California Day 12 - San Luis Obispo to Lompoc

 Now we're talking!

I got to ride by the ocean for awhile this morning. This is Shell Beach. It's next to Pismo Beach, which I passed through yesterday and today. Here are the same houses on a hilltop I took a picture of yesterday, but this time from closer to the ocean.

The route turned inland for the rest of the day, to go around Vandenberg Space Force Base. Donald Trump made us have a "Space Force". So that means we have Space Force Bases.

Inland, south of Santa Maria, where I stayed two nights ago, it's very agricultural. I saw people picking massive quantities (truckloads) of cauliflower and strawberries.

I'm not sure what that yellow stuff is on the left. Maybe it's rape? Maybe it's radishes planted as a cover crop gone to seed?

To get out of this farmland, you have to go over a big hill. It's not as big as the hills before today, only 1000 feet of climb, but it's 90 degrees out. There was a tailwind at least. but it was pretty gruesome.

I stopped for lunch at Jacks in Orcutt for a club sandwich, and as much electrolyte-packed lemonade as I could drink right before the big, hot climb.

I got to the top about 2:30, at peak afternoon heat. That's Lompoc way down below. No more pedaling was required.

I think Lompoc residents are mostly people who work at Vandenberg. There are plenty of hotels, but only one of them is cheap, near restaurants, and possibly OK.

I mean, California is the home of Motel 6. There are Motel 6's everywhere. And they are so cheap.

I've been staying at Motel 6's for decades, because they always allow dogs. Since when they had Tom Bodett doing their radio commercials with the cheesy music where he says they'll leave the light on for ya.

And they have a really simple formula.  Basic place to sleep, nothing you don't need, for cheap.

So is this Motel 6 here in California, the Motel 6 Heartland, going to be like they were in the good old days?

Nope.

It boggles my mind about how no Motel 6 can execute such a simple formula anymore.

In addition to the missing smoke detector,
* The sink faucet is not actually attached to the vanity top.
* The reading lights next to the bed don't work.
* The first room they gave me had not been cleaned from the last guest (unmade bed!)
* The room keys cannot be programmed for the lock on my door. So every time I go out, I have to have the desk clerk come back and open my room with the master key.

The desk clerk, by the way, is the nicest person ever. Despite the chaos surrounding her, she is sweet, charming, and friendly. If anyone from Lompoc who owns a motel ever reads this, you should go by the Motel 6 and offer her a better job at a decent place.

She recommended this awesome pho spot for dinner, too.

So much food! I couldn't finish it.

I have to climb another big hill first thing tomorrow morning to get back by the ocean, and there is not supposed to be any more crazy heat. I spent the afternoon locking down the stopping points for the rest of the trip, and I am very excited.  

Here is the Strava track: https://www.strava.com/activities/17833384143

California Day 11 - Santa Maria to San Luis Obispo

I've made it to San Luis Obispo. Here I am in front of what I am pretty sure is the exact same hostel I stayed at 20 years ago.

Twenty years ago, my friend Jim and I decided to ride from San Francisco to San Diego. I only made it to San Luis Obispo, when I had to abandon the ride because I came down with with the flu. That trip report is here: https://viciouscircle.us/spring2006/Day04SanLuisObispo/index.htm

So now, 20 years later, I am going to finish the ride.

It was a pretty easy day today, just 30 miles from Santa Maria to here. It's very beautiful here. I got my first glimpse of the ocean at Pismo Beach.

From there, I headed inland to SLO, which was a nice ride up a canyon. Check out these hilltop houses at Pismo beach! 

I bet the people live in these houses don't ride bikes much. I hope the view is worth it.

I had lunch a few miles before here, which constituted a huge lifetime bucket list accomplishment.

I had an In-N-Out burger.

This is generally considered to be the best fast food hamburger. It's pretty good. Fixings are super fresh and crisp. It is not a greasy gloopy mess. (I'm talking about you Whopper and Baconator.) But it's not as good as a Culver's Butterburger, or Five Guys. The fries are nowhere close to Five Guys. If I never have another In-N-Out Burger, I won't care.

The hostel won't check you in before 4:30, and it's only 30 miles, so even though I slept in, and took my time getting going, I had a couple hours to kill.

Good thing I'm out of clean clothes.

And I still had another hour to kill. They would let me drop my bags at the hostel, so I did, and rode a couple miles to the REI and replenished my supply of electrolyte powders.

I am back in affluent, civilized areas. There is an REI.

The hostel is about six blocks from the main commercial strip in town. I walked over for dinner, to a BBQ place, which happily has a special Sunday special on Electrolyte Replenishment.

I so replenished my electrolytes. I had the "Tri-Tip Sandwich" for dinner, with a side of ranch beans.

                                            

What are Tri-Tips? This is a new one for me. I asked the bartender. She helpfully informed me that it was a part of a cow. OK.

Is it pit beef? Nobody here has ever heard of pit beef. "Well, we do slow roast it in a pit..." I think it's pit beef.

San Luis Obispo is really nice. The people at the hostel think it is really expensive and really boring. I asked them what people do here. "Nothing. It's all retirees."

I get a vibe that is very much like our the neighborhood of Wyndhurst, where our second home in Baltimore was. The houses are all from the 19-noughts. Everybody plants flowers and landscapes their yards. Except here, the landscaping can include giant agave plants. Which are cool.

I'm now relaxing at the hostel, watching this evenings film entertainment, which is "Wall-E", projected onto a bedsheet hung over the fireplace. This is great.

Here's the Strava track: https://www.strava.com/activities/17822490776

California Day 10 - New Cuyama to Santa Maria

 It was 55 miles today, almost all downhill. The first 53 miles from New Cuyama has no services whatsoever.

It basically looked like this. 

The road follows the river the whole way. What hills there are is when the road cuts the corner off a bend in the river. After New Cuyama, the valley narrows, and the fields of irrigated crops become ranches. Near the bottom, the valley becomes more like a gorge or a canyon, with a national forest on either side. This part has some climbing as the road winds down the gorge. 

This traffic light is a welcome sight. It marks the end of the 53 mile stretch of no services.

And just beyond that overpass, there is a BBQ joint.

Which was very delicious. I got here at 1:00. All I had to eat all day was pistachios from the snack bag and some pound cake with my coffee before I left. The pound cake is in honor of Afroman, American hero.

The rib place was a decision point. My original plan was to ride another 28 miles to San Luis Obispo, which would require about 1000 feet of climb, into a headwind. It was 85 degrees out, which was still hot, but not near as hot as yesterday. I felt great, since it had been an easy morning.

Or I could go two more miles and get a last-minute deal at a Candlewood Suites, and make the next day a short day. I have two cushion days built into my itinerary, before my flight home from San Diego. I decided to use a cushion day and not push it.

This gives me a short day tomorrow with plenty of time to enjoy San Luis Obispo, do laundry, and be well rested for the next two days, which have a lot of climbing. Making today an 80 mile day might put me in SLO too exhausted to enjoy it.

My room actually has a mini-kitchen, with dishes and a sink! And a desk/table with chairs. I can get takeout and eat it like a civilized human being. And check out what is only a block away!

My favorite Mexican grocery! I swear this place is on the level of HyVee. It's the best.

This one has tamales, like the last one. I AM SO HAPPY!

I also got some fresh guacamole, chips, and grapes, and had myself a feast.

Santa Maria is near the coast. I'm out of the desert. It's green here. You can smell the ocean. 

Here is the Strava track: https://www.strava.com/activities/17808248981/

California Day 9 - Tejon Ranch Outlet Mall to New Cuyama

What could have been a gruesome day turned into a memorably awesome day.

 

From the Microtel Inn off the Tejon Ranch Outlet Mall, it was right back onto I-5 for eight more miles. I exited on 166, which heads straight west for 25 miles, though heavily industrialized agriculture. There were a lot of citrus orchards. I'm about 30 miles south of Bakersfield.

Organic it is not. There is a pervasive smell of chemical fertilizer and pesticides the whole way. Sometimes manure too. Nobody lives here.

There are mountains in the distance, but you can't see them, because of the haze. When I went over Tejon pass yesterday, moving from the Antelope Valley to the Central Valley, the clear skies and amazing vistas went away and it became hazy. 

I talked with a guy at the Blue Sky Center, where I'm camped, who grew up in the Central Valley. He says the haze is natural, and it's always there. 

I crossed over the California Aqueduct again.

It seems to me that having your water supply go through miles and miles of orchards sprayed with chemicals might not be a great plan.

Eventually, I got to the small farming town of Maricopa. I grabbed a burrito for lunch at the gas station, and a couple bottles of Gatorade to get me over the mountain. Because I have a nonstop, 2200 foot climb. 

Here's one of the steeper parts, about halfway up.

The steep bits are 8 or 9 percent. Most of it is 5 or 6 percent. Low gear and patience. Works every time.

The view from the top is amazing.

When you go over the top, you enter the Cuyama Valley, and the road follows the Cuyama River downhill for pretty much the next 70 miles. 

At the top of the valley, it's all agricultural fields, which are irrigated. I'm not sure what they grow, since the fields are all freshly tilled.

There are two small towns, Cuyama and New Cuyama, 13 miles from the top of the climb. They are tiny, dusty farm towns. New Cuyama has lodging. 

One could stay here at the Buckhorn. Rooms are $340!

I was actually contemplating this, but by the time I locked in what day I would be here, there were no more vacancies. To be honest, I was much more seriously contemplating riding as far as I could go and stealth camping.

But wait! AirBnb! There is a place called The Blue Sky Center that offeres glamping! You can stay in one of these wagons for only $180!

I was digging around on the Blue Sky Center's website, and buried deep in there, it says they also offer "dispersed camping". This is a fancy way of saying "you can pitch a tent." For $40, and you get to use the same cantina, real bathrooms, shower, electric outlets, and wifi as the glampers. Win win win.

So instead of continuing on riding slightly downhill into a headwind with temperatures in the mid-90s, to stay who knows where, I decided to investigate the Blue Sky option.

Which was great! The Blue Sky Center is in reality a progressive activist organization that promotes resilient, inclusive, and sustainable rural economies. 

So I booked a campsite online from the lobby right here, and hung out in the wonderful air conditioning until it cooled down enough for me to pitch the tent.

Where there was all the literature you would ever want about how to make compost and books of Cowboy Poetry. After I grabbed a shower, I relocated into the similarly cool bliss of the Cantina.

I spent some more time reading the Blue Sky Center website. 
Would an organization about sustainable rural living be into beekeeping? They sure would be!
Might they also make mead? They would indeed.

So I went to chat with the people working in the offices, who are super friendly and didn't mind me intruding into their workday. "Tell me about the mead!"

Turns out it is from local sage honey, and they have it at the Buckhorn. I have found my people.

The mead is bone-dry and sparkling. Only 7.5% ABV (mine is typically twice that). It has the same wonderful earthy flavor as the sage honey mead I had in Lancaster. 

The music in the background when I took this picture was Patsy Cline.

The food at the Buckhorn is great. So many miles are in this. I had some chili too.

The Buckhorn bar is fantastic. The crowd is a mix of the very well-heeled guests at the fancy hotel, and regular local townsfolk. So you have the bartender effortlessly cranking out very fancy cocktails from the extremely well-stocked bar while discussing the health of his goats with his neighbors.

I have found my people.

Bike touring is about serendipity. The best experiences are the ones you chance upon. That you can't plan. 

After dinner, I sat out next to my tent and watched the stars.

The skies are perfectly clear and black.

This was one of my top bike touring days ever.

Here's the Strava track: https://www.strava.com/activities/17795597161

California Day 8 - Lancaster to the Tejon Ranch Outlet Mall

 Decisions were made today. There is a clear path forward.

The issue here is there is a heat wave where the temperatures are in the mid-90s in the afternoon. And there are giant mountains between Lancaster and the Pacific Ocean. What to do.

One thing that was settled is I have to go over Tejon Pass. Elevation is 4200 feet, which is about 2500 feet higher than Lancaster.

By leaving at first light, when it was nice and cool out, this objective was met by 1:00 PM. Temperatures were still in the 80s.

And it was a great ride up to the pass. Because poppies. Not because of this giant oak tree growing in the desert.

We must not allow ugly cell towers, only ugly transmission line towers. And ridiculous fake trees.

But the poppies are a big deal. There is an entire giant preserve devoted to poppies.

The fields of poppies in the preserve are kinda underwhelming, though.

Examination of poppies growing next to the road reveals that they are not awake yet.

But give it a few hours, and WOW.

There are so many poppies everywhere, not just in the preserve.

And there are more than poppies. Check out this lupine.

The desert roadside is so beautiful.

It was like this for most of the morning-long climb. There was a stretch on "The 138" for a few miles, though, which is a two lane road with not much shoulder and lots of semi trucks. And I passed over the California Aqueduct from time to time.

Anyway, back to the top of Tejon Pass. After cresting the top, I pulled off a couple miles later to ponder my options while getting lunch at a Subway in a gas station.

One option would be to ride 10 more miles and up another 1000 feet to a nice motel in a scenic mountain town, which would set me up for another 4000 feet of fairly steep climbing tomorrow. 

Or, I could have a nice 17 mile downhill coast to a cheap motel next to an outlet mall, which would leave me with 2500 feet of moderate climb tomorrow. 

I think I'll choose the option where I get to coast the rest of the day, and I save 2500 feet of climbing.

There is only one catch.

Do you see a "no bikes" sign? I don't see a "no bikes" sign.

And the cop who stopped to talk to me while I was taking this picture confirmed that, believe it or not, riding on the shoulder of I-5 here is legal. I think he was just checking to make sure I don't have a mental illness.

What's great is because the hill is so steep, trucks have to stay in the truck lane and can only go 35 MPH. This is actually considerably safer than the much longer stretch I rode on The 138 this morning where there is no shoulder, it's all uphill, and most of the semi trucks passed me without slowing down.

That white thing off in the distance is the outlet mall next to my cheap motel. There are also distribution centers for Ikea and Dollar General down there.

What's great is this picture includes two different runaway truck ramps.

I dropped 3000 feet in elevation in that final 17 mile glorious payback. And at the lower altitude, it was hot hot hot. Good thing I didn't have to do any pedaling.

Yes, it is hot out and it was a long day.

But my room is surprisingly nice for a Microtel Inn, and they have free breakfast tomorrow.

There is a place called the Black Bear Diner next door. The menu has solid comfort food, and they have beer. So I went over there for dinner. The place is half empty, and there are a bunch of people waiting in the lobby.

me: "Can I sit at the counter?"
Hostess: "No. There are two big parties, they just put their order in, and the kitchen is backed up."
me: "But if I sit at the counter, I could have a beer while I wait."
Hostess: "I can put your name on the list. The wait is 15 to 20 minutes."
me: "Thank you, I'll get dinner elsewhere."

She shouldn't try such crap when her diner is next door to a truck stop with a Popeyes.

Here is the Strava track for today: https://www.strava.com/activities/17784688906