Lars’ Notes: 

Well, the wind was great while it lasted! Unfortunately, it only lasted for 5-10 miles today. We started in Davenport and experienced the same tailwind as we enjoyed yesterday. But, all good things must come to an end. As we entered Santa Cruz, we meandered through some gorgeous coastline along a dedicated bike path. Santa Cruz had lovely views, but was also very touristy and commercialized in spots. We stopped for a break along the beach, had a snack, used the restrooms and refilled our water. It was your stereotypical surf beach. From there we headed south, we were slightly inland for a spell and we started to feel the wind. When we neared the coast again, the wind really became an issue. Where yesterday, we sped along at 18-22 mph, almost effortlessly, this afternoon we trudged along working hard for 12 mph. While the wind was brutal, the scenery was really interesting. 

We left the main thoroughfare, Rt.1 for side roads that took us through the heart of the agricultural section of the region. Acres upon acres of strawberries, lettuce, avocados, artichokes and many others. We rode through many areas that were being picked, it was fascinating, bus loads of workers were in the fields, picking by hand. I’m sure these crops are sold throughout the country, it’s interesting to see the reality of the labor required to deliver the produce to our grocery stores. The other thing that struck me is that all of the non-cultivated land has sandy soil, with golden brown grasses and scrub brush the natural ground cover, the fruit and vegetable fields were heavily irrigated and lush green in color, Without heavy water usage through the complex network of irrigation, the productivity of these fields could not be possible. Despite the tough headwinds, I am very glad we experienced this part of the region. At times, we were treated to the sweet smell of strawberries, it was really nice!

As we exited the depths of the farms, we had to return to Rt. 1 for about 6-8 miles. We have been lucky to have avoided a lot of traffic during the last 21 days, but this section was heavily traveled. The traffic, the strong winds, either directly in our faces or perpendicular to us (not fun either) requiring a strong grip on the handlebars so as not to swerve into traffic or off the road. Fortunately, this was not a very long section, and at points, traffic got so heavy that we actually traveled faster than the cars, making the ride a little less treacherous. As we exited Rt. 1, we rode the Monterey Bay Coastal Trail. This was a really nice trail that took us through beautiful hills, with low scrub brush, and fields of wildflowers. 

Over the last few days, I noticed that my rear tire had been slowly losing air overnight. First 20 lbs, then 30. Last night, my tire was at 40 lbs as opposed to the 100lbs that were typical. I had considered changing the tube last night, but didn’t. I was worried about it all day. At a stop about 50 miles into the ride, Kirsten had been unusually tired. We didn’t know why, until we tried to restart. Her tire was flat. After all my concern about my tire, it was her tire that went flat! We had a spare and the proper tools, so we changed it without too much incident. Mine seemed to be holding up. Five miles later, Kirsten remarked, “Dad, your tire seems low ”. It was, but it held up to the end. I changed my tube as soon as we got back to the room. Strange that both of us needed tube changes on the same day. Remarkable as well that we made it this far without having to change a tube!

The Monterey Bay Coastal Trail brought us to the coastline again as we traveled south and then west around Monterey Bay, large sand dunes and stunning shoreline views were beautiful. The wind, however, was relentless. We would head south for 2-3 miles with full frontal winds, I would see on the GPS that we’d turn 90 degrees ahead and eagerly awaited the wind from a different direction. Those sections were like a tenth of a mile. For all the effort required to complete the ride today, it was worth it. The scenery today was wonderfully diverse as we traversed coastline, upland areas and the agricultural center of the region. We deserve a good dinner tonight!