Cambria Loop

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April 7th 2008

Published: April 11th 2008

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Reverend Bill

Morning Blog

Warming sunshine.

Monday brought more clear warm weather, and after a little campsite blogging, the days plan reformulated. A brake lever was waiting for me at a Honda dealer near San Francisco, but rather than ride up the coast that day, the Central Coast region beckoned further exploration. The plan was to loop inland over the Santa Lucia coast range, run north a ways through wine country, and cross back over the range to the ocean. A 30 mile southbound run on the Pacific Coast Highway would finish the loop back to camp. The loop comprised about 150 miles.

My route up and over the range followed the slow, tight and rough Santa Rosa Creek Road, passing through a remarkable green and flower covered landscape. This led to Hwy 46, the main cross-range arterial into Paso Robles. From there is was northeast past San Antonio Lake and the Nacimiento Reservoir on the Interlake road. This was vineyard country, the hills interspersed with oak and cypress trees.

The Nacimiento-Fergusson road back west to the coast takes you through Hunter Liggett Military Reservation. This required showing the fort gate guard my license, registration and insurance card. "Whats the mission of this facility?", I

Climbing up from the Coast

asked. "Training, Sir." "What's the speed limit on the base?" "Posted as you go, Sir."

Intelligence reports said that base speed limits should not be exceeded by a single digit, and some nice empty roads were ridden at sadly slow speeds. But the torture lasted just a brief while. There were plenty of training installations in evidence, but a near complete lack of soldiers. It must have been lunchtime.

After leaving the base to a guard's salute, the road began an ascent to the range pass. Taking a break in a shady pullout, I spotted a slow moving tarantula nearby. The scrub oak gave way to a mix of madrona, redwood and pine at the Santa Lucia crest, where dirt roads run north and south along the ridgelines.

The descent down to the ocean was scenic and dramatic. The 2,300' elevation drop occurred in just eight miles, and the tight rough road lacked guard rails along the steep drop-offs. Plenty of photo-ops. With only one finger's bit of brake lever to squeeze, it was a dainty descent.

The PCH run south was smooth and fast in sections. Traffic volumes took a little away, but the sunshine

Slow and Twisty

Santa Rosa Creek Road

and scenery more than mitigated.

A return to Cambria for groceries, a coin operated shower, and I was soon in camp with my birthday steak and a bundle of firewood.

It was about as fine a 53rd birthday as I could imagine.

Additional photos below

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