39km out of 2504km so far

The night was cold and my thermometer went down to 6c sometime before dawn. The humidity was also very high and my tent was dripping water in the morning, but luckily the morning sun was strong, so by the time I packed my stuff and had breakfast it was all dry and crisp.

Some friends dropped by to say good morning

I left the campground and I went by the town of Half Moon bay which was a little to the east of the highway. I think the southern I go, the more nice towns with influences from Mexico I find. Public plazas and churches are now very frequent, adding more character to the towns. There happened to be a contest for the biggest pumpkin in the central plaza. I didn’t go within the crowd to have a closer look, but from the distance I noticed a small crane lifting one giant pumpkin. Over the past couple of days, I keep seeing farms full of pumpkins. Halloween is just around the corner, so everyone needs one.

We need many of these

Maybe you can spot the crane in the background

We need a hay castle to protect our pumpkins

Even if it was cold over night, it got really hot during the day, reaching 24c. That was good for my wet shocks drying at the back of my bike, but maybe a little too warm for going up the hills. But of course I can’t complain for the sun, after all these rainy and stormy days I went through a few weeks ago. The terrain continued to be hilly, but not as bad as the days before San Fransisco. The scenery was mostly dry and full of farm lands, taking advantage of the sun.

Endless coast

San Gregorio with some Californians enjoying the sun

Just after noon, I was debating where to have lunch and how far further I should cycle for the day. Even if it wasn’t far, I didn’t want to get to Santa Cruz yet, so I was aiming for a campground half way. While I was looking for a lunch spot, I saw a nice lighthouse and minutes later I noticed the familiar sign of Hostelling International. All along the coast I haven’t seen a single hostel so far, so I was surprised to see one today. After having a closer look to the hostel, I decided to call it an early day and spend the night there. The location and the facilities are just perfect. The historic lighthouse is at Pigeon Point, a fairly remote area. Next to it there are a couple of tourist information buildings, the four houses of the hostel and nothing else. The views all around the light house are just beautiful. The price for one night is $30, but with the membership I have and the extra discount I got as a cyclist, I paid $25. A really good deal for such a location, considering it has showers, kitchen, wifi, a comfortable lounge and a hot tub right by the last rock, looking at the ocean.

First view of the lighthouse

Looking at the south side of the point

Light keeper implements

The original lens which has been removed while the tower is been restored.

Seals hanging out by the hostel

I checked in for a night, I had a shower and spent the rest of the afternoon in shorts, tShirt and flip-flops , enjoying the ocean view and the sun in comfort. Happy days!