73km – 2729 in total

I took advantage of the hostel’s free breakfast, eating multiple pancakes, oatmeal and fruits.I spent another half an hour, trying to fit all the food I bought for the next three days into my panniers. By 10am I was on the road and as suggested by a couple of people I took the long coastal road around Monterey, Pacific Groove and Carmel.

Monterey’s pier is a big tourist attraction. The hostel was located in a more casual neighborhood. Leaving in the morning, I started my day with an easy ride in a bike path next to the ocean. The beaches were full of wild life and there was a strong acidic smell in the air.

Pacific Groove can easily be renamed to Golf City, with more golf buggies on the road than cars, driving from private land in to private beaches.

Carmel is the high end resort of the area, with one villa after the other right next to the scenic coast. Its center is cute with several century old buildings, but a little too varied in style, so the whole town all together, lacked a distinct character. I bought an overpriced sandwich for later and started climbing toward highway 1.

The temperature raised to 28c and the hills on the dry coast were getting steeper and steeper. Over the past week, everyone had been telling me about Big Sur, so my expectations were high. That kept my motivation high, so I found my tempo and slowly went through dozens of hills right by the rough coastline. On every other left turn, there was a view point to the ocean, where everyone including my self would stop to gaze and take a photo or ten

I even saw Mike the Biker in one of the stops, so we had another chat for a bit. Next stop was next to a long cement bridge, that apparently is usually featured in car adverts.

Just before the hunger kicked in, I picked the tallest hill along the coast and set it as my lunch spot. Half an hour later I got there, I unpacked my sandwich and a few other bits to eat. It had a nice view, but it wasn’t really a picnic area. It was really a stop over, so my spectacle was mostly all the cars pulling over for 2 minutes to take a photo and move on.

Right after that hill, I approached the area of Big Sur. It started off very dry without any vegetation. At some point firefighters were burning down the dry grass for miles in a farmland. The route moved inland and as I approached the Big Sur river within a small valley, I suddenly entered into a dense redwood forest.

I was in the Pfeiffer Big Sur State Part heading to the campground. For some reason I had a different idea in my mind. I was expecting the campground to be on the bare hills looking at the ocean, but instead it was buried within the forest. At first sight I was a bit let down. It didn’t have the view I was expecting and the facility was a bit overbuilt, with a restaurant and a lodge at the entrance. Not exactly the remote destination I had in mind. After I set my tent though, I went around for a walk and I came across the beauty of the place. The river by the campsite and the nature around it create a magical place. At night, while having dinner at the picnic table, a whole family of deers came by to say hi. I will be taking tomorrow off to explore the area a bit further.

87km out of 2656km so far

I woke up earlier than normal, in an attempt to make use of as much daylight as possible, now that the days are getting shorter. But of course there is always something to delay my start. I can’t complain though, as Bill the biker, offered to cook breakfast for me and another cyclist. He is cruising the coast with his dog Miss Bella, on a Harley pulling a small camper’s trailer that can carry everything but a sink. He mentioned that his grandmother was Greek, so it made it easier to bond.

I left the campground at around 10am and continued on the coastal road for a bit.

It didn’t take long for the route to take me a few kilometers inland, so I lost the view of the ocean. I spent a good couple of hours cycling next to vast farmlands. Despite what I wrote yesterday about the smaller, organic and more varied farms, today it was the exact opposite. Fascinating to see how much plastic is used in farming. An entire valley covered in black film. Some signs on the way warm for toxic pesticides. I am assuming they are pumping chemicals into the ground to make it fertile again. Just a bit worrying that the soil is considered toxic, when it’s ok to eat what comes out of it.

After the farming back roads, I moved to Moss Landing, a small coastal town next to the end of Elkhorn river. I stopped by the state park, hoping to see some condors. Bill mentioned yesterday, I may see some in the area. Unfortunately I didn’t have any luck. It was hot and I was getting hungry, so I stopped for dinner at a small restaurant by the power plant, for some calamari.

A few kilometers down the road, I joined a bike path that took me all the way to Monterey, my next destination. At first it went through some not so interesting areas, but then it moved closer to the coast and the big dunes of the Sand City. The aloe plants all around me were like a colorful carpet going from green, to red, to black. A surfer kid I was talking with earlier, mentioned that they are good to make small wounds heal faster.

I got to Monterey and checked in at the hostel of the town. Tomorrow I am heading to Big Sur, which is a remote area stretching for more than 100km. I needed some food supplies and prepared a few things for the next couple of days. After a shower, I went back out to have a closer look to the town and have some dinner. The town has an old part right by the water, with the old factories where they used to tin fish. A really nice town, but at parts if felt very touristic. I guess I am a tourist, so that’s ok.