Colorado Cruiser: Pacific Coast Highway Ride

San Simeon to San Francisco

We started the day by driving the car up Big Sur to see the elephant seals. They were huge, noisy, and stinky. But they were also fascinating to watch. There were a few groups just out into the water that were fighting and bellowing. Their call sounded like a slow motion burp. Then there was a huge group all laying together right below a footpath.

Every so often, one of the seals that was out fighting would swim up onto the beach and start to work his way up to the rest of the seals. They'd do a rocking action, kind of like an inch worm and move themselves up 5 feet, then they'd stop to rest a minute, then move another 5 feet. Some were covered with scars from head to toe and seemed to still be looking for a fight, then the other seals would move out of their way as they came up.

One seal was especially scarred and was given a very wide gap as he came up. He has huge scars aroud his eyes and mouth. John said he looked like a helmeted warrior looking for trouble. His mouth and nose had fresh blood all around it.

We stood their trying to figure out what could be going through their minds, but never could figure out why some of them would suddenly start fighting, then just as suddenly stop and lay down right next to each other.

Other than the seals, the area was full of chipmunks. They had no fear of human and ran around right by us.

We returned to the hotel for breakfast, but there was only sugary stuff to eat. So we tried a restaurant next door, but it had a real "funk" smell to it, so we drove a few hundred yards to another one. We sat for 15 minutes without getting any service and left. We got all of our things and checked out, then headed back to Cambria where we got a nice smelling, clean and somewhat healthy breakfast.

There are wild fires all over California, and unfortunatly for us, there is a fire right on the coast North of us that has closed highway 1. So we can't drive up to Big Sur and Monterey. Instead, we have to drive inland to the 101 freeway. We started our ride with the cool ocean air, but within minutes we rose up over a hill and the temperature climed 20 degrees in 1/4 mile. Pretty soon we were baking in the extra clothes we had worn, so we stopped to take off a layer or two.

There's not much to report of the drive around, except that we've seen yet even more cabbage fields (and smelled them). In Salinas we got off the freeway and cut back across to highway 1. But we still weren't out of the heat, or back near the ocean. We rode mile after mile through yet more fields and smell wondering why this was called the Pacific Coast Highway and not the Putrid Cabbage Highway.

Finally in Santa Cruz we'd had enough and exited the freeway when we saw a sign for beaches and boardwalk. We rode the short distance down to the shore front drive, then rode around and around looking for somewhere to park. Eventually we found a few spaces on a hill with meters. We fed what money we had to the parking gods and walked down to find something to eat. We walked out onto the pier and found a burger and seafood place, but by this time, half of our parking time was gone. So John (the in shape one) volunteered to walk back and feed the meters. It took him 10 minutes each way, and our food was arriving just as he got there.

The food was great and we sat enjoying the views and the company. We've laughed allot on this trip.

After lunch we made our way back to the PCH, and within minutes we were cruzing what we'd been hoping for the whole time. 2 lane, light traffic, scenic, cool highway right on or near the water. The coastal fog that we've seen most of the way was gone, and only a light haze from the fires could be seen here or there.

We spotted a lighthouse and stopped for some pictures. There was some sort of ground covering fern all along the cost which led to a cliff drop down to the water. We all took turns posing with the lighthouse or ocean behind us. I really wished there was a way to get my bike up near the cliff edge for a picture, but there was no way through all of that ground cover. Shauna and John were very daring and climbed part way down the cliff toward the beach, but the rest of us stayed back top side.

We continued riding up the coast toward half moon bay. The road was still nice but it tended to go inland more and the temperatures and wind were picking up. We stopped for gas when we reached the bay. We were entering more populated and commercial areas. We gathered together to figure out what to do from here. Most of us wanted to find a beach or some other scenery, but Nannette was tired and ready to go to the hotel. So with the GPS, Nan headed for the Marriott Courtyard that we'd booked, and because it was prepaid ($75 through priceline bid), they let her in.

The rest of us rode to a nearby beach, but they wanted money for parking. So we continued up the PCH to another beach someone had told us of. I think it was Montera Beach. There was some free parking near it, but a precarious climb down to the beach. It was an ideal beach with big thundering waves crashing up a steep rise, and very few people. We relaxed for a bit and took some pictures, then climbed back up.

The ride to the hotel was pretty quick through a few freeways. I programmed the TomTom software in my cell phone and handed it to Angela. I should have exited a few other programs I had running in my PDA phone, because she said it was updating just a bit slow for some of the quick turns we had. But we made it to the hotel fine, and found great rooms waiting for us.

Nannette was already checked in and in the swimming pool by the time we arrived. We decided to do something lighter for dinner, so the girls went to get salads at a nearby Wendys. (Salad and a Frosty is still light, right?)

On another note, my mother called me a day ago to tell me that my brother Dave was in the hospital, and that the doctors were going to have to perform a tripple bypass. I've called and spoken with him a few times. He sounds good, and his kids and grand kids have been visiting and raising his spirits. He goes in for surgery the morning of the 10th, so although I'm here, my mind is also there, and our thoughts and prayers are with him those around him.

Angela and Nannette watching the Elephant Seals. They're only 20 feet away from them