Distance for the Day: 39.0 miles: Pescadero to New Brighton
Time in the Saddle: 5:35
Altitudes: Starting/Ending: 503’/132’ ASL, Highest: 222’ Accumulated: 1424’
Speeds: Avg: 6.9 mph, Max: 30.1 mph
Weather: Cool, cloudy, little breezy
Expenditures: $101
I got up at 5am was re-packed and ready to roll by 6:15am. I continued up Cloverfield, which the fireman said would reconnect with Hwy 1, and it did. I stopped at Año Nuevo to sightsee, and visited their very nice interpretive center for a bit. At 8:50am, I then passed into Santa Cruz County, and stopped in Davenport to get a sandwich/soda, water and cashews ($13). I arrived in Santa Cruz at close to noon, and stopped at the first bike shop I found on the main drag to get a new pair of gloves ($60). I would’ve gotten new goggles, too, but they didn’t have any with the wind-blocking foam inserts. I found the
town library, but couldn’t find any secure parking for my fully loaded trike; I was even given the phone number for the town’s parking supervisor, who couldn’t help me, either. I asked a local shop worker if they could hold my stuff, but she wasn’t willing to do that, but then offered an excellent suggestion: try asking the nearby bicycle shop if they would hold my stuff. I rolled over to The Spokesman, and the proprietor, Tim, agreed to help me out 
e! I checked to see if they carried goggles, but they didn’t, either. It seems that bicycle shops don’t carry these things. I originally bought my first pair from a motorcycle dealer, so maybe I should start checking with them instead/too. I asked Tim if he knew where a cyclist could get a hot shower, and he suggested New Brighton Beach Park, and gave me a hand-out map that showed the way. With map, socks, and energy bars in hand, I bade farewell to the super-friendly and helpful Tim, and began cycling to the hot showers of New Brighton. Except, they weren’t open. Normally, they would have been, but due to the “high winds,” of that day, they closed the park. Hey Renee: I lied - I do stink. I really wanted/needed that shower, and figured I'd have to do it the hard way, but not tonight - tomorrow morning. It was now dark, and I had to figure out where I was going to sleep. And lo and behold, one presented itself almost immediately! Just up the road past New Brighton Beach Park, was a large, empty gravel parking lot. According to the sign in front, it was not currently being used at all – perfect. Well, it did face the freeway, but it wasn’t right next to it, so the noise wasn’t horrendous. I ate my deli sandwich, an apple, and a pack of M&Ms, and then set up my stealth camp, and got to sleep by about 7:45pm. Unfortunately, I still didn’t have the knack of setting things up right, quite yet, and it rained during the night, so I developed a small pool on the starboard side of my bivvy sack. Have you ever tried sleeping on only the port side of your sleeping bag? It rained pretty hard a couple of times, and was otherwise fairly constant. I did manage to sleep twice for a few hours, but the rest of the time was spent in that place between sleep and wakefulness, listening to the rain hit my bivvy sack, and turning from one side to another to let my limbs get out of the puddle on one side, and to let them wake back up from having fallen asleep, themselves. Had an interesting dream, like a drama, about getting involved with a young couple whose relationship was in trouble, and then years afterwards, meeting them again in Las Vegas, but they kind of dodged me, apparently not wanting to bring up memories of their troubled times. Read something into that, if you dare!
No comments:
Post a Comment