October 10, 2022
Day 31 - Monterey to Plaskett Creek
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We woke to an overcast sky, but the fog was less dense and the tents were drier than they had been the previous few days, so the morning packing and prep were easier and more pleasant.
As I was getting ready, I discovered that I had somehow managed to lose the thumbscrew that connects my GoPro to the mount on my bike, so for lack of a screw (and not for lack of trying to figure out an alternative) I have no GoPro videos for this or the remaining days of the tour. I have been sad about this, and particularly about this day, which had the most miles, the most climbing, and arguably some of the most awe-inspiring seascapes of the entire tour, winding through Monterey, Carmel by the Sea, and Big Sur.
Leaving Veteran's Memorial Park, the streets were wet, so I took the steep downhill carefully — not roaring down like I might have if the streets had been dry.
The route took us along the wharf through Monterey, then skirted Pacific Grove to 17 Mile Drive — a road with truly gorgeous views, and with little traffic this early in the day I was able to enjoy it. Another aspect of the 17 Mile Drive is that you get glimpses of how the truly rich live, shielded by their enormous, crafted gates and hedged properties along the way. Imagine some of the ocean views!
Though it was quite a while since I'd been here, rolling through the streets of Carmel brought back fond memories of romantic getaways at local B&Bs and writers retreats throughout the years and I thought, I really should come here more often.
Leaving Carmel at around mile 16, the route joined up with Hwy 1 again and headed toward Big Sur. After Carmel, there was not much in the way of services or towns along the way. Lots of vista points, though, and lots of rollers — preparing me for the real climbing that would begin around mile 30, with the biggest hill waiting just on the south side of the town of Big Sur.
I stopped to snap photos of the famous Bixby Bridge leading to Big Sur, but I didn't stop in Big Sur, just rolled on through, waving at some of my tour compadres as I passed. I don't know why, really, except that climb was waiting for me and I don't like to have food on my stomach when I begin a steep ascent. Also, I was holding out for lunch on the other side of the hill.
While going through Big Sur, the sun came out for a wonderful 15 minutes or so, and I hoped it would stay, but that was all the warmth it would bestow on me this day, as the clouds settled back in.
The miles-long, rolling descent after the climb's peak at Ventana was a series of fun take-the-lane downhills descending to beaches, each followed by a 15-mile-per-hour curve and steep uphill to a high cliff. The game was to keep enough speed through the curve to carry you as far as you could go up the next hill without losing control of the curve. I enjoyed this challenge, though there was rarely any shoulder on the uphill climbs and I often had a short line of cars behind me.
I had been worried about the lack of shoulders, poor visibility due to the fog, the traffic, and the attitude of drivers along this part of the coast, not knowing if we would encounter a lot of dangerously close passing situations, angry drivers, and so on. But I have to say that, for the most part, people were patient and waited for me to get to a place where I could pull safely out of the way before passing, and there were very few drivers that passed unsafely or displayed anger or impatience. Most seemed to understand that we were all there for the same reason — to enjoy this beautiful part of the world — and there was no reason to be in a hurry.
I didn't take any pictures after mile 40, as by then I was focused on riding and on getting safely to Plaskett Creek — our destination for the day. I was also ruminating on the unsatisfying fact that the campground would not have showers or flush toilets (a fact we were informed of during our map meeting the night before). I mean, really — to ride 75 miles and climb a total of 6,400 feet and then not be able to shower? This just did not sit well with me.
As you know, I'd been struggling with the whole camping situation, the unending wetness and cold and inconvenience and general discomfort. I tried to be game, but at this point I was beginning to think about what I really wanted from this tour — why I came, and what I enjoyed most about it. And I realized that I really loved the riding, the challenge and the joy of it, and the close-up experience of the land and seascapes, fog or no. But the stress of camping, of setting up and taking down, of having no time to relax or enjoy my time at each destination was actually ruining my tour experience. In fact, that morning, before leaving Monterey, I had booked lodging in San Simeon (tomorrow's destination) rather than stay at the campground. And during the long ride to Plaskett, I decided that I would find my own accommodations for the rest of the tour.
Fortunately, I had asked Rich to bring my rack and Topeak trunk, which has small, fold-out panniers on the sides when he came to see me in Brookings. (I had been using an underseat trunk, which is more like a drybag, but I didn't like that I couldn't really organize the contents and my lunch was alway getting smashed.) The Topeak trunk would enable me to turn my camping trip into an inn-to-inn trip.
That said, when I finally rolled into the Plaskett Creek campground, tired and dirty and a little disgruntled, our tour leader, Bekah, had warm, wet washcloths, which she had warmed in a pan over the stove, ready for us. And I have to say that a warm washcloth never felt so good!
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In lieu of my usual GoPro video, a little ocean Zen at Moss Beach…
Today's ride: 76 miles (122 km)
Total: 1,279 miles (2,058 km)
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| Comment on this entry | Comment | 3 |
1 year ago
I learned so much about myself along the way — I hadn’t really camped for years and learned in a final way that it’s not the travel method for me. All part of the learning and growing process, which never ends. 😊
1 year ago
1 year ago