Day Four - Paso Robles to Santa Maria– 99 Miles

Evil Twins, Shmeevile Twins. This was the day of the dreaded Evil Twins. Two long climbs back to back. We have all been warned about them and the stories regarding the twins are too many to count. Well, I have to say that these twins were not too difficult.

Beautiful Vista climbing up evil twin # 1




The most rewarding part of the ride so far was at the top of Evil Twin #2 where the official half way to Los Angeles mark is set. As you crest over the top of the hill, the vista opens up to a sea of grassy hills with the ocean beyond, the perfect location for the marker.

Apparently, the actual half way point is at the top of evil twin 1. Which is why, many of us stopped for one of many photo opportunities.


  


It was another windy day which created white crests across the ocean making for a great photo opportunity. This means another line to stand in, but I will get to that in a second. There were three sets of signs saying, “Half the Way to LA”, for the riders to take a photo in front of with the landscape behind. Who wouldn’t wait in line for that?

This was amusing. Imagine waiting in line to take a photo of yourself, holding you bike over your head, on the rock pictured below. Then think, oh cool, there are only 6 riders ahead of me. Well, we may have been only six riders, but we took 3 “single” photos, and two group photos, and multiply that by about 5 cameras, for about 2 to 3 pictures for each photo opportunity. Put it this way, it was a lot of picture taking by our small little group!

Half Way Point, and the Following Descent


  


Back to the lines we must stand in. Waiting for the Port-a-Potty. Waiting for food. Waiting for water. Waiting for pretty much everything. When you are at Disneyland, waiting in line gets annoying. While you are here, waiting in line turns into an integral part of the experience. I have met more people standing in line for something than any other moment so far. The crazy thing is that there are quite a few people who live in the same city as me. New friends to ride with are never a bad thing.

I got a bit nostalgic again today. Every summer when I was a kid, my family would pack into an RV and head out to a lake in this area to fish and camp at. We would always drive through Pismo Beach and around Morro Bay. The route today took us through both of these cities which seemed to have changed so much since I was a kid. Maybe it is because we never drove through the city as we did today? At any rate, the massive rock formation in the center of Morro Bay is just as I remembered it. It seems to have been plopped down in the middle of the bay by a huge giant. Basically it is a huge mountain sitting in the middle of the water. Looks like something out of a movie.


    


The wind was both a godsend and a nuisance. It was great when it was a tailwind, but was hateful as a crosswind. Later in the afternoon on our last leg into camp, the crosswind was fierce enough to almost blow us off of the road while we were blinded by the dirt it kicked up from the fields surrounding us. Thanks again to the Cycle Gods of the Tailwind who pushed us the last 10 miles to camp. Cruising at 25 mph with no effort is always exciting.


  


We all came back very dirty and very tired. The hot shower was much deserved for us all.

364 miles on the road.