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DAY 17
It just don't get any better than this

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ROUTE: Santa Cruz to Carmel Valley CA DISTANCE: 72 Miles WINDS: From all directions around Monterey
WEATHER: Sunny and warm...high 85 inland TERRAIN: Rolling and pretty easy most of the day TOTAL CLIMBING: 3000 Feet or so

DAILY REPORT: 

 Boy, you may have to look pretty hard to find a better day to ride than today...and we've had some pretty great days so far on this ride.  Today started out cool but before long it started to warm up with sunny skies...great conditions all afternoon.  During the stretch on the 17 Mile Drive we picked up traces of headwinds around the bay but we were in and out of the protection of the hills and trees which made the winds a non factor. 

We pulled out at daybreak because of all the sightseeing places we were riding by today and we had a remote breakfast.  We loaded at 7:00...some ate at the motel and got on the road while others rode to Jeffries; a nice place on route.  Today's route only 72 miles, but lots of things to do along the way caused everyone to doodle around quite a bit. 

Our route today was pretty interesting...first we were in urban riding conditions for 12 or so miles, then we were smack out into some of the richest farm land in the country.  I remember the first time I got to California, I was really surprised at how much dairy and crop farming there was out here.  If you just read travel manuals, all you see when you are back east are places like Yosemite, L.A., San Francisco and the like.  But California is rich in agriculture and they can grow just about anything if they can get water to the land.  Today we saw unusual crops for a cotton/corn/soybean loving southern boy...things like artichokes, onions, Brussels sprouts, lettuce, strawberries, and cabbage.  Several riders mentioned that watching the laborers work the fields made their back hurt.  Many of the crops out here are harvested the old fashioned way...bend over and pick the fruit one at a time...ouch.

After a tour through the farm land, the riders entered a long bike path that took them through Fort Ord and to Cannery Row in Monterey.  From there they entered 17 Mile Drive, a beautiful tour along the coastline where some the more famous golf courses (Pebble Beach, Cyprus Point, and Spyglass) and some high rent dwellings coexist.  The only negative of this loop was the wind picked up in their face for a few miles as we made our way though some gorgeous scenery.

Finally, it was a push downwind over one final climb before arriving at the motel in Carmel Valley.  Our motel is a converted horse stable...but it is really a nice place with lots of ambiance.  One nice touch was a hand made ABB welcome sign at the front entrance and two bikes hanging in the lobby...just a nice friendly place out in the middle of nowhere.  We shuttled to a great Mexican restaurant for a hearty meal before our big day tomorrow.

Tomorrow is our signature day of 111 miles over a couple good climbs before we start down to the valley.  Looking forward to another great riding day.  We won't see the ocean tomorrow, but it will be interesting.  See you then.
HEARD DURING THE DAY:

"The nice thing about riding through all the migrant laborer areas is that there are porta potties every 2 miles."

"This motel is a converted horse stable...that would explain why I was sitting in my room and had a sudden craving for oats."

"This was the best day so far."

 

 CAN'T BELIEVE I DID THAT:

Folks, I just report 'em.  As you saw, today we rode through Monterey and ended up in Carmel By The Sea.  It was a bit confusing through that area but Jeff did an excellent job of using the cue sheet to navigate through the maze until he got to highway 1..."Whew," He thought, "I'm home free now," and put his cue sheet in his pocket.  On he rode...it got busier and busier, narrower and narrower, and hillier and hillier.  "Why on heaven's earth would ABB make us ride through this," He muttered to himself.  After about 8 or 10 miles of riding steep uphills and in harrowing traffic he pulled to the side and it finally dawned on him to consult his cue sheet again.  Oops, there was an important turn just after he had put his route sheet away miles ago...the one that would take him east to the motel.  He called Karen in the van to come get him because he surely didn't want to ride back on that road.  When Karen found him, he was on the side of the road on highway 68 sitting forlornly 10 miles closer to Monterey which was north of where we were going...didn't we go through there 3 hours ago?  I guess Jeff learned the hard way...Lesson #1: Cue sheets are hard to see in your back pocket.  Lesson #2:  When you see a sign to a town you've already ridden through and the distance on the sign is closer than when you saw a sign to that same town two miles ago, you are probably going in the wrong direction.  And most importantly, Lesson #3: When you do something like this, don't let Mike find out. 

SCENES OF THE DAY?

When Jay pulled in to the motel we asked him where his stoker was.  "Dunno," He said, "I thought it was awful quiet since we left the store 15 miles back."

I knew I'd find Bill at Starbucks.

The lone Cyprus on 17 Mile Drive...probably the most photographed tree in America.

Oh look!  There's Mike on the hill standing in the ice plant.

Ocean on one side and golf courses on the other...my kind of place.

Right near the ocean is some of the most fertile land on the planet.

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