The sun came out late yesterday, but in time for this sunset from our table in the dining room. Either we missed it or there’s not much to Pacifica. But there was an excellent restaurant, Moonbraker, in the Best Western.
I was cold all of yesterday so dressed warmly today and had additional clothes on the bike. They weren’t needed; it was much warmer today. The 67 mile ride began with 600 feet of climbing in the first three miles. The rest of the day was “rolling”, although about 50% more elevation gain than we were led to believe. But we seemed strong and the miles rolled by. At about the mid-point in the ride we turned west for a break at a state park. It was there that I discovered the wind – strong – and at our backs. No wonder we seemed strong. 67 miles with a tail-wind; I’ll take that any day. Most of the day we were on Highway 1; if the ocean is on your right, you’re going in the right direction.
There were cyclists everywhere today: 300 riders somehow associated with Amgen Tour of California started a multi-day tour roughly parallel with ours; there was a large du-athlon in Santa Cruz; and the ever present Sunday North California cyclists. We rode several miles in residential areas along the Santa Cruz coast. The houses, both old and new, were well maintained. As we rode by the boardwalk area and then walked in the commercial/restaurant area we learned what a busy town this is. Overall, it looks like a great place to live. Of course it was hit bad by the 1989 earthquake. And, like all of California, it could all fall into the sea. Just any day now.
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1 comment:
We got rained out on this segment two years ago. I vowed to go back later and ride it, but that never happened. Pacifica, ny the way, is the fog capital of California. You were lucky to see any sun at all.
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