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| A good day to ride. |
Riding to Santa Cruz on Christmas eve, I had amazing weather, few hills, and even a little tailwind. The kilometres melted like butter that day - it was one of those days on a bike that is just a joy. As if that wasn't enough, my bike buddies Jim and Erica caught up with me in the afternoon for a chat. The first sight I had of them was an outstretched hand with a can of beer coming up on my left, which I drank with pleasure. Their secret, they told me, was to drink light beer while cycling. The taste of that beer in the golden afternoon made it hard to disagree with them.
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| Highway 1 baby, yeah! |
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| More amazing coastal scenery. |
Cycling beer wasn't the only first awaiting me that day, as I had arranged to couchsurf for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. I had never couchsurfed before, so I was excited to get started. Mitch is CS veteran, and he was kind enough to take me in on Christmas Eve, with all my gear still wet from camping in the storms the days before. He was a great host, and had me on my way to my next couchsurfing date the next morning, as I tried to stay ahead of the weather. I didn't entirely succeed. I rolled in to Monterey on Christmas Day just as it started raining in the afternoon. By the time I made contact with my host at work, it was dark and I was soaked. The wonderful Angela, had, however, showed her great generosity and set aside some Christmas dinner for me that she had prepared. I got a bit lost on the way to her place, and was beginning to despair in the cold and the rain, when I asked a random guy on a street corner for directions. It turned out to be Angela's roommate Greg - ha! He bought me a coffee and showed me the way to the flat, where I ate perhaps one of the tastiest meals I can remember eating, and in a stranger's place on Christmas Day!
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| One of the best meals ever. |
I spent a couple of days drying out and hanging out with the guys there, before I got going again. I hit the road again, heading out of Monterey, full of gratitude and amazement at how perfect strangers had shown such kindness and generosity to me. I was also looking forward to the next few days of riding. I was to experience beautiful Big Sur on a bicycle, and negotiate the longest stretch of road yet where I was just going to camp and ride.
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