Sunday's 48-miler was a grind. Monday's 47-miler was a breeze. Any 40-something miler makes you think there's no way you could do 80. The last 10 miles of a ride seem easier than the 10 miles before it. If you forget to check your distance traveled, the miles melt away. Count the miles and you might as well be walking.
Cannery Row, Monterey
Speaking of counting, I'm a math wiz when it comes to fractions and percentages. Say I'm on an 80-mile ride and I've gone 5 miles. In my head I'm thinking that's 1/16. Since 1/10 is 10% and 1/20 is 5%, I'm about 7% done with that 80 miles. I can (and do) bang those equations out in my head all day long and it doesn't matter whether I'm anxious to finish the day's ride or not.
OK, I can't do 26/47ths in my head
Oh, but when it comes to weights and balances I'm a flunkie. Put me on a bike that's moving and I'm probably going to stay on. Walk my bike onto a ferry? I fall on top of it. Stop and take a photo? I just might topple over.
Not a good day for a swim in Monterey Bay
There's a lot of time for mind games when you're cycling 1,800 miles. A lot of people have asked me what I think about when I'm riding and I'm happy to say that for the most part I'm just in the moment, enjoying what's around me. I am totally disconnected from all media and only check email once, at night. That helps me enjoy every moment on a ride like the one today from Monterey to Big Sur. Just wow!
Just Wow!
More wow!
Holy Cow Wow!
I thought that the San Francisco to Santa Monica part of my Canada to Mexico ride might be a grind because I've done it five times before. I still think the next five days (6 actually) are going to be a grind because every day is longer than 60 miles and I've already ridden more than 1,300. But it's not going to be a grind because I've done it five times before. This year's California Coast Classic is maybe even more spectacular than I remember, and the weather ranks either #1 or #2 out of the six I've done.
Winding my way to Big Sur
I rode out of camp today with teammate Derek and then we hooked up with John from Dallas and the three of us stuck together through 17-Mile Drive and Carmel. The surf was huge today, owing to the storms in the Pacific Northwest (I sure got out of there just in time). There was just a light haze through the Spanish Bay area of 17-Mile Drive, and it cast a very cool, filtered light through the trees. I ended up capturing one of my favorite photos that I have taken so far. I had stopped to shoot some pics into the trees and then I captured a couple of postcard silhouette shots of Dallas John as he ride past.
Lone Cypress in the mist
Monterey Pines in the mist
John in the mist
Beyond Carmel, the road changes to a series of rollers that provide a number of great vista points of the Big Sur coast, including the famous Bixby Bridge. I stopped at all of them. Pretty much everyone stops at the River Inn when they come into Big Sur, and a day like today was made for soaking your feet in the cold river with a cold one in your hand.
Chillin' on the Bixby
Chillin' Beyond Bixby
Chillin' with Terry
Imagine my surprise when I realized this was the oil and vinegar
After a good soak, Steve, Scott, Derek, Terry, and I had lunch. The menu looked better when I could chow on a juicy burger and onion rings. But my prawns and salad were pretty darn good too. Later, at dinner, I happened to sit next to Adrienne Rubin, the top fundraiser. I introduced myself as her unworthy runner-up and we had a good talk about how I wanted my photo with her before I was going to have to kill her.
Top two fundraisers (and no, it's not top late to donate so we can reverse the order!)
Today I invited just-retired Arthritis Foundation CEO, Jack Klippel and his son Jason to have dinner at our place in Cambria on Tuesday night with the Team and mom. Sorry mom, that now makes 10 of us. You've gonna need more meatballs.
Tonight's campground, with the requisite spiders, ticks, and skunks (2 of 3 which I found in my tent)
Oh, and this guy hanging over the toilet
Day 21 Recap: Monterey, CA to Big Sur, CA
Actual Miles: 47.7
Cumulative Miles: 1,345.1
Elevation Gain: 2,080'
Cumulative Elevation Gain: 55,645'
% Distance to Mexico: 71.5%
Actual Miles: 47.7
Cumulative Miles: 1,345.1
Elevation Gain: 2,080'
Cumulative Elevation Gain: 55,645'
% Distance to Mexico: 71.5%
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