Til The Next Time

Monday, May 18th

Our last day of vacation.  The BF decided we should try Figueroa Mountain from the other side despite the road closure sign he encountered the day before.  He figured he'd go as far as he could.  I figured I go as far as I could, you know, get out of bed, have a cup of coffee, and return to bed. Exhausting life I lead.  But no, The Taskmaster made me go out the front door, all suited up for one last ride.   Listen Mister, I said, I better not encounter any aliens.

Before we got to the start of the climb, we met some male cyclists from Canada!  They come to California fairly regularly for cycling trips.  Later in the day, we saw them again. 

There goes The Boyfriend.  Funny how photos don't always capture the steepness of a climb.  Believe me, this was not flat.  The mountain is a favorite for locals, for pros, and for hikers. 

Last time we did it, I made to the fire station, but this time, I turned back early.  I lost my nerve from the gusting wind and sheer drops in some places.  The BF made it to the summit.  He's a stud. 

We stopped for lunch at Panino in Los Olivos.  Good food, good coffee.  It's one of our favorite places.  Cyclists, tourists, locals also like it.   We had only done 28 miles at this point.  The BF suggested we continue on before heading back to the hotel for dinner reservations at the lovely romantic restaurant in Los Olivos.  He guessed it was another 20 miles of riding.  I was like, okay, as long as we don't encounter any aliens. 

Well, here's what happened.  That 20 miles turned into 37 miles, thus, making our ride today 65 miles.  We didn't realize this while we sauntered on.  Classic boyfriend moment - underestimates the mileage.  Classic me moment - health meltdown in which I bike 5 mph.  We'd be lucky to get back to the hotel by midnight .... We reached Los Almos, and yay, for smart phones because The BF changed our reservations.  While he was busy doing that, I shot off like a rocket into the canyon and flew as though I had wings.  One moment, I'm pretty much lame ass and the next, I'm soaring.  It took quite some time for The BF to catch up to me.  He was blown away by my sudden burst of energy.  Both of us blasted back with plenty of time for our romantic dinner.  Good bye for now Solvang, a favorite of ours for biking.  And whew, the aliens didn't get me this time....