Chapter 32

Chapter 32

 

 

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2008

 

Santa Cruz to Monterey 45 miles

 

Up early today. Packed up and leave camp by 8am. Takes me a while to pick my way across Santa Cruz and a lot of referring to my 'Bicycling the Pacific Coast ' book to get out of this town and on the right way to Monterey. So, a bit slow and tedious. I have a feeling, now that I’m in Southern California, it’s going to be like this all the way, stick to by-roads to avoid the highways and freeways. 

But, I’m soon rolling through lush farm land. All arable. No wasted land here, growing everything. Growing strawberries by the 100 acres, Artichokes by the 1000 acres and Brussel Sprouts. I kid you not. 

Hey kids! who doesn’t like their Brussels? You think your dad is the only screwball in the world who likes Brussels. WELL GUYS? THINK AGAIN!!! American's love ‘em! Take a look at that photo. That’s billions of tons of lovely Brussels! You can even buy them on the stalk here. Cars pull up on the road and load big bunches of Brussels into the back of the car. 

 

There are huge strawberry fields with dozens of farm workers bent over double picking them. And they grow right up to the side of the road. If that was Ireland, the outside plants would be stripped for 30 yards in the whole way around. I resist the temptation to get off and sample. Don’t want to leave a bad impression of the Irish.

It’s also near Halloween so there a vast quantity of pumpkins for sale. Fields of them. Don’t feel like taking one of them so pass on by. 

 

 

Hit the drag into Monterey. Monteray is one of those legendary places you think you’ll never see and here it comes. The old Sinatra number 'It happened in Monterey'. Im not sure it’s the same one but im singing it anyway. 

It’s a nice town with cycle lanes everywhere. The last 15 miles have been on an enclosed cycle lane away from the main road. They provide them, and you better use them. Try driving on the road, as I did, and they will certainly let you know!! Take the polish off your shoes. 

I pull into a nice-looking motel and get myself settled in. Park the bike, put everything on charge, wash out my smalls. I realise I’m still a bit out from the town and I decide to take the paniers off and cycle in for dinner. This is the first time the bags have come off since I began. Riding the bike without panniers is a very strange experience.  I have no control. I’m so used to riding the bike fully loaded, without the bags the balance is all wrong and its hard to control. Just as well I’m in an enclosed cycle lane! It takes a few miles before I’m back in control. Just in time to get to Fisherman’s Wharf for a nice dinner. Well deserved....  Looking out over Monteray Bay Im taken by the fact that this is the place John Denver crashed his plane in 1997. I am a great fan and have a moment of reflection.

Big highlight tomorrow.... BIG SUR... big waves, big scenery and big hills. 'They say it never rains in southern California' ... 'it pours man it pours'. Rain is forecast................Talk later..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Comment

Eileen said: Hi John glad to hear from you again. No blogs since Tues, then 3 today. You are making great progress, you must be ahead of schedule. You will soon be in movie star territory. Keep your autograph book handy and send us photos of you with the celebs. Lots of love x

MGK said: Hi John, Enjoying the blog, Monterey sounds idyllic, especially on a wet Saturday evening in Kildare! Keep it coming. It'll be murder trying to follow you round the "lakes" after all this - just promise to bring those panniers home with you, we'll find something appropriate to fill them with! Take care,

 

John replied: Hi Eileen, can get pretty remote out here. It’s hard to believe. Progress is good and getting more of a comfort zone as I move south. 

 

Hi Mick, Things are going good. Don’t know about the bags. I took them of in Monterey to go into town and had to do some practice. Bike had a mind of its own. Look forward to those lovely Sunday rides

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Chapter 24

Image
  Chapter 24     THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2008   Garberville to Westport 70 miles   Garberville was a nice little town albeit was not in my plan - all mountainy with quaint people with big hats and moustaches. Even the women (no! I’m joking!).  Coffee and 2 buns and off into the, now tedious, immediate climb. It’s a bitch to get a hill first thing, before your legs are ready. Now this is not the little hill up by the garda station in Naas. This is 4º for 2 miles! A leg wrecker so early in the morning. Little did I know this was just the beginning of a day which, when over, would go down in the annals as the worst days climbing on a bike I have ever done, by a long, long, long way.  The 5 or 6 big climbs before the town of Leggit were severe in themselves. But put with that a very hazardous road. Shoulder of about a foot at most, on a single carriageway road with sheer 400/500ft drops on your immediate right side with no guard rail. Man, that was sc...
Read more

Chapter 19

Image
Chapter 19   Saturday September 20 th  2008   Gold Beach to Crescent City 57 miles   There are days when a man dares to love what he has achieved. Well today was for my lovely boys and girl! My Luke, my Alex, my Samuel, my Sebastian and of course my Emily.  (Freddie hasn’t arrived yet). I have been instilling into all my grandchildren especially Alex for so long now. That their grandad, is a GENIUS. And after today they should really know he is telling the truth. Cause their Grandad knows for sure. I am so proud of myself today I don’t mind who knows it.   After the knee pain yesterday I had dark thoughts last night of maybe having to abandon. But I brushed them aside and had an early coffee and a muffin and hit the road at 8am full of confidence and feeling good.   But that first climb soon showed me I was still in difficulty as the pain came back, worse than yesterday. It slowed me to walking pace on even the slightest hill. I was trying to save it b...
Read more

Chapter 26

Image
Chapter 26     SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2008   Manchester to Jenner 52 miles 26th September   Today was certainly not a day for me to celebrate. It started out ok. Early to rise and out to get my breakfast ready in the camp. A beautiful morning with the likelihood of a sunny day. As soon as I got on the road I couldn’t get the legs going, even though the road was reasonably flat at this point. My destination was Bodega Bay, some 64 miles down the road. Heading to San Francisco. I guess I am paying for the couple of hard days I put in earlier in the week. Then I hit the rollercoaster road again, the same as yesterday and it is getting tedious. No sooner do you get up one and down the other side and another looms. Leg Wreckers!! I try talking to myself to get some motivation and it works for a while. So, this way I keep moving. With seemingly never ending rolling terrain you really do believe that this will never end and its very disheartening when you legs are not work...
Read more