Day 13: Friends and high places

Bryan logged perhaps the most technically challenging 130 km of the trip today before he came to a rest at the Rugged Point Resort. While he enjoyed the downhills, there were so many long climbs, sharp curves and unpredictable bike space. The tailwind shifted at times to bounce back at him from the opposite side or to catch him as he rounded a curve. There was no time to sit back and relax, but he had to stay vigilant all the way. He did take time to admire the grazing cattle though. I snapped the photo, knowing that he would like to add it here.

A bright spot in the day was our stop for lunch at Greg Wirth's cliff side home in the Big Sur area. Derek Harder's uncle has lived there for a number of years so he was a great help as a guide. With his encouragement, we booked our accommodation tonight at a very special inn and a tour of the Hearst Castle for tomorrow.

I had already visited the unique Nepenthe gift shop before lunch, but Greg's encouragement to stop at the New Camaldoli Hermitage near Lucia was very good advice. He had warned me about the steep switch backs on the narrow 2 mile climb but I met just one other car. The well-stocked bookstore at the top and the spectacular views on the way down were worth it. I even stopped a while to read my new book while overlooking a new bridge that is an engineering marvel.

The waves were particularly high and active today according to the locals. There were plenty of places to stop along the way to admire their power. No wonder so many people come here for the view. Greg said that on weekends the highway is solid with traffic, as we had already experienced the past two days. This was a much more relaxing drive, despite the curves, since there were not that many others on the road.
As well, we had time to wander paths around the resort and soak in some sun on our deck before supper.
A very good day once again.