This was destined to be a strange day.
We have several riders who are taking the SAG instead of pedaling and
now we have added Baltimore Mark to those ranks. He's feeling ill and
having a tough time with his coughing and feeling poorly. Needless to
say, he didn't ride any today, but instead was relegated to sit in
the van, with a surgical mask handed to him to cover his face. Joe
and I are continuing with that thought and making him wear it tonight
too.
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| Joe, AKA Typhoid Joe, patient zero of the plague |
The day started out foggy and cool once
again. I was borderline as to whether I should have my usual 3
layers, or drop down to 2. I elected the 3 layer approach, as you can
always take off if you have too much, but you can't put on if you
have too little. Once we got over the 1st climb, the sun
came out and Joe and I zoomed our way to the 1st SAG. At
that point, it was sunny and warm and I was finally down to 1 layer
of cycling clothes. Hallelujah!
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| Gary Weinstein and the countryside behind |
I rode with Gary from the 1st
SAG and we had a discussion on a variety of topics, from hedge funds
to colonoscopies. I guess we have a diverse repertoire of interests,
so it seems. Gary did give me an interesting idea for a Christmas present for my wife, Aila. Gary and I made it to the Bee Rock Store, a stopping
point in the middle of nowhere. The area we are in, is very rural and
mostly made up of horse farms. There is not very much agriculture at
this point, but this store was there, in the middle of nothing.
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| The Bee Rock Store |
After the stop at the store I rode
alone and headed up the next long climb of the day, which was just
after the stop. Once at the top, there was a great view of the valley
behind me, and a great view of Lake Nacimiento in front of me. There
was still to be much more climbing in the day.
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| Lake Nacimiento |
After crossing the dam along the lake,
the roads continued on their now familiar path of climbs and descents
taking me on the road to Paso Robles. I happened upon an interesting
winery called “Chronic Cellars” and Kevin, who worked there,
allowed me a few free samples. The wine was good, but not great. They
only grow some of their own grapes and purchase the rest from other
local farmers.
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| Kevin pouring me a wine sample |
I made my way to the hotel and headed
out for a lunch. The 62 miles today had lots of climbing, but was
another nice ride.
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| One of the climbs |
Let's see what tomorrow brings.
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