72km – 3197 in total

I woke up just before sunset and it was nice to be by the ocean to see the sun coming out from the distant mist. By the time I packed my stuff and had breakfast, things turned grey. It didn’t take long for the morning mist to burn off though and by 11 the sun was out again and the day was once again getting warm.

All five of us left together and didn’t take us more than a couple of hours to get to Santa Barbara. Half of the route was on the wide shoulder of 101, which is now getting busier the closer to LA it gets. By Goleta we moved to a smaller road within the town which took us right in to Santa Barbara. We got to Stearn Wharf and the pier and we said goodbyes as the guys wanted to move ahead.

I wanted to spend some time in Santa Barbara and ideally stay for the night as it looked like a rather vibrant place. Unfortunately the private hostel was asking a little too much for just a bed. I went off to see us much as possible, before heading to the next campground in Carpinteria 20km south.

All I knew about Santa Barbara, was the TV series my grandmother used to watch, but it is in fact a very beautiful place. It has a very nice historic center, right next to a beautiful beach full of tall palm trees. There is a big pier with various restaurants and the beach was busy with people of all types enjoying the sun. Some were there to expose their muscles, or synthetically enhanced body parts and others were just showing off their wheels. I had lunch on the grass by the beach, not far from a skate-park.

At the pier a man with his wife started a conversation with me and we talked about my trip. Mike and his family were visiting from the other side of the mountains. He wanted to help me find a place for me to crash in the area and he made a couple of calls to some of his friends in town, but without any luck.

State is the central street of the city, with several old Hispanic buildings, restaurants, theaters and bars old its length. I wondered around for a bit and had a short visit in the Art museum near by. There is also a big mission, but that was a bit further out, so I didn’t make it there.

In the afternoon, I got a response from a possible host from WarmShowers. Unfortunately he was in Goleta half way to the campsite I stayed last night further up north and I turned down the offer. At the time I wasn’t feeling like cycling negative kilometers and I thought I wouldn’t be able to spend the night in Santa Barbara anyways. Later in the evening I regretted it a bit, as I realized it is Halloween weekend and maybe it would have been fun to be with a local. Oh well… I am sure LA and Athens have loads of fun to offer in the next few days.

I had an ice-cream and left the town so I can make it to Carpinteria before dark. The route took me through some nice bike paths via Montecito. A high class neighborhood and a popular destination to get married. I saw at least 3 weddings in various resorts by the ocean.

The route continued on the old coastal highway which runs in parallel to 101, but barely has any traffic. I went through Summerland and an hour later I got to Carpinteria, an old surf town. The campsite is right by the ocean again and within walking distance from the town center. A decided to take the day off there tomorrow, possible the last one before arriving in Los Angeles.

 

54km – 3125 in total

I woke up at 7 and started getting ready. The other guys were ahead of me and went off, as they wanted to make it past Santa Barbara. As I was about to leave as well, the park ranger came in to check whether I had paid. He was a good man and he had let the whole group of 4 yesterday to stay at one spot for $5 all together. I said I staied with the same group and he didn’t take any more money. We started chatting and an hour later we were still talking and debating about politics. Even though we have completely different beliefs, it was interesting to hear Dave talking about the American Dream and his stance against the rest of the world.

I left the campground at around 10:30am and skipped the library that I was thinking of visiting for some internet access. Ahead of me I had a pleasant ride through the valley. Dry land, but also many trees and creeks on the way. My map indicated that there is a climb ahead of me. In fact the very last big hill of my trip. It was more gradual and easier than I thought, so I got at the top and smiled when I saw a road sign for the 7% grade of the coming downhill. I screamed and went down the hill at my highest gear, in an attempt to go as fast as possible for a last time.

Along with the end of the descent, there was the end of highway 1 as well, as it merges with 101. Over two long sections in north and south California, highway 1 has offered some of the highlights for this trip. Highly recommended for travels of any short and I hope I will find my self on it again.

Right after the merge of the two highways, I met with the ocean again and since Caviota State Park is there, I thought I would stop for an hour to have a look and eat lunch. The sun was out and it was nice by the water. Definitely a much better lunch spot than yesterday’s. Sandy beach, a pier and a rail track bridge behind me. A strange contrast was the three massive oil rig platforms far in the ocean.

There was a closed campground at Caviota and the park volunteer lady said it would be fine for me to stay there. But I had heard for another two spots a little further south. The lady was trying to convince me to go to El.Capitan, but I was more keen on the one before. I cycled for another hour and got to Refugio State Beach.

The tariff on this one is $10, but it is definitely worth it. The bikers-hikers area is under palm trees right by the beach. Only sand and a picnic table separate my tent and the ocean. Rigel, Arin, Bryan and Maggie were here as well. They stopped just for lunch, but they didn’t manage to leave the beach. The sun was warm and I finally went for a swim in the ocean. The campground was full of children, playing and screaming until night time. Some where trying to walk on a slack-line. I managed three steps.