Dave and Molly let me share their palacial 6-man tent, last night. I woke up well-rested, and ready to roll. My knee pain persisted, but after popping some aleve, swapping my pedals out, and making a few minor bike-fit adjustments, the pain had calmed from a dull roar to a minor annoyance. Hopefully in a few days' time it'll be all in the past.
If there's one thing to note, it's that this stretch of road has been less interesting than the last. Somewhere around mile 15 I resorted to taking a selfie in front of a barely-noticable bridge.
It wasn't all bad, though. When you're riding around on a bike, your ... *ahem* *straightens tie* ... poop tends to work itself out quickly. More the once I found myself anxious to find a place to take a civilized dump. In one such instance, I came across this small state beach with facilities at the ready:
Somewhere around mile 35 I came across this lighthouse. I thought the good people at Casa Di Amore would appreciate a selfie in front of it.
Not two miles down the road from the lighthouse was a sign that said "Brewery Ahead" to which I said (to myself) ..."You have my attention." I popped in and had a single beer. My knee hadn't acted up in a while, which was reassuring, so I think I just wanted a break. I sat next to an older couple eating dinner at the bar. Both were suprisingly interested in not only my trip, but my jersey. Since they were both somewhat-regular Vegas tourists, they mentioned wanting to check it out. (They went as far as to take a picture.) So, as of today, there's a photo of me wearing tights on a stranger's phone.
After leaving the brewery, I meandered down the 1 for a few more hours. Lots of beaches... lots of birds... lots of surfers. I did see one of those speed-check signs. I was going 15 at the time. That's right, ladies. 1-5.
When I finally made it into Santa Cruz, I was ready to stop. 61 miles on a regular road bike is nothing to write home about... 61 miles on a loaded steel tourer is another thing entirely. Since my grocery bag is mostly fruit, peanut butter, and pita bread, I decided to stop off for dinner at this little Thai place on the way into Brighton State Beach. By the look on the waitress' face, you would have thought I tried to sell her a bag of spent coffee grounds when I ordered my dinner spread.
"Is this all for you?"
"Damn skippy, lady. Chop Chop."
I didn't say that.
Her confusion was put at ease when I handily put away my order of pad thai, spring rolls, and fried banana ice cream. I snapped a picture while I was waiting on my food. I feel my facial expression accurately represents my energy level, at the time.
Tomorrow is going to be a shorter day (40 miles) to Veteran's Memorial Park, near Monterey. I'm half-considering making it a rest day. Who knows. Right now, my butt kind of hurts and my sleeping pad is calling my name.
Endurance - a great way to appreciate the value of...
ReplyDeleteGreat ride Sean!