Bob on BAC San Francisco to Santa Barbara 2010

Big Creek Bridge on Hwy 1

Our cabins vertical wall furnaces that worked through thermostats. Mine turned on soon after I went to bed. The noise scared me. I didn’t want to listen to it turning on and off all night. So I turned it off. It got pretty cold during the night. That was OK because I had a thick comforter that kept me warm. But when I got up in the morning, it was freezing and it took a long time for the furnace to heat up the room. I guess that cold nights are normal in Big Sur.

We had a breakfast buffet at 7:00. It was very good. I had mixed fresh fruit, yogurt with honey, oatmeal with brown sugar, a croissant and coffee. They even gave us bagels with cream cheese and salmon wrapped in plastic wrap to take with us on our ride. Services are unpredictable from Big Sur to Ragged Point so I made sure that I had something to eat on the way.

I got started just after 8:30. Some us hung around in the parking lot to watch what we thought was a California Condor heating its wings on top of a tree. (My expert family birders said that it was probably a turkey vulture or a cormorant. My photo was too fuzzy to identify it).

Our direction for the route were very easy to follow – turn left on Hwy 1, go 48 miles and turn right into the Ragged Point complex. The weather was cool and sunny. We had tail and cross winds all day. There was little traffic so when the shoulders disappeared, it wasn’t a safety hazard. The riding was not too strenuous if you didn’t push too hard. I took it easy on my solo ride, but I did feel the 4000+ feet of elevation gain. Most of the uphills were moderately steep rollers. We had three or four longer climbs though. The downhills were nice except I had to be very cautious because the cross winds pushed me around more than usual. I think that the pack I had on my rear rack caused some instability.

Sand Dollar Picnic Area

I stopped a few times to take photos and to look at the views. I ate my bagel sandwich at Sand Dollar Picnic Area. From there I forged on and arrived safely at the Ragged Point Inn just past 1:30.

After cleaning up, I went over to the fast food area and had a second lunch – toasted cheese sandwich and fries. There were four young (20's or 30's) cyclists sitting in the outdoor patio near me. They were riding north to San Francisco fighting headwinds all the way. While I was eating my sandwich Bruce Schweitzer sat with me for a while and then Sally Mc Kinney cycled in with a German cycle-tourist in tow.

View from my Room

Back in my room I sat next to the open door to my balcony at the Ragged Point Inn listening to the pounding surf and the water birds. The breeze made it a little cool, but we were protected from the wind which made it very pleasant.

I just got back from dinner at 8:10. The hotel’s restaurant looks out over the ocean. We had a wonderful view of the surf and then the sunset. Food was good. I had pasta with a light rosemary cream sauce with sun dried tomatoes and capers. A nice tossed greens salad with raspberry vinaigrette was my starter. If we are in this area again, this would be a good place to stay.

I was anticipating the cool evening. I was waiting for the thermostat to kick in so that the fireplace would turn on. It didn't happen until the next morning.

Here is today's route. Click on "View Path In Full" to get a better look at it.