Shaun Rides His Bike

Pacific Coast, Day 25: Soledad, CA to Paso Robles, CA

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Shaun

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I planned to split the ride from Soledad to Paso Robles into two days, but after looking at the weather forecast, which is calling for strong headwinds tomorrow, I decided to combine both segments into one big day.

It ended up being my longest day on this tour: 84.9 miles and 5,200 feet of elevation.

I expected it to be a slog, and it lived up to my expectations! 😁

I left Soledad before sunrise, on mostly quiet farm roads. Farm workers don’t wait for sunrise to start working, but the drivers were all really considerate.

After I left King City, the roads ranged from a mix of beautiful smooth pavement to terrible, cracked asphalt and giant potholes. There isn’t much out there, and Adventure Cycling warns that there are no services between King City and Paso Robles, a distance of 62 miles, so I stocked up on water, in the form of 3 full water bottles and 2 bottles of Gatorade, and I drank every drop. I still had a warm Diet Coke in reserve, but didn’t need it. 😁

I am doing a short day tomorrow, just over 41 miles, to reach Morro Bay. I considered another route (recommended by Geert and Anna), but it is hillier, and I need a rest day.

It will be nice to get back to the coast, but I did appreciate this detour – especially the farms closer to Salinas!

Lots of cows grazing on the brown grasslands
Lots of cows grazing on the brown grasslands
Google tells me this is a "Brangus Bull." Brangus cattle are a cross between Angus and Brahman cattle. I reassured him I didn't plan to eat him, but I don't think he believed me, so I didn't try to pet him.
Google tells me this is a “Brangus Bull.” Brangus cattle are a cross between Angus and Brahman cattle. I reassured him I didn’t plan to eat him, but I don’t think he believed me, so I didn’t try to pet him.
I didn't see many of these signs, and the birdshot scars could be considered sinister...
I didn’t see many of these signs, and the birdshot scars could be considered sinister…
Lake Nacimiento's water level looked low to me, and I confirmed it is (it's at 19% capacity). You can't eat most of the fish from this lake, because it is polluted with mercury from two closed mines.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Nacimiento
Lake Nacimiento’s water level looked low to me, and I confirmed it is (it’s at 19% capacity). You can’t eat most of the fish from this lake, because it is polluted with mercury from two closed mines.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Nacimiento


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