Week 28

Day 190

Saturday 4th January 2020

Auckland to San Francisco.

We finished packing leaving the room in a bit of disarray after an errant tissue found it’s way into the washing resulting in confetti all over the room.

We headed into Auckland starred up at the Sky Tower and had an unsubstantial fish taco near the harbour spotting one of the yachts from the America Cup.

We took a convoluted bus journey back to the motel- picked up Alice and headed to the airport.

We had the usual battle with big boxes and check in and now we are waiting for our flight to the USA.

Day 191

Sunday 5th January 2020

San Francisco to Watsonville (First day in USA).

We relived part of day 190 as we went over the date line and found ourselves back in the day we had just left - like a Groundhog Day in reverse, as upon arriving in San Francisco we put Alice (tandem) together, (as opposed to taking her apart). We also ate the most enormous plate of pasta for dinner - with the calorie intake of about 1 week - welcome to America.

Today left the outskirts of San Francisco climbing over the two hills separating us from the Pacific Ocean. It was cold as the sun came up and was chilly until mid morning. The views of the Ocean, as we approached it, were faboulous. The day crisp - the sky was beautiful blue and the riding was perfect. We even had a tail wind (or headwind from behind as we call it - as it’s so rare). We stopped at Half Moon Bay for coffee and pumpkin bread - (many of the fields are full of pumpkins) We dropped to the ocean and joined the Pacific Coast highway (1). It was simply stunning - crashing waves, sandy deserted beaches, rocky coves.

The guls flew overhead - it was perfect. The road even had a nice wide hard shoulder. We saw lots of people cycling - for the first time since Europe (in terms of numbers). We stopped at a Whale City Bakery in Davenport - more massive portions and an incredibly long wait for the rest room - but it had a fantastic view of the sea which helped with the wait. We rode through Santa Cruz - past the numerous roller coasters, (you would have thought one would be enough), before taking a fortuitous wrong turn along a stretch of beach just as the sun was starting to set. This did however result in a climb with a 20% gradient to get back on track.

The sun set was stunning. The temperature also plummeted as it got dark. We finally arrived in Watsonville - getting a cheap motel. We have all seen the headlines about the bush fires in Australia. This beautiful country is burning. We heard today that the Nullabore desert, which we cycled across, is also on fire. Our thoughts are with all the wonderful people we met in Australia and it’s amazing wildlife.

Finally, we made our fundraising total today of £18,000 - thanks to everyone’s incredible generosity. Like the world record - we are aiming to smash it - so please don’t stop donating. Thank You.

Day 192

Monday 6th January 2020

Watsonville to The Big Sur.

We set off in search of breakfast. It was cold and we waited in the diner for the day to warm up before setting off.

There was a frost on the ground as we headed out of town through the numerous fields of artichoke all being zapped by men in white space suites and respirators.

We stopped earlier than usual for coffee before joining a cycle route with a dedicated cycle track into Monterey. Being on a cycle track generally means - sand, gravel and glass - jumping on and off the bike as the track suddenly ends with no warning. Jumping off - as the tandem won’t fit through the barriers. Jumping off - because the bags won’t go through the barriers. This track was also lined by homeless people camping out on the outskirts of the town with all their possessions in shopping trolleys. It was very sad to see.

All that said ... the views were spectacular as we entered into Monterey. We headed for the harbour and drank more coffee (still getting over the time change).

We set off again towards Carmel. There was a big hill climb and we found ourselves at the entrance of the famous 17 Mile Drive which goes through the pebble beach golf course (which hosts the US masters) and follows the spectacular coastline past the Lone Cypress (often a symbol of California).

We asked the ranger for the quickest way to Carmel, (as the plan was to head down the Big Sur). He directed us onto the 17 mile drive - so we rode the whole route. It was a fabulous ride and I’m pleased we did it. The waves were crashing and the seals were basking on the rocks. It was magical.

We eventually (17 miles later) arrived in Carmel which is very twee with lovely shops all perfectly manicured. Clint Eastwood used to live here (maybe he still does - but didn’t come out to cheer us on).

After another long climb we headed out of Carmel and onto the remote section of coast know as the Big Sur. It really is spectacular. The sun was starting to go down, the temperature dropped and the light was amazing. We crossed the iconic bridge having taken the obligatory photos. It must be the most spectacular ride of our whole journey- it really was beautiful.

Alice, sensing the remoteness and lack of nearby bike shops, decided that the front derailleur should break - so we rode the rest of the way in a big gear.

We passed by frogs crocking and magnificent redwood arriving in the heart of the Big Sur freezing in the dark.

We found accommodation which Raz offered to sell a kidney for (it wasn’t cheap) and we are warming up in the bar - looking forward to tomorrow’s ride.

Day 193

Tuesday 7th January 2020

The Big Sur to San Simeon.

Not a great start to the day as Raz was sick during the night - and today’s riding was going to be hard as we tackled one of the hilliest day’s of our journey so far.

After breakfast, (for me only), we set off in the cold - warming up as we climbed through the red wood and sequoia. It was incredibly beautiful. The evergreens were interspersed with Maples with their red autumn.

As we climbed higher we had magnificent views of the coast. The sky was blue and the waves were crashing along the rocky shore. We could see sea stacks and coves. This coast line is stunning.

The day was just one climb after another - made more difficult as the front derailleur was not working.

We stopped in Lucia where Raz managed to drink coke and I (sparing her feelings) ate a sandwich. The restaurant had an amazing vista.

We dropped down to the ocean and then up into the hills again. It was a really hard day - but simply stunning.

We stopped again at the Whale Watchers cafe and Raz managed food- which was a relief as we had two really steep hills to climb before we dropped down to San Simeon, (close to the famous Hearst Castle).

We saw the sun go down and rode the last few miles in the dark. We could hear the elephant seals calling to each other in the dark.

We finally reached San Simeon and the cheap motels, (having blown the budget yesterday). Raz is tired but on the mend and looking forward to a good night’s sleep. Me too!

Day 194

Wednesday 8th January 2020

San Simeon to Santa Maria.

As Raz is feeling much better - I have included a “before” photo (from yesterday) in today’s blog - every picture tells a story.

We set off in search of breakfast lingering a bit too long in the diner because it was so cold outside.

We finally set off in search of a bike shop. The morning was frosty and we had more fantastic views of the amazing coast line.

We headed towards Morro Bay which has a huge rock sticking out of the ocean near it’s harbour. We found a bike shop that didn’t sell front derailleurs (really). We had a coffee at a cafe where I couldn’t understand a word the owner said (he was speaking English - but not as we know it). We then set off in search of a bike shop that sold derailleurs.

We found one in San Luis Obispo - Foothill Cyclery where the lovely Dustin worked on Alice (tandem) - she has a new front derailleur (we had managed to snap existing one ) and a clean chain.

We set off again heading along the coast past towns of RVs (Recreational Vehicles), many of which were huge which seemed to be permanently parked millimetres apart from each other, along the coast road.

We arrived in Santa Maria found a motel 6 (cheap motel) and waited for a washing machine watching a guy take our each individual item out of the machine - shake it - fold it - and then put it into the dryer. It’s safe to say it took some time.

Day 195

Thursday 9th January 2020

Santa Maria to Santa Barbara Airport(Goleta).

Last night we had an India memory moment when we realised that the sheets on our beds hadn’t been changed - (won’t tell you how we knew - but it related to hair). So we had to make our own beds last night.

Left the motel and headed to Starbucks. Fuelled with coffee we headed into the hills surrounding Santa Maria which is wine country. Some of the wineries were open - all selling wine and not coffee. It started to rain. It was incredibly cold - in fact it felt cold enough for snow (or at least sleet). Our feet were freezing in our socks and sandals. We stopped at one of the wineries in search of a hot drink - but it was not to be. All that was on offer were mini pretzels and wine.

We finally - after a long climb and descent made it to Los Olivos and realised that we had left our wallet in the winery - about 25 miles back over several hills.

We left the Alice at a cafe - called an Uber and went back to get the wallet. Not surprisingly this delayed our ride. We did however meet a lovely driver, who only charged us one way - thanks Raymond.

By the time we got back to the cafe we only had a couple of hours of light - so rather than going through the San Rafael Mountains we dropped down to the coast through the famous Solvang (which is a Danish community do full of danish cafes and windmills) and along the coastal road in the dark.

We ate at a rustic but authentic Mexican restaurant and headed exhausted to a motel to warm up and dry off.

It’s Raz’s birthday tomorrow or today or yesterday (depending on where you are in the world) - Happy Birthday Raz

Day 196

Friday 10th January 2020

Santa Barbara Airport (Goleta) to Santa Monica (LA)

Headed into Santa Barbara for coffee along the beautiful sea front. The harbour is stunning - and the guls and pelicans were flying in a massive flock around the bay. We stopped for coffee looking at the view - then set off along this stunning coast. The weather was sunny and although the early morning was cold - it was perfect riding in the sunshine.

We stopped again at the side of the road and did an interview with bicycle.com magazine about our journey so far and at a Starbucks for coffee.

By this time it was mid morning and we were keen to make progress as today we would be riding to LA which was 100 miles away.

We put our heads down and rode partly along the coastal road which was stunning - sandy beaches, surfers and waves - and partly inland through agricultural land and small towns lining out route. It was certainly more urban in this area.

We finally joined Route 1 along the edge of the Santa Monica Mountains. It is a beautiful route as it follows the coast line through National Park. We arrived in Malibu starving and ate a family size pizza. Feeling energised we rode the last 20 miles into LA in the dark.

We are staying with the lovely Kevin Jones plus 2 lovely cats (brother of Ali Jones and Anne-Marie Ledson) - it was great to see him catch up and chat with Kendra who had brought cake for Raz’s birthday - which was certainly a memorable one. Raz says thank you for all the birthday messages - it was lovely that so many people got in touch.