After a surprisingly calm night, I left camp at 6:45 and biked into Half Moon Bay. South on CA 1 with lots of ocean views and only a few 10-minute, lowest gear climbs. Not much wind. I passed by the Pigeon Point Lighthouse and Hostel where I hoped to stay last night. Alas, the hostel is closed. Onward to Davenport past miles of recently burned forest east of the highway. Agricultural fields appeared on flatter areas east of the highway. In Davenport I scored a burrito supreme at a Mexican restaurant. Supreme it was, made to order, tipping the scales at 2 pounds. I wolfed down most of it and saved the rest for lunch. Onward for 7 more miles to Santa Cruz. The route initially followed the edge of Santa Cruz Bay on a low-traffic street then past the town pier (jammed with people) and an amusement park with two roller coasters. Most of the route proved easy to follow (except for one spot) thanks to good bike route signage. In Aptos, I bought food and chocolate milk at Safeway and ate lunch on a stack of plastic-wrapped water bottles. Farther west, I rode on local roads past acres and acres of strawberry fields. Hundreds of workers quickly picked berries in some of the fields. I had thought to camp at Sunset State Beach but opted to press on to an RV Resort at Marina. Back on CA 1 for a few miles including a massive slow-and-go stretch north of Moss Landing. I zipped past cars as they crept along. At Marina, I decided to continue to Monterey then changed my mind to stay at the Marina Dunes RV Resort. Jill, with whom I had spoken on the phone, was waiting for me when I arrived at 5 pm. She generously didn’t charge me the usual $50 for a camp site. Even better, she offered me gratis a ‘glamper’ tent with a bed (see photo). How sweet was that! I took a shower and washed and dried my clothes (they really needed washing). Here I am sitting in bed typing this post. Deluxe! A fine way to end an 87 mile day.
