The Beautiful Big Sur

My shower at the elementary school 

A beautiful waterfall 

Scenes from above 

A preview of our ride 

Great place to have a home

Today’s ride was truly spectacular. I’ve driven Route 1 in a car twice, once when I was 24 years old and once with my family but riding it on a bicycle was jaw dropping. The steep climbs and winding downhills were continuous and picturesque. If I would have stopped at every breathtaking vista It would have taken me two day to complete the 68 miles. I didn’t even mind the 5,800 feet of climbing. Tonight we’re staying at an interesting elementary school in a very isolated area. I can’t believe there’s enough children in the area to have a school. There’s no town and no houses in the area. The bus driver teaches physical education and science. He lives in a shed next to the school. His name is Cody and he is also a bicycle mechanic. He informed us that the school is powered by solar panels and we need to unplug all our devices and turn out the lights early so they will have enough energy for school on Tuesday. I talked to an elderly teacher who had tried to quit but they wouldn’t let her because they couldn’t find a replacement. She looked to be in her mid to late eighties. This is without a doubt the most unique public school I’ve ever experienced. Tomorrow is an 88 mile day and I plan on solo riding so that I can blast through the ride to meet Cindy in Pismo Beach. No official rest stops, just snack and ride. I hope my energy level is still there after so many days on the road.