Day Three

Yesterday was a great day on the road, but I did not get as far as I would have liked. For some reason, I was slow getting started in the morning. By the time I posted my progress, had breakfast, handled business calls and e-mail, and got the bike packed up, it was noon before I hit the road.

The Pacific Coast Highway is an incredible ride, with lots of different terrain and views. There are sections that are straight (relatively) and fast, and sections that are twisty-turny. Through quite a few miles of one of the twisty-turny sections, there was no other vehicle in sight ahead or behind me. What a blast! This hot rod is a thrill between turns, and handles beautifully in the turns.

Everywhere I stop, people are friendly and engage me in conversation.

They always pause to admire the bike and ask me about my trip. People are fascinated, and envious when I tell them what I am doing. I stopped at Point Lobos State Reserve along the road to take pictures and spent about half an hour. Just as I was about to leave, I noticed a woman with beautiful long brown hair about 25 feet away about to blunder into a big patch of poison oak, a mistake I nearly made myself. I hollered a warning to her. We started talking, and it turns out that she is a biker chick from waaay back. She told me about her various Harleys, but was most proud of the basket case 1953 Indian that she spent a couple of years searching for parts and restoring. Eventually, she won "Best of Show" at an Indian rally. She was accompanied by her boss, a florist. They were from upstate New York, and visiting San Francisco for a business expo. They got in their car and headed down the road.

Over the next hour, I kept leap-frogging stops with them. They would be stopped, taking pictures, I would pass, and wave. Then, I would be stopped, they would pass by and toot. When they pulled into Big Sur Inn to buy film, I pulled up next to them and offered to buy lunch.

We spent the next hour talking and having a great time. I complained to Julie that my hair gets really tangled, so she braided it for me. They headed back north, and me south, but I'll see them again.

At 128 miles into the trip I was getting low on fuel. A little station/antique shop/tourist trap appeared, and I paid the most money for gas I have ever paid. It was $379.9/gal., and it took $14.50 to full up my tank.

As dusk approached, fog started rolling in. I was getting a bit worried, but the fog get less dense as I rode. San Luis Obispo was still about twenty miles further. I was getting cold, and a bit tired. If I was going to ride much further, I would have to stop and change my socks and put on warmer gloves.

Once I rolled into San Luis Obispo, I decided to stop for the night. I cruised around for about a half hour and decided that there was no night life to be had. I gassed up, and asked the guy at the gas station where I could find a cheap room. He directed me to a cluster of motels near by where I found a room for $36. Unfortunately, Internet access is limited here because they only have three phone lines. I can connect for a half hour for $1.00. They were very accommodating of the bike, though. The room they gave me has a front entrance at the parking lot, and a rear entrance with a large window into a fenced yard. I could cable the bike to a pole outside my window in an alcove under an overhang.

Dinner was pizza and beer from a joint next door. Breakfast is left over pizza.

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