Plaskett Creek – Big Sur - 55km
It was past 11h00 before leaving the campsite to bike the famous Big
Sur coastline. The scenery was sublime and revealed big hills, making
it slow going. Nevertheless, numerous stops were made to admire the
view, resulting in it being past 5 pm before we slinked into Pfeiffer Big
Sur State Park.
The park was quite magnificent, and the campsite was amongst
colossal redwood trees. These trees can grow 350 feet high and are
between 1000 and 2000 years old.
Big Sur State Park – Monterey - 68km
Our leisurely departure was due to chatting with other cyclists, and it
was almost midday before we finally got underway. I expected the
road to flatten out a tad, but that wasn’t the case, and a few good
climbs remained. Nevertheless, the landscape was no less spectacular
than the previous days. Our path climbed high up against the
mountainside and offered stunning ocean vistas. The route crossed
spectacular high-arch bridges before reaching Carmel (home of the
renowned Pebble Beach golf course).
Local advice told us to follow the scenic route, which caused us to
become lost in the misty forest hills but, eventually, it spat us out at
Monterey in the gathering dusk. Once settled in a less expensive
motel, shopping was at Trader Joe’s, and we put our feet up in front
of the TV.
Being Ernest’s birthday, we stayed an extra day. I surmised I was
being taken for a fool as he treated himself to 4 x 1.2 litres of beer.
And that for a man who claimed he had no money for either food or
accommodation.