Day 14: From fame to fortunate

Perhaps the tourist section of our trip is starting in earnest from now on. We have enjoyed the scenic byways, great food, and brief stops along the way to check out the local sights. Today, we were tourists until 1:45 but it's not every day that you pass by the Hearst Castle. We were not disappointed! This grand scale building project that lasted almost 20 years with the magnificent landscape surrounding it is unforgettable. As well, for the first time in 50 years, tourists were allowed to roam the grounds after our part of the tour ended. Of course, this was a tribute to fame and wealth of the Hearst empire, but it was also a generous bequest by that family to the people of California. It was fun to imagine the famous movie stars and media moguls that must have enjoyed these grounds as we did on a beautiful afternoon.

Since Bryan still planned to cycle this afternoon, we had lunch in San Simeon. The wind was favorable yet again, so he set off with the plan to arrive in Pismo Beach. He had smooth sailing until he blew a tire half way along. No problem, he just fixed it and continued on.

While he was fixing the tire, I was gleaning information from a very knowledgeable woman at the Chamber of Commerce in Pismo. She insisted that I call Bryan right away with an alternate route that would keep him off the illegal-for-cyclists 101. We were fortunate to have her good advice for a great Italian ristorante for supper as well. She also helped me map out a route into Santa Barbara that will keep Bryan legal for the next 2 days. After that, we may just continue with the bike loaded in the Escape to get through Los Angeles. We will see what traffic is like on the edges, near Ventura. Common sense/consensus says the congestion will only increase.

Once Bryan arrived after his 96 km ride, we walked the pier with many others who were out for the sea air or trying to surf the waves. We feel very fortunate to be on this adventure, with so many helpful people cheering us on. We have also been blessed with safe travel and inspiring experiences.