Waking up in a tent to sub-forty degree weather this morning was a bit rough. My toes stayed numb until I got on the bike and started pedaling.
Our goal today was a short ride: get to King City about 30 miles away.
With absolutely no traffic on the road, I could only hear the whirring of rubber on asphalt.
At one point, Dave spotted a stuffed penguin on the side of the road and had to take a photo. He debated taking it along for the ride, but it weighed too much
After a brief yet grueling climb, we reached the top of the pass overlooking the central valley.
Now, the descent was something I've never experienced before: a couple miles coasting at 30+ mph.
And then I got a flat. Hopefully the first and last flat of the trip. A tiny sliver of metal punctured my tire just enough to put a hole in the tube. Regardless, a quick patch job had the bike running smoothly again.
We finished the descent into King City and asked a local where to eat. He suggested a restaurant right across the road. Go figure. Nothing special, but I was hungry.
The campground was a five minute ride from lunch and it was there we met Joseph & Paul. They rolled in shortly after and plopped down at the site next to ours.
Both bicycle tourists, Joseph (originally from Brazil) is riding from Argentina to Alaska. Paul, from the UK, is heading from Mexico to Northern California.
The previous night they slept under a bridge in what they described as the worst town in the United States. But at least it had a Little Caesars, their favorite pizza joint.
We enjoyed some beer with them and enquired about touring in central and south America, which apparently has a large bicycle touring population. Joseph gave me a route from Columbus to Argentina that is supposed to be incredible. I filed it away for a future journey.
Tomorrow we'll head to Paso Robles, a good 60 miles away.
Joe
