Sunday, September 07, 2008

Day Three Summary

The knee was a problem before the day even really got going. But GB tried anyway, and he still got a pretty good ways up the road before officially succumbing to a rest day. It didn't help that the day was so foggy and cold that he never could warm up, or that the route was so confusing that wrong turns were made and additional mileage had to be covered. By about 11:15 this morning, we made the call to go back to Monterey and hit up the Aquarium and stay in a more comfortable place than last night. We did find a place with a hot tub, so he also soaked some sore muscles in that to try and recover some go-juice for tomorrow. We had certainly built in about a day and a half contingency on the trip, and we only used about a half day today, so things are still looking good for the overall trip, even if today wasn't the perfect ride. Here was our route for the day:



Regardless, we made the best of it, checking out the Monterey Bay Aquarium, eating on the water, and doing some serious relaxing and recuperating. And since I don't have a lot of stuff to write about the riding today (and because I have a high-speed connection today, and not just a wimpy one), I'll leave you with some pictures from the first three days.

This is from day two, where you can see the wax paper effect that the fog was having on us. Even with the fog, though, the craggy rocks breaking up the ocean's approach to the beach is awfully pretty. I think I could watch waves crash into rocks for hours without ever getting bored.

Here we have the bridge to the mountain that floats in the clouds. Honestly, the ocean is just down there in the whiteness, but it was really odd to be able to hear the waves but not see any confirmation through all those layers of wax paper. Most of day two had scenes like that. It was nice when we were up on a hill above the clouds, but as you descended back into them, it turned cold and wet.

And this is what most everything looked like below the fog level. The colors get washed out and visibility goes down quite a bit. I still love how the cliffs dive into the ocean, even if the overall look is clouded over.

And then this one is almost like a mountain scene with some white stone that looks like snow and those dark evergreen trees.

Check it out! I found a road mileage marker sign that is actually in both miles AND kilometers! It's a metric-conversion-proponent's dream to see such a thing in this country, and I was so excited to find it that I pulled over and took a half-dozen pictures of a road sign.

This morning we came across this bridge -- the Bixby Bridge. It spans two cliffs that overlook an ocean inlet, rather than any kind of creek or river, and that added to its coolness factor.

Here's a cow and some sheep enjoying their bit of pasture land overlooking the ocean. Well, at least I sure hope these animals are enjoying their prime bit of real estate while they eat up some tasty grass. Of course, I suppose they had access to any of this land they wanted before we came along.Wait. Domesticated animals weren't in this part of the world until we came along. So I take back my take-back -- they should appreciate what they have and look up from that tasty grass every once in a while. And not just because crazy people with cameras are around.

Continuing with the animal theme, I like this picture of the jellyfish that I got at the aquarium. Such simple and complex creatures at the same time. They sure do move through the water beautifully.

And, of course, the obligatory on-the-bike photo. See? GB really is riding his bike! This was from the first day as GB was cruising along through the relatively flat part of the route. Oh, how I long for those days of innocence. :) Just kidding, but there really are only so many ways I can take pictures of him as he rides by.



Statistial Summary:
  • Time on the road: 4 hours, 15 minutes
  • Time in the saddle: 3 hours, 15 minutes
  • Maximum speed: 57.2 km/hr (35.5 mi/hr)
  • Average speed: 22.7 km/hr (14 mi/hr)
  • Distance ridden: 73.8 km (46 mi)
  • Calories burned on the ride: 2356
  • Calories consumed: 3180
  • Protein consumed: 91g
  • Unsaturated fats consumed: 74 g
  • Weight: Not too worried about this today
  • Number of wrong turns: 2

2 comments:

Stephanie said...

The relaxation day sounds great -- and well deserved! The success of the first two days, certainly entitled him to some R&R. What beautiful pictures!! Looks like a nice ride!

George said...

I always figured those cows along Hwy. 1 are the luckiest in the world.