Breaching To The Choir

Today did not start with the usual sunny California morning I have grown to expect – and enjoy. Instead, there was a heavy fog hanging over the campground – and pretty much everywhere else too. I first noticed the fog late last night, although not until I started to pack a few things away and discovered that all my bags had a slight dampness to them. Nothing drastic, but noticeable. That’s when I took a peek outside and saw the fog that had quietly rolled in. And clearly the fog had decided to stick around.

I, on the other hand, was not sticking around. Last night, I received a favourable Warm Showers response from Rita which meant I was heading for Santa Cruz today – a mere 85 km ride. And this morning, I received an e-mail from Scott, my almost-host in Oakland. Having WiFi at the campground is such a luxury. Anyway, a few days back he had ordered a replacement rear tire for me and that tire had arrived in my absence. In keeping with the ongoing generosity of people, Scott offered to have the tire forwarded to me. Thanks Scott! Now all I have to do is figure out where I’ll be in a couple of days!

Before hitting the road, I met and chatted with Wilson, a fellow cycle tourist from Taiwan who just started a tour yesterday from San Francisco. We chatted for a bit about various things and I even thought to get a photo. We wished each other well and he even offered me a place to stay if I ever find myself on an Asian cycle tour. My list of places to go is growing faster than I can pedal! Again, I know. First world problems.

I made it through the fog and managed to navigate my way to Subway for some fuel for the road. From there, it was south through the fog to Santa Cruz.

The fog was an interesting presence for much of the day. Just when I thought it had cleared it suddenly reappeared. It was almost like something out of a horror movie – although, probably not a particularly good horror movie. The fog also seemed to play havoc with the altitude readings on my cycle computer. The altitude is calculated by barometric pressure and I can only guess that going in and out of such varied fog conditions was more than my little computer could handle. Either that, or I was on the brink of being abducted by aliens. I was okay with either scenario. The point being (and contrary to what my cycle computer indicated) I really don’t think I went up (or down) any 51% grade hills. I think I would remember that. Hmmm … unless I was missing time due to an alien abduction. I guess we’ll never know.

The beginning of today’s ride was certainly slower than the afternoon portion. That’s mainly because of the big climb early in the day. However, the latter part of the day went faster because I was determined to get my average speed for the day over 20 km/h – it was barely over 18 km/h after 90 minutes on the road.

Other than the fog coming and going, the ride was pretty uneventful and generally easy. However, the Swanton Berry Farm was definitely a highlight. Not only was there a wide selection of jams to sample but they are very bike-friendly. There’s even a sign along the road advertising a 10% discount for cyclists. How could I not stop there? I was tempted to buy some chocolate covered strawberries but I suspected they wouldn’t travel well. Although, eating them on the spot would’ve been a reasonable thing to do.

From Swanton Berry Farm it was a relatively short ride to Santa Cruz. I had been warned by Rita (tonight’s Warm Showers host) that the main street (ie. Mission St.) is not particularly cycle-friendly and should be avoided. I had planned to follow that advice but I was in need of some of the services along said road – namely, a power outlet. My phone battery died much earlier in the day and I didn’t entirely remember the directions to Rita’s place.

Finding an outlet was more easily accomplished in Santa Cruz than San Francisco and before long my phone had enough of a charge to get me to where I was going. Well, that would’ve been true if not for a bit of detour.

As I checked my e-mail using the WiFi at Safeway, I ended up chatting with a local guy, McKenzie, who was on his way out of the store. He was quite interested in my trip and we chatted for a while before he recommended I go over to West Cliff Dr. to ride along the coast and possibly see some marine wildlife that’s been active lately. It was still somewhat early in the afternoon so the detour sounded like an excellent idea. Spoiler Alert: It was a VERY excellent idea.

It only took about ten minutes to arrive at the ocean and from there I just followed the path along the coast. I was only at the coast for about five minutes when I decided to stop for photos. My timing turned out to be pretty good. In addition to all the birds there was clearly something much larger beneath the surface. No, not Moby Dick. But it was definitely a whale. Actually, there were several. And they were being rather active.

I later found out that the whales work in groups to corral the anchovies in the area and, while the group circles, one of the other whales comes up from below and has a feast. It seems like an effective strategy. This feeding technique also resulted in the whales repeatedly breaching the surface which created a bit of a show for those of us watching from shore. Getting a decent photo of that show proved more than a little challenging.

Over the next 30 minutes, I watched the whales from various vantage points. Each time there was a breach there would be a chorus of oohs and ahhhs from crowds that had gathered along the coast – many of them locals. It would seem whale watching is entertaining for locals and tourists alike.

Eventually I decided to leave the whales behind and continued along the coast to see what else Santa Cruz had to offer. In addition to whale watching, it would seem Santa Cruz is also a bit of a haven for surfers. A lot of surfers. I can honestly say I’ve never seen so many surfers. Then again, it’s not like I go out of my way in search of surfers. That said, it does look like fun.

My ride along the coast eventually came to an end when I reached the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. I suppose I could’ve kept riding but it was starting to get late in the afternoon and I still had to make my way to my Rita’s.

The slight charge I had given my phone prior to my whale watching excursion had disappeared and once again I was working without a map. Fortunately, my memory was working well today and I managed to successfully navigate my way to Rita’s.

And speaking of Rita, she’s been another very generous and welcoming host. Even though she had some errands to take care of tonight down at the local bike co-op (ie. The Bike Church), she got me settled into my room and showed me where everything was before she had to go. As such, we haven’t had a lot of time to chat yet but I’m sure we will either tomorrow or when she returns tonight. Either way, my stay in Santa Cruz has gotten off to a great start.

Before heading out to The Bike Church, Rita mentioned that I could stay an extra night if I so choose. Something tells me that I will in fact so choose.

Today’s totals:
Distance travelled: 90.23 km
Ride time: 4:30:18
Average speed: 20.03 km/h
Maximum speed: 63.38 km/h