Day 7 Santa Monica to San Clemente

A very, very hot day!!! Covered 75 miles. Started off  beautiful. Cycle track through the beach for  over 10 miles skirting around LA. thought this was just too easy!
And we were right!
Cycled for a few miles with a fellow cyclist who guided us past a tricky part near Rotunda beach.
Then embarked on the next stage of the journey which took us through a very run down area, oil refineries and glass/potholes on the road .. For nearly 20  miles! We stopped at a grocery store to refill our water bottles .. The friendly guy asked where we were headed. To which we replied 'San Diego' . He said 'why on bicycles?' We answered we were on holiday.. We then all had a good laugh as we stood with bright red faces and sweat dripping off us lol !!
Eventually got back to beautiful beaches and stopped at a very lovely restaurant for lunch.. Feeling very out of place with our sweaty cycle gear on lol.
The road then hugged the coast .. Spectacular coastline. Laguna being a particularly lovely town with quaint shops and art galleries.
Last day tommorow.. Finishing in San Diego!!

Day 6 Santa Barbara to Santa Monica

Wow! 91 miles covered today.
Rest must have done us good lol. Enjoyed yesterday sailing around Santa Barbara without the panniers. Great Spot!
Easy start .. Headed down the coast ..Felt like flying machines flat route and wind mostly at our back.. A bit tricky through the towns but always someone there to help out. A black lady stopped her car to say."welcome  to California . I' m half Irish you know" !! A crowd from Co Clare informed us that they had been following us quite a bit of the way and we got great cheers several times as they passed us in their car!!
At one part of the coastline we passed a line of RVs that stretched for over a mile! Was thinking of Damian driving to Las Vegas!!
There were welcome stops along the way .. To enjoy the local produce .. strawberries and cherries! Delicious!
Arrived at Santa Monica beach and the cycle path took us right through the beach..what a melting pot!! Crazy!! Thinking of the songs written about  Santa Monica .. Was going to write one myself but Oonagh was getting impatient lol !!
Looking forward to next 2 days and arriving in San Diego.

Day 4 Ragged Point to Pismo beach

Very easy start to the day. Left lodge we were staying and straight onto Highway 1. Reasonably flat and wind at our backs. Passed elephant seals barking.. Hundreds of them!! Passed Hearst Castle  and had lunch at a really quirky little town Cayucos.
Afternoon much more difficult as we cycled long stretches with wind in our faces through acres of farmland.
Reached Pismo Beach a sprawling seaside town.
Quote of the day from a lady we met to ask directions" I envy your energy..I wish I could buy your youth!... I bet you guys aren't 60"
Decided on rest day on Friday as running out of time! Will take train to Santa Barbara and the see what happens.

Day 3 Big Sur

Wow what a day - Awesome lol
A real tough cycle but absolutely magnificent. Scenery breathtakingly beautiful.
We cycled 76 miles today and the whole route had mountains on one side and a rugged coastline on the other.
Oonagh hadn't realised that the Big Sur was quite as BIG lol ...Thankfully David Macaulay had prewarned us to have accommodation for tonight as you could ride for miles with absolutely nothing!!
Staying in Ragged Point tonight which involved tough climbs right to the very end. Wrecked now but feeling very pleased with ourselves. Certainly A day to remember!

Day 2

What a day! Epic journey. No punctures on the bike but two punctured cyclists lol
Set off early but about 1 hr later  still in Santa Cruz after many wrong turns. Impossible to get  out of!
Eventually on our way - cycled through fields and fields of strawberries. Hundreds of Mexican worker slaving away in the heat picking your delicious strawberries.
Stopped for lovely lunch at a Mexican restaurant.
All going great but then landscape changed and had to cycle through wasteland - flat but a very strong headwind - very tough!
Arrived in Monteray - fantastic place! Very beautiful beaches and of course went through the famous Cannery Row!!
Cycled the 17 Mile Drive past Pebble Beach golf course - scenery and houses fantastic and arrived in Carmel.
Staying in Carmel tonight at a lovely little hotel and recharging for the Big Sur tomorrow!!!

Day 1 San Francisco to Santa Cruz

Left hotel in San Francisco at 7.15. Feeling very nervous. Very tricky trying to balance the panniers .. And wondering whose idea this was anyway lol..After 3 miles Oonagh thought a bus might be the better way to get to San Diego as we got caught with every red light at the bottom of a hill..nearly impossible to get started again! First few miles not great scenery but enjoyed just being on the bike again after the partying in Lake Tahoe lol.
Took a wrong turn but our Guardian Angel in the form of a cyclist cycled with us to get back on the right road again.
All going well but then hit Devils Slide .. A very steep 2 mile climb on a very narrow road with no cycle lane!!
Cruising along but after 30 miles Stephen gets a puncture at Sams Chowder House. Turns out out it is an amazing seafood restaurant..so had an early lunch which was awesome lol
Journey continued with a few challenging climbs.. The fruit stops were a welcome break. Had planned to stay in Davenport but turned out to be a roadside cafe. So refuelled with a coffee and blueberry muffin. Sailed on towards Santa Cruz . Met 2 female cyclists,Courtney and Amelia  who befriended us when they saw our Ireland flag. Wanted us to stay with them but we declined.
Chilling now in Santa Cruz .. very pleased with 80 miles under our belt. Here's to a new day!!!

The day before!

Said goodbyes last night to Murray-Goss wedding party
On board the Amtrak from Sacramento heading to San Francisco.
Looking forward to being reunited with our bikes soon - lol

Setting this blogg up to test the system.. no idea how this works!!!