Things just don't start early in this tourist town.  Breakfast didn't open until 7:00 so we didn't get loaded to depart until around 8:00.  Everyone is probably a better rider this morning...we ate breakfast at a Holiday Inn Express this morning...I know I feel different.

We started out on hwy 154 which had a shoulder for most of the way but we had to endure about 5 miles of unshouldered road.  The traffic was moderate, but the lane was wide and traffic gave us a wide birth.  One nice thing about riding around here is motorists are used to seeing cyclists everywhere...and I do mean everywhere.  But it's beyond me why they have so many cyclists out here still alive.  Many cyclists here have no regard for traffic control and they zoom through busy intersections through red lights as they dodge traffic from all directions.  It's nice to see our folks not giving in to those habits.  On rides like this, if we didn't obey traffic laws, it would just be a matter of time before we had a problem.  But we cycle along while maintaining our focus on getting to our destination safely...that makes me a happy ride leader.

After we got off hwy 154, we entered a few lonely back roads that meandered through the mountains with plenty of switchbacks to test our skills on descents.  In the past, on one particular road, we couldn't take the trailer...roads were too crooked, steep, and narrow.  At one point, a boulder poked out over 1/3 of the road and the road wasn't too wide to start with.  The face of the stone had signs of previous motorist's miscues...scrapes of paint and scratches were telltale signs that not everyone got around that corner without bouncing off the rock.  It would be nice to have more riders on this trip, but not having to pull the trailer made today a lot easier to support.

One interesting thing we witnessed as we climbed to the first SAG.  At the time of its construction, the steel arch bridge spanning the canyon on hwy 154 was one of the longest in the US.  It was also the first major arch structures to use all welded steel sections.  It was an awesome sight as we rode under the span on a twisty blacktop road.  After the SAG we continued to climb until we got to the level of the bridge and the view from above the structure was just as impressive.  (See Scenes of the Day)

Our climbing pretty much was over by the time we got 3 miles past our first SAG.  From there it was downhill all the way to Santa Barbara...but what a downhill.  We bounced back on hwy 154 for just over a mile of nontechnical descent but when we turned on the back road to finish our descent, we found a highly technical array of switchbacks.  As the riders made their way down the face of the mountain, they had to negotiate several switchbacks with 5 MPH signs at the apex...the road almost turned back on itself as it dropped 10-15 feet in the corners.  It was a white knuckle descent that took concentration to accomplish, but everyone descended well within their comfort zone and all got down safely.

At the bottom, we rode along the water front in downtown Santa Barbara.  The beaches were alive with sunbathers, volleyball players, skateboarders, and pedestrians...and yes Paul, we finally saw a bikini!  Our route meandered through some "high rent" areas along the shoreline and in and out of residential areas following the coastal bikeway through town. 

The final miles of the day were urban into the motel.  Most of the streets out here are lined with bike lanes or there's a bike path close by that will take you just about anywhere you want to go.  I could get used to that...wish Alabama would come around like this.

After dinner we finally held our t-shirt swap.  By the time we got through with everything it was dark and with this small group, we just held it in our room.  Everyone had a great story about their t-shirt and the stealing was rampant.  Ron made the slickest move to get the shirt he wanted...you just had to be there.  After lots of name calling and "now you know who your real friends are" situations, all the shirts were taken.  We always have a good time with the swap, tonight was no exception.

We only have 2 more days left...geeze, can't believe this is over already...ocean, hills, big trees, vineyards, crop land...we've seen it all.  And now everyone has a new t-shirt!  Tomorrow we'll ride a while along the beaches of southern California...people watching may be on the menu.  See you tomorrow.