We made it safely through the night!
We have packed the bikes and will ship them home today. Thank goodness because after all that climbing, my butt needs some time to heal! Jamey and I will head to Catalina Island tonight for 3 days of R&R before we head back to Tallahassee, and Mark, Shannon and the kids will stay here in L.A. to spend time with family.
Thanks to everyone who was checking up on us. Sorry for the mass of blogging all at once. We didn’t expect to be out of range for so long! We will see you all soon!!
Much Love,
HEIDI, Jamey, and Mark
AlcatrazIdiots
- AlcatrazIdiots
- Sunday, June 14th, Jamey, Mark, and I will be escaping from Alcatraz Island. The water is cold, the hills are steep, and lets face it, the run is going to suck. As if that were not punishment enough, we will then head down the coast to L.A. on our bikes. Oh what fun it is to ride.......
Monday, June 22, 2009
Sunday
Well, our journey ended today when we pulled into Mark’s brother’s house in L.A. We were a little worried we wouldn’t be able to get the RV up the hill and into the driveway, but we made it work. Then, we were equally as worried when Mark’s sister-in-law told us their house had just been broken into in January, and Jamey and I were suppose to sleep in the motor home which was parked in the driveway! (Just a little scary.)
Saturday
As much as we would have LOVED to stay another night in Oceano, we packed up for the short trip to Solvang. In Solvang there was a cute little Dutch-like town for the kids to explore while Jamey, Mark and I rode “The Big Fig.” The “Fig” is a 50mile loop through/over Mt. Figuera. It is Lance Armstrong’s favorite ride outside of Europe! Going into it, I wasn’t convinced it was such a good idea. Being from Florida and all, our climbing skills are probably par at best. Also, if this is Lance’s favorite ride, that means it is a climb which is not for the weak in quads! The guy at the bike shop had us worried too. He showed us his leg, which had been partially ripped off while doing this ride. (WHAT!?!) He misjudged a switchback turn going downhill at 62mph and went over the edge! That was enough to convince ME that it was not a good idea (I think it made Mark a little nervous too), but the story only fueled Jamey and made him more anxious to get going. How do I always get roped into doing these crazy things?
I have to say, the ride was beautiful! The bad part…the batteries in my camera were dead. Sad. It took us about 2hours to climb to the top. It was amazing up there. At the summit you could look down and it seemed as if you could see the ocean, but it was really just the clouds. We had climbed above the cloud line! It was so peaceful. You felt as if you were in another world.
What a relief to finally be going downhill! Our legs were on fire and we were completely out of water. We finished the ride in about 3hours and 20min. It was almost 8pm by the time we rolled back into town and we were freezing! I had started the day in a tank top and shorts, and thankfully had brought my arm warmers which offered some warmth. Not enough though. To shake the chill, we were booking it into town at about 27.5mph to stay warm. I don’t know that I have ever kept that fast of a pace before in my life!! We were flying!
When we got back to town, we were cold, tired, and hungry….so much for making it into Santa Barbara for the night. Luckily, we found an RV park about 5min down the road that had a hot tub and clean showers! We would just have to make the log trip to L.A. tomorrow.
I have to say, the ride was beautiful! The bad part…the batteries in my camera were dead. Sad. It took us about 2hours to climb to the top. It was amazing up there. At the summit you could look down and it seemed as if you could see the ocean, but it was really just the clouds. We had climbed above the cloud line! It was so peaceful. You felt as if you were in another world.
What a relief to finally be going downhill! Our legs were on fire and we were completely out of water. We finished the ride in about 3hours and 20min. It was almost 8pm by the time we rolled back into town and we were freezing! I had started the day in a tank top and shorts, and thankfully had brought my arm warmers which offered some warmth. Not enough though. To shake the chill, we were booking it into town at about 27.5mph to stay warm. I don’t know that I have ever kept that fast of a pace before in my life!! We were flying!
When we got back to town, we were cold, tired, and hungry….so much for making it into Santa Barbara for the night. Luckily, we found an RV park about 5min down the road that had a hot tub and clean showers! We would just have to make the log trip to L.A. tomorrow.
Friday
This morning, we all rode in the RV to the town of Cambria. Here we found a coffee roaster and had breakfast and coffee. From there, Shannon and the kids took the RV to Morrow Bay to meet us for lunch, and we headed out on the bikes for the 25mile ride. Along the ride we were joined by some guy riding a pink bike who was also headed to L.A. for his daughter’s 20th birthday. He had ridden across the country twice and was going to do a double century ride from L.A. to Santa Barbara and back. Crazy.
We met the kids and Shannon at Top Dog Coffee (p.s. we drink a lot of coffee) got some food charged our phones and went down to the water to explore and take our picture next to the huge Morrow (it’s just a big rock). Down by the water you could kayak and explore the cove and there were sea lions sunning on the docks.
Mark drove the RV the rest of the way down to Oceano for our next stop. Jamey and I had a beautiful ride through the farm lands, and SLO town, and linked up with another rider (some 60 year old) who was headed to Pismo Beach. Luckily he was familiar with the route because it got a little harried crossing over the 101hwy! We were thankful we had a guide. Pismo Beach was beautiful! It was a quaint little town right on the water and we took the scenic route along the coast to explore. This was how I imagined Oceano would be, except maybe smaller. Boy was I wrong!
Oceano was like nothing we had EVER seen! For starters, the “mom &pop” RV park turned out to be a parking lot inhabited by mostly permanent residents who’s motor homes/ trailers probably haven’t moved in 10years! We were right next to the beach, but what we didn’t know was the road leading to the ocean was the main entrance to the biggest redneck party EVER! It was like being in the middle of a monster truck rally. There were trucks and trailers everywhere. People were loading up their vehicles with cases of beer and driving them onto the beach like the sand and salt water was no big deal. We even saw VW bugs, Hyundai compacts, and samurai’s driving through the sand and down the beach. Huge jacked up trucks pulling dirt bikes and ATV’s, and even motor homes were making the trek, at high tide, 2miles down to what looked like some trailer park regatta!
We were like moths being pulled to a flame. After our BBQ dinner, which we bought and then ate sitting in the middle of the liquor store parking lot (yes, all 6 of us, the kids and all), we made the 2mile walk down the beach to find out what we were missing. It looked like a scene post hurricane Katrina! The tide was washing in and people had plywood propped up against their motor homes, like that was going to help keep out the salt water. Kids and ATV’s were everywhere. Playpens were set up in the middle of truck and trailer circles, people had bonfires going, rebel flags flying, and music blaring. I figured there had to be carnie food somewhere! I never thought the left wing liberals would allow something like this to happen in their great state of California! It reminded me of Panama City on steroids.
Equally as amusing was the crowd of people that had gathered on the beach to watch all the trucks, trailers, motor homes, and compact cars drive onto the beach. Because the tide was in, about half the people driving out didn’t even make it 100ft onto the sand before getting stuck. It was truly a train wreck!
That night, we pulled all the shades closed and locked all the doors as we heard, what we hoped, was fireworks. Needless to say, there was no sitting outside around the bonfire tonight!
We met the kids and Shannon at Top Dog Coffee (p.s. we drink a lot of coffee) got some food charged our phones and went down to the water to explore and take our picture next to the huge Morrow (it’s just a big rock). Down by the water you could kayak and explore the cove and there were sea lions sunning on the docks.
Mark drove the RV the rest of the way down to Oceano for our next stop. Jamey and I had a beautiful ride through the farm lands, and SLO town, and linked up with another rider (some 60 year old) who was headed to Pismo Beach. Luckily he was familiar with the route because it got a little harried crossing over the 101hwy! We were thankful we had a guide. Pismo Beach was beautiful! It was a quaint little town right on the water and we took the scenic route along the coast to explore. This was how I imagined Oceano would be, except maybe smaller. Boy was I wrong!
Oceano was like nothing we had EVER seen! For starters, the “mom &pop” RV park turned out to be a parking lot inhabited by mostly permanent residents who’s motor homes/ trailers probably haven’t moved in 10years! We were right next to the beach, but what we didn’t know was the road leading to the ocean was the main entrance to the biggest redneck party EVER! It was like being in the middle of a monster truck rally. There were trucks and trailers everywhere. People were loading up their vehicles with cases of beer and driving them onto the beach like the sand and salt water was no big deal. We even saw VW bugs, Hyundai compacts, and samurai’s driving through the sand and down the beach. Huge jacked up trucks pulling dirt bikes and ATV’s, and even motor homes were making the trek, at high tide, 2miles down to what looked like some trailer park regatta!
We were like moths being pulled to a flame. After our BBQ dinner, which we bought and then ate sitting in the middle of the liquor store parking lot (yes, all 6 of us, the kids and all), we made the 2mile walk down the beach to find out what we were missing. It looked like a scene post hurricane Katrina! The tide was washing in and people had plywood propped up against their motor homes, like that was going to help keep out the salt water. Kids and ATV’s were everywhere. Playpens were set up in the middle of truck and trailer circles, people had bonfires going, rebel flags flying, and music blaring. I figured there had to be carnie food somewhere! I never thought the left wing liberals would allow something like this to happen in their great state of California! It reminded me of Panama City on steroids.
Equally as amusing was the crowd of people that had gathered on the beach to watch all the trucks, trailers, motor homes, and compact cars drive onto the beach. Because the tide was in, about half the people driving out didn’t even make it 100ft onto the sand before getting stuck. It was truly a train wreck!
That night, we pulled all the shades closed and locked all the doors as we heard, what we hoped, was fireworks. Needless to say, there was no sitting outside around the bonfire tonight!
Thursday
Today we had our long ride down to San Simeon State Park. (About 70miles) Mark, once again, drove the RV then rode back to meet us. It was a BEAUTIFUL ride! We took the 1 all the way down the coast. When I think of riding down the coast, and imagine what the route should look like, this is what comes to mind! The jagged cliffs, the blue water, the green hills, it was stunning. I could have ridden all day. We passed a group of 4 guys on beach cruisers towing a mini trailer with sleeping bags and supplies that had a cardboard sign that read: “L.A. or bust!” I am SO not that hard core. If I’m going to ride 500miles, I want a bed to sleep in and hot shower waiting for me at the end of the night!!
Jamey and I stopped for lunch at a place called Lucia’s, which was the only restaurant for the next 30miles. It was a great stop. The deck overlooked the cliffs and there were sea lions playing down in the water. The sun was shining and it was so peaceful. We had lunch and drank our coffee out on the deck soaking up the sun and watching the wave’s crash up against the rocks below.
After prying ourselves away from the view, we were back on our bikes and headed south. We didn’t make it far before traffic was at a standstill. Up ahead a red helicopter was hovering over the side of the cliffs and lowering something that looked like a platform down to the people below. It seemed as if there had been an accident and they were trying to life flight someone out of there! The longer we watched, however, we realized there were construction workers up the mountains and the helicopter was bringing them large nets to cover the cliffs and prevent avalanches. It was pretty cool to watch.
Once they were finished, we were back on our way. At about 50miles, and the peak of the final mountain, before our decent down to San Simeon State Park, we met up with Mark. We followed him down about 7miles for coffee at a place called Ragged Point. It was about 5pm and the temperature was dropping fast. We had about an hour left to ride before we reached our destination. Despite the cold, we made time to stop and check out the heard of elephant seals lounging on the beach. Just so you guys know, I do a pretty good imitation of an elephant seal! We were carrying on a pretty lengthy conversation before the guys made me leave! (Bill, remind me when we get back to show you! It will make you laugh! :)
We pulled into the campsite at about 6pm. It was a beautiful spot. This was our remote site, so that meant no hookups and no generators on after 8pm. We played catchphrase by the campfire and roasted marsh mellows until we were too tired to keep our eyes open.
Jamey and I stopped for lunch at a place called Lucia’s, which was the only restaurant for the next 30miles. It was a great stop. The deck overlooked the cliffs and there were sea lions playing down in the water. The sun was shining and it was so peaceful. We had lunch and drank our coffee out on the deck soaking up the sun and watching the wave’s crash up against the rocks below.
After prying ourselves away from the view, we were back on our bikes and headed south. We didn’t make it far before traffic was at a standstill. Up ahead a red helicopter was hovering over the side of the cliffs and lowering something that looked like a platform down to the people below. It seemed as if there had been an accident and they were trying to life flight someone out of there! The longer we watched, however, we realized there were construction workers up the mountains and the helicopter was bringing them large nets to cover the cliffs and prevent avalanches. It was pretty cool to watch.
Once they were finished, we were back on our way. At about 50miles, and the peak of the final mountain, before our decent down to San Simeon State Park, we met up with Mark. We followed him down about 7miles for coffee at a place called Ragged Point. It was about 5pm and the temperature was dropping fast. We had about an hour left to ride before we reached our destination. Despite the cold, we made time to stop and check out the heard of elephant seals lounging on the beach. Just so you guys know, I do a pretty good imitation of an elephant seal! We were carrying on a pretty lengthy conversation before the guys made me leave! (Bill, remind me when we get back to show you! It will make you laugh! :)
We pulled into the campsite at about 6pm. It was a beautiful spot. This was our remote site, so that meant no hookups and no generators on after 8pm. We played catchphrase by the campfire and roasted marsh mellows until we were too tired to keep our eyes open.
Wednesday
We tried to find some good routes to tour around Big Sur, but all the cool trails required a mountain bike, so we were out of luck. Instead, we found a road that led down to Pfiefer Beach, so we rode down for lunch. (Cliff Bars and Poweraid-Yummy!) It was a 2mile ride straight down to the beach, so that meant a 2mile ride straight up to the highway. It only took us a half a day, so we spent the rest of the day tubing down the freezing cold river! It is beautiful here when it’s sunny!
Our entertainment for the night was watching some guy scrape his 40-something foot RV up against the roof of the registration hut. The hut was actually a little trailer up on jacks, so when this guy pulled in, he knocked it off the jacks and the hut was suspended up against the side of his RV! Several people went to get their car jacks to put under the hut so when they moved the RV, it wouldn’t come tumbling down! By this time, the chaos had drawn quite a crowd. To move the RV, the guy had to cut off an arm of the awning and the corner of the roof with a saw all to get it free. They finally managed to get the thing loose, but he had a massive scratch down the side of his RV, hopefully he bought the insurance!
Tuesday
This morning we decided to stop at a little coffee place just outside of Carmel called ACME Coffee. They roast their own coffee there and one of the Google reviews said “Stopping here was the BEST decision I have ever made!” How can you not check it out after a review like that?!? It was awesome. The building was an old garage (like the kind you take your car to get an oil change) and they brew each coffee one cup at a time. It doesn’t take as long as you would think. They have a set up where you pick your brew; they take out a filter and put it in the brewing station. They put your cup under the filter and pour hot water over the fresh grounds and Voila! Fresh coffee! I think they can brew about 4 cups at a time.
After coffee we jumped on our bikes and headed into Carmel to look around and grab some lunch. What should have been a quick 20-30 min ride turned into a long hour and twenty minute ride zigzagging and back tracking. We found Shannon and the kids illegally parked on one of the side streets so we had to relocate the RV to the outskirts of town. All I want to say is…I am so glad I wasn’t driving that big thing down those narrow streets!
We ate lunch at Clint Eastwood’s Hog’s Breath Café. It wasn’t like the Hog’s Breath Café we have at home where everything is fried and frozen; this place had the best food! We were going to eat ice cream while walking on the sidewalk, but it was freezing! (For his first act as mayor, Clint Eastwood made it legal to eat ice cream while walking down the sidewalk.) All we wanted to do was get back on the bikes and warm up.
Our next stop was Big Sur. It was a 50-60mile ride. Mark drove the RV to the campground then headed back on his bike to meet us. The fog had lifted by the time we pulled in and the spot we were staying was beautiful! We were right across from the river and tucked in between the trees. We stayed here for 2 nights.
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