Pescadero Here We Come

After a couple of weeks of 25 - 30 mile fairly flat training rides, we decided to go for the brass ring today.  The ride from Half Moon Bay to Pescedaro...longer and far hillier than anything we had tried to date on this trip.

The ride started in Half Moon Bay...right on the ocean.

We rode down the Pacific Coast Highway for 10 miles and then turned inland...only to see this:

Carol looked at the scene and said, “Looks like Italy doesn’t it?”  It rode like Italy as well.  Six climbs more than a mile in length with a grade of 9% or greater.  The toughest was the last...a 12% grade on very tired legs.

A cyclist we met on the way told us this route was the prettiest bike ride in all California.  Who was to argue with him?

Carol was a trooper...both on the way to Pescedaro

...and the way home.

Pescedaro was a lovely small town.  We were so tired when we got there, we forget to take any pictures.  Hopefully, we won’t make that mistake again any time soon.

In all, we rode only 40 miles (39.75 actually) but climbed 4,654 feet.  We arrived home tired and sore but feeling like we had finally accomplished something.  Then---as we unloaded our car---we realized I had left one of my cycling shoes on the sidewalk where we parked at Half Moon Bay...so I had to drive back to retrieve it.

Time to Check In

Hello All,

Just checking in to let everyone know we are alive and kicking in San Carlos, CA.  May 1 we packed up the Subaru, that is, crammed all we could into the back end of it and put three bikes up top.  We took off and got as far as Tacoma, where we had breakfast with Greyson, Kelsey, and Eric before the kids headed out for school.  We missed Lita who leaves early, while it is still dark for work.  It was hard to say goodbye to the grandkids especially, but we had to.  Kelsey made me a fabulous cup of coffee before she went to school.


Our next stop was Portland, where we had lunch with Andrea Burton, whose parents in Winston-Salem, NC, are our good friends.  Andrea went to high school with Eric, a year behind him.  She loves living in Portland where she works in web design (if I understand at all what she does, luddite that I am.)  Hi, Andrea.  We missed seeing you on our quick trip up north - see below - but unfortunately we came through Portland at strange times.



It was great getting to San Carlos and seeing Natasha, Nathaniel, Tuvya and Ezra.  Typically, we see them for a week here and there during the year and it always feels like a meter is ticking away.  This is different.  But, back to the story:  Tasha had taken a look at an apartment I found on-line and approved it for our rental.  When we got here, there was a folding table that seats six comfortably and I imagine 8, if they all really like one another.  There were two card table chairs. Tasha also managed to kind of stock the kitchen with dishes, utensils, a few pots and pans, glasses and wine glasses.  There were a few mixing bowls and measuring cups, too.  We were ready to go.  But wait!  That afternoon we were able to get a new mattress at the thrift shop.  It is kind of soft, so we just put it on the floor.  On Craigslist we found a metal futon for a sofa.  We picked up a couple of little kitchen/convenience items the next day.  We were almost set.  Sunday of that week, while dropping compostables off in the Bergson-Michelson recycling, we noticed a neighbor had put out a white laminate desk with a "take me" sign on it.  That went in the back of the car and off we went.  The next weekend was Mothers' Day and I was in charge of fruit salad.  Two bowls of Costco fruit salad later, we had not one, but two serving dishes.  Remember those early days of life after college, or perhaps while still in college?  We are living them again, although this time with creaking bodies and gray hair.  Imagine this with a 2" beige pad.  


Back to the boys...they left for camp on the 23rd of June for 2 weeks and Tasha left the same day for a 10 day business trip.  Poor Nathaniel is left with us and we with him.  It was fun being able to go to school programs occasionally during the first month here, and just to hang out with one, the other, or both kids.  We are walking distance from their home, but so far, we have done the walking and we have picked them up in the car or they have been dropped off here.  Can't wait until they come back so the four of us can do some hiking together.  

As for San Carlos, we are two blocks from the commercial district, downtown if you will.  Thursdays is Farmers' Market and we have been going every week to shop and have a picnic dinner with the family.  The local produce has been plentiful and good:  Strawberries in May!  Lots of lemon cucumbers and tomatoes.  Apricots last week and peaches, too.  By the way, for a town with about 3 blocks of downtown, there are 5 Italian restaurants.  I have spoken to several owners, they are from Napoli, Postiano, and Bari so far.  The others don't seem like the kind of places one walks into just to ask where the chef and/or owner come from, but I eventually will.  Also, the best bagels I have had in years, made by a Chinese family.

In early June we made a quick trip to Seattle, to attend a wedding - great event - and greet our renters who were coming from Melbourne, Australia.  It was really nice to see the few folks we were able to see while there.  We stayed in Tacoma, to be able to maximize time with Greyson and Kelsey.  It was their last week of school, so we had breakfast together and walked them to school every day.  Our last night there was sad for me, but leaving grandkids always is.  We got up the next morning and thought they would still be asleep, but we got one last round of hugs and kisses before leaving.  We drove as far as Ashland, OR.  When we got up the next morning we decided to recreate a portion of a bike ride we did from Seattle to SF 11 years ago and drove west from Yreka CA, to Fort Jones and to Weaverville before heading back to I-5.  It took an extra 2 hours drive time, but was worth it.  If you ever get a chance to drive through the Trinity Alps, do it.  It;s worth the scenery to put up with road work.

Roger and I came here also to train for la gran avventura, but actually we got sick from watching the kids the first week were here and last week became the start of training.  This week we had rain two days, but will the sun be out again tomorrow.  Cycling here is beautiful.  We ride primarily between the bay and slightly into the coastal range to the west.  It is rural, green, and quiet.  In fact, much of the area is developed, but it is 10-20 or more acre plots.  Most  of the homes are set back from the road, hidden in trees, so it seems less a part of a city or town and more like undeveloped land. 

Since we haven't been out much, we haven't met a lot of people.  We will be back at Shabbat services at Pennionsula Temple Beth El, close by, and at the recommendation of Bryan and Sharon Rutberg who went there while living in San Mateo.  We have met some nice folks there, but have not socialized yet outside of at onegs.  

Meanwhile, we are making progress on our travel plans.  December 12 we will arrive in Melbourne, Australia and will leave two days later to ride to Adelaide with a stop for several days on Kangaroo Island and then in the Barossa Valley.  The western half of the ride is through an area with few services, but we were able to find places to stay every night.  The more we read, the more we know we will have to return, as we could travel just in that area for 3 months and not have time for everything we would like to see and do.   Notice the coastline from Melbourne to Adelaide.  That is basically ALL we see in 28 days! Amazing when you consider how far we go to get there.
     

That's about it for now.  We'll send some actual photos before the summer is out.  Enjoy the next few months, wherever you are while reading this.  I know we will.