What a day for riding in California

This sunny scene greeted us near the summit on Highway 46 West, 7-8 miles from Highway 1 in San Luis Obispo County yesterday, roughly halfway into a 65-mile ride. What this breathtaking scene doesn't tell is the rest of story. Our group of six didn't make it to this overlook intact. Three of our group went a slightly different route and had two flats en route, so we had turned back before they arrived here.

We paid for it later. Len, one of the three of us to see this view, had four flats (yes, 4) on the way back. What should have been a 4-hour ride that began at 8 a.m. didn't conclude until nearly 3, with all the stops to fix flats. Our coffee-shop break turned into lunch, since we didn't arrive there 'til after 1. We then had to find a bike shop to buy more tubes, as everyone was out by the time Len's flat odyssey had ended.

This may prove to be my first and last ride here on vacation. Rain is predicted for every remaining morning I'm here visiting my father and the heavy fog this morning is rapidly closing my ride window (want to watch the NFL playoff games that begin at noon here on the West Coast). Oh, well. At least yesterday was a great ride, even with the unplanned interruptions, which gave us more time to chat and catch up anyway.