San Francisco - Pismo Beach Total = 1417 miles cycled..

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Tuesday 28th September - San Fran - Pigeon Point = 61 miles

Although we had a fantastic time in San Francisco we were ready to carry on with our journey. David got his hub fixed on Monday and we were ready to roll..

Having decided to pass on the $22 per head breakfast at the hotel we went over the road to "Daniels". We had a bagel each, coffee, juice and fruit for $12. We have to start watching the pennies at some point. Before we left England we'd set our budget at $80 per day. All I'll say is that we'll be lucky to reach L.A at this rate!

Cycling out of SF was quite relaxed. We went through Golden Gate Park and headed to the ocean. The biggest difference we noticed was the size of the waves.. They're HUGE! And the further south we headed the bigger they got.

When we reached Daly City Limits we started climbing a steep hill. A cyclist came up from behind and started chatting to David. His name was John and he offered to cycle the next few miles with us to save us having to navigate our way through the town.

We were heading for a KOA campsite at Pigeon Point as opposed to the State Park campsite mentioned in the book we were following (which I've renamed "I cycled the Pacific Coast and lived to tell the tale").

I'm trying to plan the journey so we hit as many private/KOA campgrounds as possible in the hope that they're a little more comfortable than the state ones.
We've been paying $10 per night for a pitch at state campground. With a KOA one we're paying between $17 - $25 per night but the difference is vast.
The showers are free for a start (and hot) and there's always been a grocery store on site. We can get wi-fi (ususally for free) and the one we're at tonight we've got free logs ($5 at a state campsite). We're sitting outside infront of a roaring fire checking our emails, writing the blog, planning our day ahead and it's 9.45pm. At a state campground we're in bed for 7.30pm...
You still get the racoons but if I can stay up until I'm out of matches to hold my eyelids open hopefully I'll sleep through the rampage......

If anyone's interested, our total spend today (including the $27 for the campsite!) was $67..


Wednesday 29th Pigeon Point - New Brighton State Beach (Capitola) = 36 miles

Thursday 30th New Brighton - Vets Memorial (Monterey) = 46 miles

Friday 1st October Vets Memorial - Pfeiffer Big Sur = 40 miles

Saturday 2nd Oct Pfeiffer Big Sur - San Simeon = 70 miles

Sunday 3rd Oct San Simeon - Pismo Beach = 59 miles

So, we're sitting in a cafe in Pismo Beach on a sunny, warm Monday morning (4th October). We've had the best few days of cycling so far.

We got lost in the Capitola area and a couple who had stopped us to ask about our adventure (Randy & Michelle) pointed us in the right direction. They told us to go through Capitola (which the book only mentioned as a side trip). It was just what we were looking for... Sun... Sea.... Sand.... and Sore Bums!

There's lots of curious people stop us and ask about our trip. Where are we from, where are we going, why are we doing it??

On our way to Monterey a cyclist, Michael, stopped us for a chat, took our blog and has been emailing with lots of suggestions for places to visit.. The majority of people we've met so far have been really helpful.. One cyclist guided us through Monterey, another two cyclists guided us through Morro Bay to a fantastic little coffee shop that we would never have found.

Cycling down Big Sur has been amazing. Over 100 miles of stunning coastline, lots of climbs and beautiful views. We didn't want the day to end..

We're having a day off today to catch up with laundry and to give our legs a rest. We're staying at an open field campsite which is heaven compared to the dark redwood ones we're used to.
Last week David got a puncture in his pillow (yes, his pillow) so when we were in San Fran we visited an outdoor shop and splashed out on 2 foam Thermarest pillows.. What a difference. I had an inflatable pillow too which was ok but having these new Thermarest ones is absolute heaven. They're as comfortable as any pillow I've had at home..

We worked out our nights in hotels v's our nights camping. Out of 37 nights, we've had 11 nights in hotels and 26 camping. I'm quite happy with that considering what I've gone through with regards to camping.. I'm getting into the swing of it. Saying that, now that we're in Southern California (SoCal) there's ants, rattlesnakes and yes, racoons still to contend with.

Watch this space.......

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Comments

[Hayley / Keith]

Your still nuts
Hi you 2. The pics look fantastic even though i still think your mad. Hope the legs and other parts are not too sore. Enjoy the rest of the trip and try to take in as much as you can. We will keep in touch.