Pacific Coast, Day 23: Half Moon Bay, CA to Capitola, CA

This day was marked by consistently great roads with generous shoulders (and a few multiuse trails).

My Seattle friends were discussing the air quality, so I took a picture of the coast and bragged about the great air quality. Then it start raining (lightly) and continued for a couple hours. I am certain bragging about the air quality caused the rain! It was warm though. I did have some headwinds for the first half of the ride, but they turned into tailwinds for the second half. By the time I finished, it was very warm and sunny!

I ran into two adventurers on highway 1 and crossed the road to chat with them. Geert and Anna are Dutch, and today was the last day of a long tour, starting with the Tour Divide, then crossing Arizona and riding up the California coast, ending at Stanford! They had some advice about a better detour around the Big Sur closure that I will investigate. It was really nice talking to them!

I saw a guy taking pictures at a little parking area on the highway, and stopped to ask what he was seeing. There were at least a half-dozen dolphins in the water, swimming very slowly up and down the beach, arcing out of the water every once in a while (I couldn’t get a picture of this!). The man I was talking to was a local surfer, and he told me that great white sharks are frequently seen there, and that something was discovered BITTEN just yesterday! I couldn’t tell what that something was over the sound of the waves. I told him not to get eaten, and have fun, in the same spirit that people tell me not to get run over on narrow highways – as if it was fully in my control! 😁

Near the end of my ride, I was forced to make a couple-mile detour around a closed bridge. I am going to see if this is a long-term closure and recommend a detour on the ACA website.

A very impressive tree tunnel on the Half Moon Bay Coastal Trail
A very impressive tree tunnel on the Half Moon Bay Coastal Trail
Rocky beach.  This is the picture I sent my Seattle friends that caused it to start raining.
Rocky beach. This is the picture I sent my Seattle friends that caused it to start raining.
Rocky beach
Rocky beach
The Leek Truck was leaking.  I saw a couple dozen of these on the road.  I love leeks, but decided not to put one in my panniers.
The Leek Truck was leaking. I saw a couple dozen of these on the road. I love leeks, but decided not to put one in my panniers.
Pigeon Point Light Station
Pigeon Point Light Station
Geert and Anna
Geert and Anna
Dolphins!
Dolphins!
Dinosaurs!
Dinosaurs!
This is Indy.  He loves people, is a little wary about cellphones in his face, and absolutely hates other dogs, especially the ones that can easily eat him.  That is why he is being held in this picture. 😁
This is Indy. He loves people, is a little wary about cellphones in his face, and absolutely hates other dogs, especially the ones that can easily eat him. That is why he is being held in this picture. 😁
Lighthouse in Santa Cruz
Lighthouse in Santa Cruz
Another dinosaur
Another dinosaur
Santa Cruz boardwalk amusement park.  Everything was closed, which is good, because bicycles aren't allowed.  This is a source of a fun family memory!
Santa Cruz boardwalk amusement park. Everything was closed, which is good, because bicycles aren’t allowed. This is a source of a fun family memory!

Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *