May 23, 2023 – Guadalupe to Refugio State Beach
We rode 61 miles today from the Guadalupe Fire Department courtyard to Refugio State Beach. When we woke up in Guadalupe this morning it looked like we had been rained on and were sitting in a cloud so everything was pretty soaked. We needed to get out of the courtyard by 7am, so we got up around 5:30am to be sure we were out on time. Oh yeah, no hobo attacks last night. We went and had some great breakfast burritos at Guadalupe Cafe which I’m sure was the nicest spot in the town and then headed out on the road. It was cold and stayed cold and wet pretty much the whole day. The first 10 miles in the morning were on Highway 1, but it was narrow with no shoulders most of the way; and cars/trucks were flying so it was pretty sketchy. After that, it turned into a proper highway again and we had good shoulders most of the day (except for the Harris Grade part but traffic was light). There were several big climbs today, but one in particular was pretty rough. We went through Harris Grade Rd to get to Lompoc and it was 3 miles of pretty steep incline. Even though it was tough, my body has definitely acclimated to the climbs. The last climb of the day, a 13.5 mile moderate one, is supposed to be the last big hill of the trip! When we got to the bottom, Highway 1 merged with the 101 and we rode another 10 miles or so into camp. I also got another flat on my bike (rear tire this time), but I brought two extra tubes and was able to get it switched in about a half hour.
Refugio State Beach is pretty awesome and the hiker/biker site is a stone throw away from the ocean. We got here and got our tents setup right away so that they could dry off a bit. We had bought some dinner at the Albertson’s in Lompoc, so we we got cooking while the tents were drying. I was also able to get a nice hot shower which was wildly welcome after two 60+ mile days and no shower last night. It’s amazing how good a hot shower can make you feel after a long day. Now I’m sitting here and writing this while listening to the waves crashing nearby. It’s sights like these that I’m sure I’ll look fondly back on.
I thought a lot about what this trip has meant to me over the years while riding today. All the miles on the bike and the grinding through climbs really gets my mind going. I’m happy to have this opportunity to complete a trip I had always planned to finish, but was never sure when I’d be able to. But its definitely different this time too. I’m very much looking forward to seeing my family in a few days. By the way, thank God for video calls. It’s great to see my wife and kids on a regular basis.
I’m going to go plan our route for tomorrow. We’ll be going through at least Santa Barbara and Carpinteria, so those will be familiar places.
-Chris
