Bike Touring Day 6: San Luis Obispo to Lompoc

Our 6th day of riding began with a great breakfast.  (Ruth's jam was so good that we didn't want to leave!)  Before long we had our bikes and equipment packed in a couple of pick-ups so that we could leave from San Luis Obispo instead of Atascadero.

Getting our gear out of the trucks brought back many memories from our trip the previous year.  We had met in the same parking lot to start our trip from (San Luis Obispo to Los Angeles).  I was really looking forward to comparing our present trip to the year before.

We topped off our tires with air, said goodbye to our friends, and embraced the misty morning air.  It was fun to see some familiar things - we even stopped at a couple of the same places.  The morning seemed to go by quickly as we pedaled through Pismo Beach and into Guadalupe.






Guadalupe is a small agricultural town.  If you ever find yourself there - but do not know where you are - just look at the side of this building!  It has a big hand pointing to where you are on the map and shows you how many miles it takes to get to more promenant places.

Do you think a lot people get lost in Guadalupe?  Maybe they pull over and go inside this Napa auto parts store to ask for directions.  After the second or third person came in to figure out how to get to Los San FranDiego, or something, the guy says to himself, "You know what I should do? I should paint a big map on the side of the store so that people don't have to ask me no more!"

Actually, the map looks pretty cool - and the people in the town are quite nice.  We stopped at a little restaurant called Romo's to get lunch. 

We took advantage of a great tail wind as we rode out of town.  There is a very gradual ascent over the miles between Guadalupe and Harris Grade Road, but the breeze blew us straight through.

I was struck by the different types of scenery we were seeing on our trip.  The hills and coastline of Big Sur, the flatter coastlines through Cambria and Pismo, and the various types of agriculture in between were all unique.

Another group of riders merged onto Highway 135 just ahead of us.  Our three boys kept pace with them for a few miles before the group broke free.  (You can sort of make out the pink riding jerseys of the other group).  I was impressed with the boys for holding the quick pace that long.  They were keeping up with hybrid bikes and 30 pounds of gear! 

Dal got a flat somewhere along the way, so he and I stopped to fix it.  The rest of the gang rode on ahead and waited for us at the turn off for Harris Grade Road.  Harris Grade would be our challenge for the day.  The rode winds around and over a range of hills and eventually intersects with Hwy 1 in Lompoc.

Once Dal and I met up with the others we all got psyched up for a nice three mile climb.  I'm not sure if Payton's tire picked up some thorns in the picture above, or if it happened after we started riding again.  Whatever the case may be, he soon had a flat tire with two thorns sticking out of it.  I am glad that Rob stayed back with me to change it.  (Rob can change a tire almost as fast as the NASCAR guys).

I'm sure we didn't break any speed records on the climb, but the boys handled the incline really well.  I remember giving the boys at least one rest stop on the way up the previous year.  This time we took it all in one effort.  While resting at the summit, a kind woman who was also stopped along the side of the road offered us a cold jug of water and container of fresh strawberries.  Is that cool or what?!?

Before long we were riding through Lompoc on our way to River Park Campground.  After dropping off some gear, Dal and I headed to the grocery store to pick up some items for dinner.  We decided to go with a Boyscout recipe.  We wrapped pieces of potatos, carrots, hamburger, onion, and peppers in tin foil and let them cook in a bed of coals.  A little ketchup made it into an amazing meal.  

The only down side of the day was that my left knee was hurting.  I'm not sure if it was because I adjusted my left foot position on the pedal (to keep my ankle from hurting), or if it was just the strain of riding.  The good news is that my knee only hurt when riding.  The bad news is that it only hurt when riding!