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Unsurprisingly, last night took the prize as the warmest on the Pacific Coast leg. I left camp at 6:30 and headed south along US 101 past ocean beaches and surfers. After 5 miles, 101 disappeared, replaced by Torrey Pines Road. It ascended a steep hill and ran past the famed Torrey Pines golf course, the…

Out of bed at 5:45 and on the bike at 6:30. I rode on Ocean Avenue through Long Beach to the route. In a few miles, I rejoined CA 1. Ironically, in upscale Seal Beach I got coffee and a donut. Wonderful!  The ride south on CA 1 had lots of short but steep climbs…

Last night’s warm air allowed me to unzip my sleeping bag and drape it over me like a quilt. On CA 1 at 7 am under overcast sky. Wind from the WSW slowed me a little as did frequent modest ups and downs. Occasional brief spates of mist kept my glasses in my pocket. Road…

Yesterday evening after I retired to my tent, a gang of energetic kids played games that entailed running around the campground and shouting at one another. Thank goodness for ear plugs. The morning dawned foggy, so much so that I wore my raincoat while riding. In about 3 miles, I got a flat, conveniently at…

On the road at the usual time with minimal traffic on CA 1. The route headed inland past crop fields, such as cauliflower, on flat land. After a short climb over a ridge, the route descended to more crop land, industrial-scale farming at its most intensive. At 14 miles on the day, at stopped at…

Todd and Luciana left the campground at 6:45, and I soon followed. We bid adieu to Frank. The first three miles ran thru fog to Gorda with no ocean in sight. Then a long, lowest-gear climb along cliffs high above the ocean, which was usually invisible due to fog. But I could hear seals barking.…