(Written from Barton and Vicki's beautiful house, Santa Barbara, CA)
Miles biked: 94.9 (1,532.8 overall)
Time on bike: 7 hours, 35 minutes, 20 seconds
Maximum speed: 35.4 mph
Roads taken: SR 1 South.
Places stopped: On the shoulder of SR 1 several times (to take breathtaking pictures), Lucia restaurant (to eat lunch with my new biking companions), north of San Simeon (to view dozens of entertaining seals), San Simeon State Park (for the night).
I was scared Monday morning.
The climb had been built up, hyped up, made to seem like the hill that would finally finish me off, end my journey south.
OK, maybe I'm exaggerating a tad, but Toad sure did a good job of scaring me as I prepared to get back on the bike and pedal 25 miles to Big Sur (and then beyond, I hoped).
As it turned out, the climb was the best part of my trip -- and I've been on the bike for quite a while now.
It wasn't easy, but it wasn't exactly as steep as Toad made it seem, either. And the views were so breathtaking, I wasn't even thinking about the hills I was climbing.
As I biked up gradual grades, the ocean was just to my right. And in front of me, I could clearly see a mile of SR 1 twisting its way on top of the craggy cliffs. The sky was clear and the views, both in front of me and behind me, unbelievable.
Apparently, I wasn't the only person who thought that, because I actually kept pace with a pair of driving tourists for about 3 miles of mostly uphill riding. Every time I came to a turnout, they'd be out of their car taking pictures.
Yeah, it was that amazing. And the scenery wouldn't go away all day.
In the afternoon, I found some companions to enjoy it with.
I hadn't biked with anyone the entire trip. I'd seen other bikers at campsites, but schedules had never synced up. So I'd biked alone, counting on the scenery -- and, at times, my iPod -- for entertainment.
But a few miles south of Big Sur -- after getting another delicious Big Sur bar -- I ran into a trio of cyclists who were on their way from San Francisco to San Diego. After brief introductions, I asked if I could ride along with them, and they were happy to oblige.
So I began riding with Erica, Margot and Rusty, three siblings out on an adventure together. And immediately, I found that the trip was more enjoyable. I went at a slower pace, expanded a little less energy, chatted at times with my companions when cars weren't passing -- and the miles flew by.
The riding wasn't a breeze, either. Right around Gorda, we had a pair of large climbs that were more difficult than the over-hyped Big Sur climb. The second one, especially, was tough because it was a switchback. After a nice, long downhill, we sharply turned a corner and had to begin climbing.
That wasn't much fun. But once we reached the top of the hill, it was all downhill and flat riding the rest of the afternoon. And I hardly even noticed how many miles I was logging ... 70 ... 80 ... 85.
I was feeling good, especially as the road became flat.
We stopped in the late afternoon to view a group of entertaining seals on a beach. They were hilarious to watch, as some of them flipped sand on themselves -- to stay warm? -- and others spooned with each other (or whatever that is in seal speak).
After getting back on the bike, it was just a few more easy miles to the hiker/biker campsite, which cost a trip-low $2.
When my companions' parents took me out for a delicious Mexican dinner to cap off the night, I could officially call the day one of my best of the trip (on and off the bike).
And as I crept into my tent satiated and content, I felt good physically.
And I was excited about riding with my new group again the next day.
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