Day 5: Pfeiffer Big Sur to San Simeon

Day Milage: 73

Trip Milage: 263

Strava GPS Report

The key to good blogging is to not repeat yourself. Fuck that, let's talk hills again:

For the record, I'm no hill weenie. I rode a century in April that had a 1500' climb. For that ride, I used my light, agile, aluminum / carbon road bike. I don't know that bike's weight off the top of my head, but I'm willing to bet one of my paniers weighs more. 

These climbs were (somewhat) demoralizing. Granny-gearing for miles on end can suck the life out of you. They would have beat me had I not eaten my weight in pita bread, cheese, and hummus. I survived to ride another day. 

I woke up with the sun, and enjoyed a coffee at the little shop by Pfieffer. The coffee was much needed. In fact, it was so needed that I actually started to enjoy the weird reggae music they were playing. Those that know me well know that I can't handle reggae music. 

Morning lift blend, indeed. 

I started to plan out the logistics of the day. I was either going to stop at 30(ish) miles at another state park about half-way through Big Sur... or, depending on how I felt, soldier on to Sam Simeon.

This ride was stupefyingly beautiful. I could ride this every day of my life, and never ever get bored of it. For example, Red Rock Canyon is beautiful, right? Sure it is. This coastal route is way out of Red Rock's league. Comparing the two is sort of like comparing Casablanca to Beverly Hills Cop 2. BHC2 is a great movie; I quote it often, but it's not a classic like Casablanca. 

I eventually made it to my first civilized stop after leaving Big Sur: Lucia, CA. At town represented by one store, and a small hotel/cabin setup.

As luck would have it, the only public bathroom here also happened to be the only one for ten+ miles. It also had a sizable line. The fact that we all seemed to have to poop made the interaction kind of awkward. 

As I was making a few minor adjustments to my bike, I heard a man shout:

"Hey! Are you from Milwaukee!?" 

I looked up, and said:

"Well, sort of. I went to college there." 

He had noticed my UWM jersey. I went on to mention that most of my paternal family lived in Janesville, WI... he and his wife nodded saying that they-too had lived in Janesville for some time. After mentioning my last name, they quickly said that they knew two girls around my age from Janesville with my last name. Turns out, those two girls were my cousins Megan and Jackie. They happen to be good friends with Jackie's boyfriend Seth. 

After saying "farewell," it occurred to me that I had actually eaten lunch at this exact restaurant with Jackie when we drove down the PCH together. They've since painted it, but that's two interesting coincidences involving the same person. (I hope you're reading this, Jackie.) 

Some time later, after passing the small town of Gorda, I started up the final of the "big" climbs of the day. I noticed a small car with Nevada plates pulling into a scenic overlook. A young couple hopped out of the car, and I said: "Hey, what part of Nevada are you from?" They looked flummoxed by my question. Standing firm in my initial assumption that this isn't a creepy quesiton, I repeated: "What part of Nevada are you guys from?" They responded in a thick German accent: "Vee just vented dis cahr." 

I guess that could have gone worse. 

I was releived to finally coast out of the mountains and into the central California low-lands. In no time, I started seeing signs for San Simeon. My friend Rob asked me to ask the Elephant Seals how they're doing. Don't worry, Rob. They're doing fine. They asked about your dog?

One tidbit of California political geography that messed me up for a few minutes was the fact that there are actually *two* San Simeons. (Sans Simeon?) The first one you happen across going south-bound is a tiny little street with a few old-looking buildings and a big pier. This pier wanted nothing to do me, or my kind: 

I've since landed in San Simeon, proper. After eating my weight in food, I'm going to hop up to the local state park to camp. Tomorrow should be an easy day --I'm headed to San Luis Obispo.