73km – 2861 in total

The night was surprisingly warm, even if my tent was right by the ocean. Maybe it was the overnight fog that trapped the heat. Despite the heavy fog in the morning, it didn’t feel humid and my tent was dry. That was good news to me, so by 9am I was gone for another wonderful day.

For the most of the morning I was within the clouds that kept the visibility low, but the excitement high as they would occasionally reveal the view behind them. I could see the mist hitting the coast and climbing up the cliffs.

I had about half a bottle of water left and I was expecting to refill at Gorda just 10 kilometers south, before reaching the two long hills of the day. Unfortunately the couple of stores and the whole area didn’t have drinkable water. I filled one bottle anyway and for the first time I used these drops I have to purify it. I think it worked, or maybe I should confirm tomorrow.

Next stop was Ragged Point. I was expecting something as basic as Gorda, but it seemed to be the opposite. A big resort is built there, together with a few restaurants and bars. There was even a live band playing music outdoors in the middle of the day. The view to the north is spectacular which justifies why it’s so popular.

I am getting married today!

View from Ragged point

By that time, the morning fog had almost disappeared and I was debating whether to have my picnic lunch by the live band, or move on to a nicer location. The music was cool, but it couldn’t fit with my state of mind at the time, so I left. Going downhill was great and after that last hill the scenery changed all together.  The mountains moved further inland and I enjoyed a long stretch of flat road, with the aid of some pleasant tail wind. I was cruising with minimal effort and it was nice.

At some point I saw a group of people flying remote controlled glider planes right by a short cliff, taking advantage the ocean currents. They were flying back and forth, very fast and quite. I thought about having my lunch break there, but it was too windy, so I moved on.

I went on for a few more kilometers south at Point Piedras Blancas and I finally found a spot worth hanging out for half an hour to eat. The beach was packed with sea Elephants. Hundreds of them were sleeping at the beach while throwing sand on their massive bodies. Some where still swimming nearby, others were fighting. It was like I was watching a live documentary.

I moved on to San Simeon and the MoonStone Beach which had some nice cute houses right by the ocean. My destination was Cambria and I was planning to stay at the hostel to recharge after 3 days in the wild. Check in was at 5pm so I had an hour to go around the nice town. They have a scarecrow festival and every single house or business has a different scarecrow at its front porch. Some of them were hilarious and I could dedicate a whole post just for them. It’s obvious that people put a lot of effort into them.

Don’t text and drive

At a vintage store

I went back to the hostel to find out that they currently don’t have dorms. There was a private room which was really nice, but a lot more expensive than what I was expecting to pay. In the end he left me put my tent in the back yard for $15 and let me use the facilities and have breakfast there in the morning.

At the hostel

47km – 2788 in total

Since I went to sleep relatively early, I managed to get ready and leave the campsite by 9am. I did a couple of kilometers lap inside the campground to warm up, as the big hill started right outside the gate.

Morning view of the creek

It took me 40 minutes at the lowest gear to get up at the top of the hill and see the ocean again. But the ocean wasn’t there any more. It was hidden by a thick layer of morning mist. Inversion is very common in this area, as the cold ocean winds meet the warm land and condenses.

Right at the top, there were a couple of restaurants at prime locations with amazing views. One of them is the famous Nepenths. So many different people had suggested me to have a look, so I stopped for a second breakfast, by the warm sun and the best possible view of the foggy ocean. Apparently Rita Hayworth and Orson Welles used to own the land over there.

Right opposite the restaurant there is a gallery. The modern building looked very interesting, so I thought I would go and have a closer look to the sculptures.

I moved on and enjoyed a long downhill ride through windy roads, occasionally dipping under the clouds. The mist was just adding another element to the already spectacular scenery. Even if I couldn’t see the beach under the cliffs, I could hear the ocean and the crashing waves.

House with view

I stopped at the Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park for a very short hike to see the waterfall by the beach. Of course I couldn’t see anything, but the walk it self was nice.

The beach is barely visible

I continued to the south, through more windy hilly roads. The fog had burned out by noon. My destination wasn’t that far today, due to the lack of campground in the area. I didn’t mind, as I still have plenty of days to get to Los Angeles, which is now less than 500km away.

Look at this beast

I had two options for campsites. The first at Limekiln State Park has showers, but no hikers/bikers and the regular sites are at $35. The second option was 5km south to Kirk Creek National Forest Park which doesn’t have drinking water and showers, but has bikers/hikers. As the location of the first one wasn’t as appealing under the highway bridge, I filled up all my bottles and moved on. It was the right decision, as the campsite is what I was expecting to find at my first day in Big Sur. The spot was right by the cliffs overlooking the ocean. Apparently even if it’s a very primitive site, it’s one of the most popular ones and it was actually full for the day. Thankfully that’s not an issue as a cyclists, as they can never turn us down. It may not have a shower, but it does have a creek near by. Since the sun was still out and warm, I went for a dip in its fresh water.

After the tarantula, there are also dangerous plants

The spot

Look at this VIEW!

As the sun was setting, the mist slowly came in again. It’s almost full moon tonight, but I am not so sure how much of that I will be able to see.

The full moon rises