The Remainder of the Trip

I share with you photos and random thoughts for the rest of our biking holiday in the Santa Ynez Valley.  We did the same routes we've done in previous years but in reverse, and that was a treat.  Things appeared differently of course and it was loads of fun descending with a tailwind after struggling with headwinds in this gorgeous valley of vineyards.

Each day we increased our mileage eventually doing close to 60 miles the last day.  It was a good plan for me to get back into biking after a winter of rain and uneven exercise. 

Tuesday was a weird day, after a lovely quiet ride on a back road and then realizing that biking along Highway 1 might prove dangerous, so, we changed course and ended up on a road undergoing construction.  Our peaceful morning turned jarring but these things happen, right.  The photo above has nothing to do with this particular rambling.  I just liked the shot I took.

Wandering into little towns, wondering what surprises await makes biking holidays wonderful.  A cafe we visited each time in Los Alamos was no longer but we discovered another place to eat and had a good lunch.

The wind is always a factor here.  But this year, it was also a wee bit chillier and our mornings began with cloud cover that eventually broke into warmer sunnier afternoons.  Wednesday morning it rained for an hour but we were able to ride once it stopped.  A valley of vineyards, with patterns to delight the eye.

A valley filled with canyons to delight the eye.  Cat Canyon, Drum Canyon, Ballard Canyon, all beautiful.  It truly was a delight to coast down some of them rather than climb as we have in previous years. 

A valley with farms to catch the eye's attention.  I never tire of these patterns.  I'd like to return at another time of the year to see this area in a different light.

Thursday was our last day in Solvang.  After the ride, we ate a quick meal at Starbucks and proceeded to our next destination -- Cambria.  We drove along the coast, passing Morro Bay.  Alas, we had car trouble.  The Boyfriend was brave and quick thinking, trying to get us to Cambria; we fell short about a mile from the outskirts of town.  Thank you AAA.  A tow truck took us to our hotel, by this time, 9pm.  The towing guy picked us up again Friday morning and took us all the way back to the Bay Area.  He was an interesting character and I quite enjoyed his company.  He lives with his family in Big Sur.  I'm jealous. Anyway, not exactly how we planned to end our holiday but all that really matters is that we had a romantic fun filled trip and we got home safely.