Day 18 – Monterey to
Kirk Campground – Huff, Huff
Today was a solid day of 58 miles and about 4600 ft. of
elevation gain (I’d tell you the descent
but it most often is about the same and doesn’t really matter (as much) because
you just have to pedal back up again!!) I considered going on but there are
a couple near 1k climbs coming up in the next 20 miles and not much in between
me and them. Stopping is prudent as I’m
exhausted. I’m hoping for a full
recovery by show time tomorrow.
It was a beautiful day with great riding and sightseeing
conditions. The temps were mild, in the
60s, and after a morning gloom the sun took over. I scorched myself yesterday so I was sure to
put on some sunblock. The geology continues to change, with lots of igneous
rocks everywhere, some even with a red hue.
The whales were very active off the coast so I got to see plenty of
action on the way. I stopped to watch
pods of them (somebody said they were Humpbacks) chase some rather large
fish.
Regarding Big Sur:
I’ve heard so many people talk about it.
I’ve only had a notional idea of what it was and those notions were
wrong. Big Sur. I just figured they left off the “f” that was
not the case. Big Sur is in a valley in
Los Padres National Forest. Now I
know.
The campground is pretty nice as it is on the ocean and I
lucked out and got a remote campsite under the shade of a Eucalyptus
grove. Most of the other spots are
exposed to the sun. There are no showers
and no running water but I’m happy to be stopped and recovering. (Sh*t!
As I type my beautiful little hiding place away from humanity has been
discovered!! A group of four has come in
and they have spied my cool oasis. Damn,
damn, damn!!! Yes, anti-social but I was
hoping for a nice night’s sleep with no chattering. Of course they think I’m rude as they have
arrived at my doorstep and I have told them as much.)
Here is a link to today’s ride:
Photos
Windy road, next 74 miles. I’m not sure I want to know that ahead of time.
Looking back at (relatively flat Carmel and Monterey)
Very picturesque
The coastline and the promise of climbs
The sand deposits have a fair bit of granite in them. They erode in a cool manner and look a little like the Badlands.
The start of the climbing and some pretty cool coastline
There were a bunch of bridges built during the WPA era
You can see the bridge in the previous photo in the distance. More climbing.
Oh, all the previous climbing was just practice for what is to come. Off the coast and into the forest and valleys.
At the top of the first big hill looking out towards the others
This is one badass surf break. It was very calm today but the guys down on this break knew it would be going off on the point. They had to. The road does not go down there. They had to hike in
Uh, huh. More climbing. Oh, and beautiful coastline.
The group of six trees is the road
And, more coastline. And, more climbing.
This large bird had white in slashes under its wings and the rest was a dark brown/black. Golden eagle?
There they are!! WHALES! The coastline in this area is just lousy with them. It was really cool to watch the pods chase the schools of fish around. The fish would just in front of them like minnows.
Just beautiful
I caught up with a couple of young French guys for a short period of time. They were moving at a good clip. They had started 30 miles earlier than I did so I split off at the campground. They went on.
The other campsites. In the sun.
My once beautiful little oasis. That’s all changed now ;-( Oh, well. Maybe I will stop being grumpy and make new biking friends (I’m betting I will stay grumpy but I will hold open my options).
View from the just beyond my (our) campsite.
Remember the part about no running water? They do sell water and depending upon your point of view, $5 may or may not be a “Good Value” for one gallon of water. I don’t have any so I think it is a GREAT value!
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