Feeling like a new man in the morning, my wonderful host prepared me a veggie scramble and a bagel to give me some energy for another big day. Upon leaving Arroyo Grande, I downed a couple candy bars as the road brought me through eucalyptus, farms, and towards new mountains. There were limited stops on the road for this section, so I cycled into Guadaloupe to refill supplies.
A flat tire upon entering town slowed my progress, but this is hardly the first I have ever encountered out on the road. After some difficulty with a tube, I eventually rolled on. Coincidentally, on the outskirts south of town I passed a cyclist on the side of the road, changing a flat tire. This man, Reed, was from Vermont and had ridden his bicycle from Alberta, Canada with the same destination as myself. This was his first flat of the entire trip, after 3000 miles. People of Guadaloupe, keep your streets clean!
Some forgettable farmland that afternoon passed by, though I always have fun trying to figure out which crops are which. Eventually, the Harris Grade climb into Lompoc approached. This was a solid climb that definitely had me sweating on this hot day. For every climb there is a descent, and the curving cruise down the pass into Lompoc had me smiling.
A quick lunch and stop at a bike shop were the errands of the afternoon here in the “Flower Capital of the World.” Highway 1 south of town was a long, gradual climb out of town. While the scenery was beautiful, the road’s asphalt composite took away from that pleasure. The road vibrations here made my hands and rear end sore, while the rough surface began shredding through my tires. Halfway over the pass I got another flat, forcing me to use the spare tube I had bought not 10 miles before.
Eventually, the grade flattened out, which meant the hard part of the day was past. As the sun inched towards the horizon I still had about ten miles to go. Reaching deep down, I pushed myself through a rapid descent, onto 101, and back to the coast.
The warm winds waved me to Refugio State Beach, my destination for the day! For all my effort, I had arrived just in time to set up my tent and enjoy the sunset. Not all went according to plan though… I had mistakenly assumed that the camp store would be open when I arrived, leaving me without a real dinner for the night. My late lunch and some trail mix held me over as the sky glowed then darkened.
Looking around, you can't help but notice the silhouette of palm trees against the sky. Having ridden about 360 miles in the course of a week and over 160 in the last two days, I had officially made it to Southern California.
