THURSDAY 7 APRIL 2016
DAY OFF IN SANTA BARBARA
Time for a break to gather myself and Santa Barbara seemed as good a place as any to do so.
Get some laundry done, catch up on my blog, edit some video, rest the body etc...
The Wayfarer was certainly pick of the bunch as far as a place to stay, however it was not certain they could fit me in for a second night.
"Wait until midday" was the suggestion from behind the counter. Someone may cancel.
It so happened that I needed to visit a bicycle shop in State Street to pick up some inner tubes I had ordered from Los Angeles.
Nowhere in L.A stocked the particular tubes I needed and the first place I contacted in Santa Barbara did.
So an hour-long morning stroll along State Street to collect the tubes (which had arrived) and top up some cash from an ATM successfully got me through until 11.30 at which time I returned to the Wayfarer.
No good news unfortunately in terms of cancellations.
They did however have a single room left that was going to cost me a bomb for the extra night - certainly not ideal, but I took it.
The room was free by 1 pm so I moved my stuff and spent the remainder of the afternoon editing video and blogging.
As dinner time approached I was supremely hungry from laying about all day and was keen on another round of Mexican from up on State Street.
Throughout the day, I had befriended a young lady in the hostel from Malaysia who was not nearly so enthused about it, so we went for a wander and landed instead upon some Himalayan fare which was as good if not better, especially since I got to try yak for the first time ever.....
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STATE ST & THE WAYFARER, SANTA BARBARA |
DAY 5
FRIDAY 8 APRIL 2016
SANTA BARBARA TO LOMPOC
1040 - 1800
82.37km (51.18miles)
Av. Speed: 15.4 km/h (9.6 mph)
Max. Speed 69.4 km/h (43.1 mph)
Time on Bike: 5h 20m 31s
It had rained on Thursday throughout the day and when I woke on Friday the road surfaces were well lacquered.
The rain that continued to fall was not heavy and my plans were not about to change.
Next destination I had earmarked was Lompoc (that's LOM-POKE) approximately 50 miles north.
Once again researching my northward route thoroughly before departure, there was a couple of options left to me, one of which inevitably involved some time on 101.
The alternate route on 154 over San Marcos Pass was, as the name suggests, a mountain pass and whilst most likely more spectacular, was also less direct (and on good advice from a local, a little more winding, narrow and hazardous.)
After careful consideration, I conceded that this time, the equally hazardous 101 was unavoidable but I had divined a route that would minimise contact with it.
Probably just as well also, as visibility was compromised in the rainy conditions.
The rains persisted, at times quite heavy, as I made way through the suburban sprawl of Santa Barbara and Goleta.
I continued until the 110 exit at which I braced myself for my first serious stint on the freeway.
The chosen route would keep me there until the 116 exit and then off again until 120 where I would rejoin until the 132 exit at Gaviota.
Between 110 and 116, conditions were bad.
Quite heavy rain with trucks, cars and anything else whistling by my left ear at close range.
The shoulder too, whilst mostly usable was littered with all kinds of shit - loose gravel in particular which I'm sure was just there to make my life more difficult.
Fortunately, I made pretty good time in spite of everything and the 116 exit came up before I knew it.
Never had I been happier to veer off and continue elsewhere.
A brief corridor of bike path ensued, before I decided to re-enter the fray at 117, a little earlier than planned, but when I glanced across to my right and saw the grades that the alternate Calle Real was rolling across, I was not overly sorry to be where I was.
In fact, from 117 through to the 132 off ramp, the running was pretty good.
The rain gradually eased, the shoulder cleared up and somehow also, the traffic seemed less.
I also had a good clip of speed up for a good part of it, which always should put a smile on the cyclist's face....
A brief pause at the Gaviota rest stop pushed me on for another mile until the 132 exit.
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ABOUT TO ENTER THE GAVIOTA TUNNEL |
From 132, I had now re-connected with the PCH and a relatively short 20-mile stretch into Lompoc, which is where I planned to make camp for the night.
Immediately, the PCH was pointed straight for the heavens as by far the biggest pass I have encountered lay before me.
Steep, long and well-trafficked, I prepared myself for a long haul up this one.
I decided from scratch that the best approach was to do it in stages; otherwise it was just going to wear me down.
Do a bit. Stop. Drink. Do a bit. Stop. Drink. I repeated this routine up to 10 times in order to reach the top.
Curiously about half way up, someone had pulled over on my side and as I approached, could see he was fiddling with a camera tripod.
As I came a little closer even, I could see he was taking photos of me.
“You wanna swap??” I offered, as I came within earshot.
I could see the fellow chuckling and shaking his head in the negative.
We exchanged a few pleasantries as I caught my breath and I also happened to mention I was headed for Lompoc, just as he happened to mention that he owned a recumbent.
I also made a point of asking if he could forward any photos that he had taken of me, as I handed him a card and explained about the blog, blah, blah, blah.
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GRINDING UP GAVIOTA PASS (THANKS TO RICHARD FOR THE PIC...) |
Continuing, I thought little more about it until another 10 miles or so along, he was pulled up again taking more photos of me as I topped another pass, albeit somewhat lesser than the previous Gaviota Pass.
This time he made the opening gesture.
“Would you care for a roof over your head tonight?”
“Sure!” was my instant response. “Where am I going?”
At this, I was handed a mud map of directions to his house and agreed to see him when I got there, which from where we were was only about 30 minutes.
Beauty.
I love it when stuff like this happens when you’re travelling.
And so it was that I stayed in Lompoc, California with Mr Richard Wolfe for the night.
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RICHARD WOLFE HOSTED ME OVERNIGHT IN LOMPOC |
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