Thursday, October 10th,
We set out from Van Damme around 9 ready for a hilly ride, and a hilly ride we got. It was absolutely stunning the whole way. I described it as a deluxe prairie as on the left there were grassy hills dotted with trees and shrubs while on the right there was hardly anything but sheer cliffs and gorgeous sandy beaches. I couldn't figure out if there was any way down to them, seems a waste to have a beach you can access...I kept fantasizing about living in one of the cliff top houses and waking up to the blue ocean, but then I think about cleaning the ocean spray off my windows...
The road barely gave us a shoulder to ride on and we often encountered signs saying 'narrow winding road next 21 miles, watch for bicycles' Some of the worst parts were when the road goes inland on a downhill then does a hairpin turn and steeply climbs the cliff back to the ocean. Just awful. Luckily for the most part the drivers give you enough space. Going by our guide book we went through the steepest section on the whole coast; a set of three switchbacks that carried us up a canyon. Rigel and I decided it was better to walk it. The day ended at the KOA with all the amenities. Hot free showers, nice camping area, outdoor electric burner cooking area, and the best part; hot tub! The KOA was a lot better than the state park down the road which had outhouses and no water. :( Overall a great day!
