Day 6, part two. After the two hour delay, we eventually got up to the top of the Rest Stop queue and shoved off with our cold stiffened legs. After a short climb the road topped off and down we started. Thanks to the staggered release of riders, it wasn’t super crowded, and also thanks to recent repavement the road was ok, but that’s kinda where the good stuff stopped.
Despite the delay, it was still morning, still cold, and increasingly windy. As we tore down the hill, the wind gusted around us wildly, knocking us off our lines and causing everyone to hunker down and, basically, pray for survival. The fog was pushing over the mountains and I watched it in awe of its primitive beauty, wondering if it was the last thing I’d see. (Ok, a little hyperbolic, but not completely… I heard of at least one ambulance that had to go fetch someone on that decent).
At the bottom of the gusty hill, the craziness intensified. The wind was fierce, busting our chops from every corner when we turned down to join the 101 freeway at the top of the Gaviota pass. We had a rumble strip and a small shoulder to protect us as trucks tore down the freeway, rattling close to our left. The madness roared to a peak when we had to scream over a bridge, the shoulder narrowing and the traffic thundering and the wind blowing and the bikes racing… “harrowing” was the word Scott used when we pulled into a turn out to catch our breath. Perfect word: harrowing.
Then all we had to do was ride another 65 miles or so.
After the frustrating/cold/windy/terrifying start, things did actually get better. Despite the delay up front, the rest stops and lunch had to keep to their scheduled time slots, which meant the riders behind us got seriously crunched for time. We were in the first half of the pack, I think, so we got to lunch about 45 minutes before it closed, but we were among the lucky ones.
The town of Santa Barbara always treats us to ice cream as we ride through town which is SO welcome. I had a chance to chat with some friends and then we took off again. The bike path after carpenteria is just about my favorite part of the whole ride… two miles or so of clean clear path safely separated from the freeway, the waves breaking on the rocks to our right just below, the hills standing serene and majestic above us to our left. Fabulous. After the five days of effort and a chaotic morning, that pathway is a prayer of gratitude and beauty.
It ended up being a 12 hour day which is a LOT. Roger Nolan and I grabbed food at an In N Out by camp, which was so crowded with riders that they ran out of iced tea and ketchup (at least in the dispensers).
Next day: homeward bound! More on that anon.
