A bitterly cold night kept me awake throughout the night. I had taken the rainfly off in the afternoon for a nap, not expecting it to be so cold later on. Muscles seizing at times from cramps and the cold repeatedly woke me from a shallow sleep. Although I know it would have helped, I couldn't will myself to leave the sleeping bag to put the rain fly on and gain more insulating shelter. Dumb, I know, but I wasn't thinking straight.
Lucky for me, the sun rose as usual to warm us up. With plenty of time to kill we took a late start. Due to a landslide causing the failure of the Pfeiffer Canyon bridge, locals and cyclists alike took to hauling gear up a makeshift trail at campsite 31. This is also a good time to mention that because of the Mud Creek Slide (biggest in CA history) about 35 miles south, there was only one road in and out of the true Big Sur coastline. Locals chose to pack gear in huge backpacks or makeshift crates over this steep trail to bring in groceries and supplies rather than drive the several hours on backroads to and from town.
This meant that there was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to ride the Big Sur coast without cars. As it turned out, there would be over 10 times as many bicycles than cars on the road that day by our best estimates! Combine that with a perfect October day along the ocean and ten miles of moonlit night-riding into tiny Gorda meant that this was one of the most memorable days I have ever spent on two wheels.
People from all over the world were coming out to ride this section before they could fix the bridge on the north end of the closure, which would mostly mean the return of usual traffic. Among these travelers were a mother and her pregnant daughter, Lisa and Lydia, who had taken the train down from beautiful Seattle to ride the coast for a mini vacation! They turned out to be wonderful company for Hallie and myself, and we asked to have dinner with them at Limekiln Campground.
After dark, Hallie and I took that night ride south for about an hour. The moon lit up the coastal slopes as they erupted from the water as cliffs before quickly rising into mountains. Of course, Highway 1 is perched right on the edge of this land, allowing unrestricted views of the sparkling waves reflecting a nearly-full moon. Truly, I hope I never forget this experience.
Hallie and I ended the day cliffside, setting up for the night off the road.
