chip seal stops at Cambria and the ride South is smooth going but more traffic.
(click here for my later post with more information)




The road South, no chip seal.




Taking a break on a side road before heading back to meet up with the family.

Central Coast Here We Come

Trike loaded and ready to travel to Cambria on the Central Coast.


Trike storage in the motel room at Fireside Inn, Cambria


Kids are happy to get away. Goofing after watching the sun set at Moonstone Beach.



Trike the coast tomorrow.

Time to Get Away

From last year's Central Coast vacation

It's time to get away and take the family and trike up the Central Coast to Cambria. By no means is it too soon coming...I want a break from riding around my home where the noise of traffic is not an option but a constant reality. Riding the Central Coast during the Spring offers great scenery and minimal traffic.

A quiet street

At home there are quiet stretches of riding and nice rest stops along my normal routes where the din of the traffic can be left behind for awhile but only for awhile. The rest of the time it's the buzz of cars accented every now and then with some character who feels it's funny to gun their engine right beside me and race off. Yesterday my speakers weren't charged so I wasn't able to white wash the traffic noise with my usual tunes, instead I was serenaded with the sound off buzzing engines and altered mufflers on oversize cartoon cars.

A quiet place for a rest

Next week I'll load up the family and my Catrike 700/20 and head up the coast to Cambria just south of Hearst Castle. I'll take a couple of day rides up and down the coast from Cambria while Carrie and the kids take advantage of my absence. 

Central Coast 2012

Central Coast Vacation

The Expedition is strapped to the top of our car and we're ready to head off to Cambria for some family fun and a little riding along the central coast of California...for me at least.

DAY 1 

As is my custom no matter where I  may be I start off my day with a cup of tea. This morning, at a respectable 6:30am, I become one with the fog at  Moomstone beach watching the harbor seals laying on the rocks doing what they do best...nothing.

Eventually I got my rear end off the sand and prepared for a ride up the coast. By 9am, with the fog still hanging around, I pedaled away form our digs at the Fireside Inn. It's a nice motel adjacent to the beach. I took a straight shot up the coast to the old abandoned Piedras Blancas Motel aptly named after the local historic light house. Tours of this old historic lighthouse are offered through the Piedras Blancas Light Station Association. 
The sun is finally starting to show itself and I can start taking off layers. I headed back after hitting the Piedras Blancas Motel. Going North beyond the remains of the old motel brings you to the hills of the Los Padres National Forest and eventually Big Sur. This is a challenge for another day. On the way back I stop to take a look at the elephant seals in all their blubbery glory. Next stop the pier at San Simeon State Beach. for a quick break to relieve myself of my morning tea..

After a few more stops to take in the awesome coast views I finally make my way back to the Fireside Inn and spend the rest of the day with the Carrie and the kids.
The ride ended up to be 27 miles of easy coastal riding with gentle hills that accounted for a little over 1,000 feet of elevation gain. 

Enjoying my first early morning on the beach.

Heading north along Highway 1.

The old abandoned Piedras Blancas located just South of the steep hills of the Central Coast.

Only the best facilities. This is a common place for cycle tourists to take a break. It's also a popular spot for us day riders to take a rest stop and then head back down the coast.

Headed South.

Done for the day. Charging the DiNotte lights on the patio of our humble motel room.

Day 2
Family day, no riding. I'll get one last ride in tomorrow...or so I thought... before heading home.

My usual morning tea before waking up the kids.

At a beach near Hearst Castle I mark my territory with a cairn (man made pile of rocks used to mark a trail or as a monument). 

Oh yeah...the kids are impressed.

Kids and Carrie

My turn to get in the pic.

The kids on the boardwalk at Moonstone Beach.

End of the day.

Day 3
I was all ready to get a ride in this morning before heading home. The fog gave way to clouds that were starting to make the morning a little damp. So we called it a weekend, packed our bags and headed home.

Last morning on the beach.

Mini cairns marking my preferred tea drinking rock. I built these four little jems up over the course of three mornings while having tea and no one knocked them down. Au contraire someone had actually added their own cairns to my collection on top of my tea table rock.
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Ride with GPS