Day 18 
Santa Cruz, CA to San Luis Obispo, CA  
Daily Miles - 87.6 
Cumulative Miles - 1,327.1 
Average Speed - 11.7 MPH 
Max Speed -  28.8 MPH 
Ride Time -  7 Hours 30 Minutes 
Daily Elevation Gain 2,359 Feet, Loss 2,267 Feet 
Cumulative Elevation Gain 54,094 Feet, Loss 54,121 Feet 
Flat Tires - 2 

Farmlands and a Big Detour

The first 35 miles of today's journey was through farmlands.  It was amazing to see all the produce that was growing.  And all the people working in the fields.  There were hundreds of workers picking strawberries and lettuce.  They would pick and then box up what was picked.  They had what looked like young kids running back and forth to the trucks to take the full boxes and pick up empty boxes.  For the three plus hours I rode through this area, it was non-stop.  I am sure this continues every day.  It will help me appreciate all that went into that next basket of strawberries I pick up at the grocery store and eat.

 I was reminded the other day that I am in the land of earthquakes.  It was apparent when I had to make a right turn onto San Andreas Road.  I am not near the actual San Andreas fault, but it was a sight to see and remember that if the bicycle starts to wiggle, it might not be another flat tire.

My first sighting of Los Angeles.  Getting closer.

I rode by an area just north of Monterey and saw bunkers in the sand dunes.  I was given a brief history lesson.  This was part of Fort Ord and the entire area was used by the Army as a training area for World War II. 

When I reached Monterey, it was time for my detour.  Due to a landslide back in February 2017 near Big Sur, The Mud Creek area lost a large portion of the road and a bridge was damaged beyond repair.  I have been watching the progress of the rebuilding of the road for several months.  The completion date was scheduled for late summer 2018.  They announced yesterday that they were ahead of schedule, but only moved up the completion to the end of July.

Here is a picture (not one I took) of the actual landslide.  A massive amount of the hillside crashed down into the ocean.

Here are a couple of more recent pictures from the local news showing the new road and all the shoring up that had to be done to ensure that the area is secure.  I was hoping the area would at least be open to bicycles and or walkers to pass through, but they said it was not safe enough yet.

So I had to detour.  One option was bike around, but that was a long additional ride with steep climbs.  A second option was to work with a local company in the Big Sur area that does tours of the local area.  They had a service that would drive you and your bike around this detour.  The cost was pretty high though and that is only if there was room available.  The third option that I decided to go with was to rent a car and drive myself.  This ended up cutting out miles from my trip and some beautiful coastline, but it was best.

I did make it to Cambria and Morrow Bay.  In Cambria, I saw this lighthouse lens.  It was enormous.  I guess they have to be so that the ships that are out at sea can see where the coast is located.

In the distance, you can see the famous rock structure located in Morrow Bay.  It is huge.  I was not able to get a closer picture though.

A couple of beach shots to finish the day.  It was a full day for sure.  I am happy to have made it through the detour successfully.  I had heard about it so much and looked into what to do to make it through with as little disruption as possible.  I will call it a success and get on with the remainder of the adventure.