United States – America 2022

Day 104: Auckland

14th December 2022.

It is so nice to wake up in familiar surroundings.

Our plan is to have Christmas and New Year with Jane and Peter (Prue’s sister and brother-in-law) and then we will leave early in the New Year from Russell, Bay of Islands and cycle the length of the North Island.  We only have time to do the North Island as we would like to be back in Adelaide/Melbourne for March 2023

If you are reading this, we just want to thank you for your interest in our travels.  Our blog is our ‘personal’ diary of our day-to-day experiences so some of it is very boring!!  Also, sorry for the bad grammar and the typos!!!

Wishing all our readers a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and we look forward to sharing our travels again with you in January 2023.

And as the Americans would say, “Living the dream and God Bless”

Day 103:  San Diego to Auckland – New Zealand

Monday 12th December 2022/Tuesday 13th December 2022.

We left San Diego at 8 am Monday 12th December 2022 and arrived at 10 pm Tuesday 13th December 2022 in Auckland.  So funny losing a whole day.

It took us an hour and 30 minutes to get out of the airport due to the New Zealand’s strict bio security checking system. We were warned by Prue’s sister, Jane that NZ were very strict, so we were prepared. Border Control Officers were thorough checking both bikes for residue soil and they took the tent into their laboratory to look for goodness knows what? The bikes passed the inspection, so Peter had done his job well preparing the bikes but we both waited in anticipation to see if the tent passed inspection.  

Prue breathed a sigh of relief when the tent was returned and passed inspection as she had cleaned the tent!! 11.30 pm we finally got out of customs and met by Jane and Peter who were patiently waiting for us. 

We had a celebratory drink on arrival home and into bed.

Day 98-103:  San Diego – Rest Days

Tuesday 7th December – Monday 12th December 2022.

We had a lovely week just pottering, having home cooked meals and getting ready for our trip to Auckland, New Zealand.

The highlight was Claudia coming to town to take us to get our bike boxes and taking us to the Old Town Sand Diego where we had a delicious Mexican Meal.

We celebrated our last night at the local pub and reflected on our 4 months in Canada/America trip.

We loved: –

Our fellow cyclists – that kept us on the ‘straight and narrow’ – most times!

The people – amazingly friendly and very kind to us both

Our new friends – can’t wait to see you all in Australia but give us a few years for us to complete our cycling ventures!

Warmshowers – the hospitality given to complete strangers just blew us away

The Redwoods – the size and beauty of these beautiful trees were breathtaking

The Pacific Coast – WOW – no wonder it is a must do trip for everyone

Peter’s favorite saying – “I have never been in this situation before”

16 oz lattes – no flavours – just plain

Day 98:  Imperial Beach to San Diego (50km)

Monday 6th December 2022

We slept well and not a helicopter heard or illegal immigrant seen!!  But wait, 8.30 am what do we hear – yes, they were up in the air again.  We couldn’t wait to get out of there!

It was an uneventful ride to San Diego where we have booked a small cottage in Point Loma for 6 nights to regroup, pack and get ready for our flight to New Zealand on the 12th of December.

Day 97: San Diego to Imperial Beach (37 km)

Sunday 4th December 2022

We rode to the harbor and caught the ferry to Coronado – a very touristy island.  It really is a peninsular connected to the mainland by the neck of land called Silver Strand.  There is a bike lane to Imperial Beach form there.  Prue thought it would be a lovely cycle track along the coast but no, along a 4-lane highway!!  We arrived at Imperial Beach, celebrating a 4-month ride from Vancouver BC to Imperial Beach along the Pacific Coast.  A total of 4,195 kms ridden.

We continued further South to our camp site- right on the border of Mexico and USA and next to the naval outlying landing field (NOLF) which is the biggest training centre in the USA for helicopter pilots. And what do they do in training?? They fly helicopters and as they need to get their flight hours up they go up and around in a circle over the base and then they land and then they repeat it again and again and again. But not just one helicopter but three!!! Prue tried to ring the base to see what time they would finish but no luck, so getting desperate she rang the Police and even the USA Air Traffic Control Centre but no one could help her.

The helicopters stopped at 9.43 pm and restarted the next morning at 8.30 am So hence, we couldn’t wait to get out of there.

By the way, we had no problems with the asylum seekers/illegal immigrants but it was a 3 bike lock night!

Day 95/96: San Diego – Rest Days

Saturday 3rd December 2022

We were lucky as San Diego was celebrating December Nights in Balboa Park. (First time in three years) Balboa Park is 1,200 acres urban cultural park consisting of 17 museums, gardens and the Zoo. In December nights the park goes alive with entertainment, food stalls, lights etc.

We went to the Timken Museum of Art. It was created through the generosity of the Putnam sisters and the Timken family. The Timken invented the tapered roller bearing. Peter was more interested in the Timken’s and the ball bearings than the art!!

Prue was interested in the “Jewels of the Season” ornament collection by Florence Hard and Elizabeth Schiappi.

We then went onto the San Diego Model Railroad Museum, with recreations of train routes in America.

Then onto an organ recital at Spreckles Organ Pavilion, which houses the largest outdoor pipe organ in the world. It has 5098 pipes with one pipe 32 feet long. We were privileged to hear the organist, Raul Prieto Ramirez.

Our friends Marla and Dave from LA were also in San Diego and it happened to be Marla’s Birthday too so we celebrated in the Gaslamp District having Mexican. Another fun night.

Sunday 4th December 2022

It was a big day today! We went to the USS Midway Museum and spent 4 hours on the USS Midway Aircraft Carrier exploring every nook and cranny of the ship – by the end Prue had USS Midway information overload!! To top it off Peter found the movie on TV so we watched it that night. But it was very interesting as we knew exactly were they were on the ship in the movie. Bit of fun.

What we did learn and surprised us both that there were 4500 men on board. The average age was 19. All there to support the ship to allow 70 planes on the aircraft carrier to operate.

Day 94: San Elijo State Beach to San Diego (54kms)

Friday 2nd December 2022

It was a very boring Birthday Breakfast at camp after Claudia’s birthday breakfast! Prue said to Peter that she will make it up to him tonight!

It was a nice ride into SanDiego, through Solana Beach, Del Mar and La Jolla al.ong the coastline.

We found our accommodation and went into Little Italy to celebrate Peter’s Birthday. Our accommodation was close to downtown and on the landing route of the planes!! Thank fully when inside the noise from the planes was quite minimal……….The planes were a good beacon for us finding our way home!

Peter’s Birthday🎉

Day 93: Del Dios to San Elijo State Beach (23kms)

Thursday 1st December 2022

We started the day with Claudia’s berry smoothie and then Claudia and Rich sang the Del Dios birthday song to Peter: “We are going to sing you a Birthday, song which isn’t long!”

Then Claudia excelled going to a lot of trouble making a special Birthday breakfast for Peter. We had scrambled eggs with spinach, avocado, potatoes, toast, fruit and coffee. What a treat.

We took a long time to pack up and finally leave as the hospitality was tooo good. Rich offered to take us and the bikes to the top of the hill so we didn’t have to ride up it. We readily accepted!

It was a short ride to our camp site San Elijo State Park and mostly down hill. Google again came to the fore and put us on a track that bikes were not allowed – this time we ignored the sign as the alternative was an extra 10 kms.

We rode through Rancho Santa Fe and had coffee at ‘Thyme in the Ranch’ recommended by Claudia. It was a gorgeous cafe with delicious food. We loved Rancho Santa Fe – lovely houses and well manicured gardens.

We got to the camp site early afternoon but were not allowed to check in until 4pm – who knows why???!!

On entry, there was a big sign saying, ‘Bike theft is common and they cut through bike locks’. We both said it is a ‘three bike lock’ night tonight!!

Day 92: Del Dios – Rest Day

Wednesday 30th November 2022

We woke up to berry smoothies delivered to the bunk house by Claudia. We both said to Claudia not to spoil us too much or we will never leave!!

Rich took us to his favourite breakfast place and Peter had biscuits and gravy with potatoes!! Peter is certainly settling into the American way!

After breakfast we went to see Queen Califia’s Magical Circle. It is an outside sculpture garden created by Niki de Saint Phalle. Unfortunately it was closed but we walked around the outside and were lucky to get a few glimpses of the work.

We had a restful afternoon but Peter couldn’t help himself and worked on Claudia’s bike that had a few issues. After a couple of hours Peter got Claudia’s bike to full working order. Good afternoon’s work well done Peter!

We had an early dinner at their local Mexican restaurant – just down the hill. Of course with a Mexican meal you must have margaritas. It was an early birthday celebration for Peter and we were spoilt as were taken out by Claudia and Rich.

Day 91: Temecula to Escondido – Del Dios(64kms)

Tuesday 29th November 2022

We were both feeling better after our day of rest, so we were on the road by 9. It was a coolish day and very little wind.

We were riding to Claudia and Rich’s place in Del Dios, 10 km from Escondido. We met Claudia and Rich In Washington in the Lewis & Clark State Park and ran into them again at Cathlamet and Fort Stephens State Park. They knew we were heading for San Diego so they very kindly offered us a bed on the way through.

We had nice ride out on the old highway and came across Nessy’s hamburgers where we thought we would have morning tea. It is famous for its hamburgers and we both couldn’t get over how many people were there at 10am – for a hamburger?? We just had a coffee from the shop next door.

We arrived in Escondido for lunch then got some stores before we headed out to Claudia and Rich’s place,

Rich is in the process of building a bunk house and we were the lucky ones to christen it!

Day 90: Temecula Rest Day

Monday 28th November 2022

We had the choice to move on to another campground or stay here for another night. We love this Hotel so it wasn’t a hard decision to stay here for another night.

We went for a walk to Old Town Temecula where most of the buildings were erected in 1n 1883, when the railroad brought travellers to the Temecula Valley. A few pictures below showing the old town.

Day 89: Hemet to Temecula(24.3kms)

Sunday 27th November 2022

A very easy day and all down hill. We were heading for Lilac Oaks Campground but were unable to make contact with them to make a reservation so we were not going to risk going all the way there to find them closed. (Quite a few campgrounds close for the off season). So we booked a Hotel in Temecula. Quite a different place to San Jacinto and Hemet. Much more affluent and hence nicer.

Had a restful afternoon and had takeaway pizza by the outside fire – yes more comfort fare!!

Day 88: Banning to Hemet (36kms)

Saturday 26th November 2022

We had a surprisingly good night sleep considering we were next to the freeway.

With no supplies we headed off to find breakfast and found Grammas Country Kitchen, serving good American ‘comfort’ fare!! We are both feeling the toll (around our waist line) of the amount of ‘comfort fare’ we are consuming!! This did not disappoint!

it was an easy ride to Hemet. We went via San Jacinto to have lunch. A very Mexican town where we found the local grocery store which was a site to behold and only had Mexican food on offer so we had beef tamales, much nicer than the ones we bought from the street vendor. Very poor area with most shop windows barred.

Day 87: KOA Palm Springs/Joshua Park to Banning (56kms)

Friday 25th November 2022

Oh! what a day makes when there is no wind!!

We said our goodbyes to Olivia, Ben and family and then rode past Joyce and Paul’s Rv to day goodbye. All going our different ways, so it was a little sad as we had been together for 3 days.

We had a good ride to Banning even though we ended up on the dirt road beside the freeway. We didn’t risk riding on the freeway as knowing our luck we would be caught and sent to gaol as we couldn’t afford the fine!

We had three trains passing us, one had 4 engines and 115 train cars!

Day 86: KOA – Rest day and Happy Thanksgiving Day

Thursday 24th November 2022

We were invited to join Thanksgiving with Olivia and Ben, their two boys Noll and Owen and Owen’s girlfriend Sophie. Owen is working at KOA so Olivia and Ben came to visit their son and have Thanksgiving with him and his girlfriend.

Olivia read the Thanksgiving Address: ‘Greetings to the Natural World’. Mohawk version of the Haudenosaunee* Thanksgiving Address. It acknowledges the people, earth, waters, plants, animals, birds,bushes, trees, winds, sun, moon, stars as well as the unseen spiritual forces. It makes aware the connections between human beings and other living beings in the world.

Very moving -‘Now our minds are one’

Thank you Olivia, Ben and family for including us in your Thanksgiving Celebration.

After Thanksgiving Lunch Peter and I went into the reading room where we met Joyce and Paul. They had an RV and travelling to Baja California in Mexico. They invited us back fora nightcap which finished our Thanksgiving Day off beautifully.

Wednesday 23rd November 2022

We had the best sleep – no car noise except for the coyotes singing a chorus in the middle of the night!

We had a walk in the park admiring the beauty of the desert. Then back on the bikes to KOA.

What a difference it makes going down hill with a tail wind. Prue hit 71kms going down.

Day 84: Desert Hot Springs to Joshua Tree National Park (Black Rock Campground) (58kms)

We got our same camp site as we had before, next to a very friendly family, Ben, Olivia and Noel and the dog Ginnie. They have invited us for Thanksgiving. The turkey arrives a 1pm tomorrow. We can’t wait!

Both feeling not 100% we wondered if we should go, but we made all this effort to get here and everyone raved about the Joshua Tree NP so we packed up and headed off and there was no wind but there were hills, actually it was a climb from when we left KOA campground to the National Park.

It was gradual at first and then steep into Morongo Valley and very steep into Yucca Valley.

We arrived at camp at 4pm and settled ourselves in amongst the Joshua Trees. We were on the edge of the desert and we impressed by the unusual nature of the trees and the surrounds.

Tuesday 22nd November 2022

We definitely knew we were in the desert because once it got dark it was freezing. We were all tucked up by 7pm!

Day 82 & 83: Desert Hot Springs (KOA Palm Springs/Joshua Tree)

Sunday 20th and Monday 21st November 2022

Two rest days and we needed it.

The first day we slept in, went to the pool and read a book. While Peter was choosing his book he met Judy and Dave who invited us for a drink that night. (4.15pm drinkies – drinking time for the RV nomads). Judy and Dave are visiting all the National Parks in America. Their home is in San Luis Obispo, so it was lovely to meet a local of one of our favourite places. We both enjoyed each others company immensely.

The second day we went to Palm Springs to get more cold and flu drugs as Prue also has the sniffles. We had a quick walk around town, went to the Art museum which was closed but did find Marilyn. We then had a bite to eat before going to the Aerial Tramway and unfortunately that was fully booked so we went back to camp – Prue had a sleep and Peter relaxed. We weren’t meant to be tourists today.

Day 81: Banning to Desert Hot Springs (70kms)

Saturday 19th November 2022

What a day. It started off badly as we didn’t have a good night sleep due to the traffic noise and it only got worse. Peter was still sick with a cold, the wind was blowing a gale, so we rode down the street to the coffee shop to discuss the options for the day.

They were :- a) not to proceed and return to the coast b) catch a Greyhound Bus to Palm Springs c) pedal on against the wind

Peter felt better after coffee so off we went. The route Google had for us was an ‘around about’ route to avoid the interstate 10 Freeway, where bicycles were prohibited. Our first obstacle was going through the Morongo Indian Reservation – no bikes were allowed here either!! We were sent to a dirt road on the other side of the freeway.

We got to Cabazon (Casino Town) and we were struggling so we thought we would head to the Morongo Travel Centre*(Service Station) to see if we could get a lift with someone – 80% of the population drive ‘4 by 4’ large pick-ups. Surely someone would be able to take us??!! After two hours – no luck. We tried uber and they were not interested as we had bikes. And final thought was to get a room at the casino but it was fully booked out. Peter said we were snookered, so we had to get on the bikes and pedal against the wind.

*This Travel Centre had Pokies inside – it fascinated us as you could leave the car in front of the bowser, play around of pokies and then jump back in the car and carry on!!

Once we decided to go we had ‘head down and bum up’ and luckily for us the wind had backed off.

Google excelled again and this time it took us on a dirt road that brought back many memories of the arduous Mawson Trail. We both ended up walking the last 500 metres!

We crossed the freeway onto the 111 highway and hallelujah we had a tail wind………..This was short lived because we turned off the road, changing direction into the wind again. We limped into our campsite on sunset – just made it before it got dark! Sick, tired and exhausted so tent up, shower and dinner out at the local restaurant, which we will not go back to again!

Day 80: Riverside to Banning (62kms)

Friday 18th November 2022

We rejoined the Santa Ana River Trail, and this time the sun was shining and there was no wind – we both breathed a sigh of relief and were ready to enjoy the day.

We had to do a detour due to construction works, and some how whenever we do a detour we seem to get lost! The signage is not good!! We eventually got onto the Canyon road which weaved its way through the hills. It is the major thorough fare for cars and rail. Both Peter and I couldn’t get over the railway system. The freight trains were amazingly long with each well act carrying double decker intermodal containers. They were pulled by three diesel engines.

Enroute, we came across an “oasis”. It was an RV Fishing Camp which had a cafe. We stopped there to get a coffee and have our lunch. This camp had 3 man made lakes full of trout, stocked by the owners. Each person could catch a maximum of 5 fish.

The wind picked up in the afternoon making the riding not as enjoyable. We rode through Beaumont – a walled city protecting the residential area form the freeway and railway noise.

We got to Banning, known as the ‘Stagecoach City’. To us, it was just another urban sprawl, with Hotels lined on the major road next to the Freeway (8 lanes). We stayed in one of these – jammed between the freeway and the railway line – an interesting night’s sleep!!!

Day 79: Anaheim Hills to Riverside (52kms)

Thursday 17th November 2022

We had to get back on the bike path and again we were greeted with a very strong head wind but this time we didn’t have the strong gusts.

It was a very uneventful day, and boring as once we got off the bike bath we then rode along the side of the freeway.

We booked another Hotel – We know you are all saying, “another Hotel”, but we had good reasons!! Peter was heavy with cold, there were no camp sites and no warmshowers. The nearest campsite was another 60km, which there was no way we we were going to get there.

When we arrived in Riverside, Peter went straight to the Hyatt Hotel, and funnily they couldn’t find our booking. We were in the wrong Hotel!! We were across the road at the Hamilton Inn! Peter had a fever as well as a cold!!

Day 78: Long Beach to Anaheim Hills (60kms)

Wednesday 16th November 2022

We headed out along the bike bath along the beach. We rode through n , which is Prue’s favourite so far as the sand was white and clean and the sea was shining.

We left the beach and headed inland along the Santa Ana River Trail. We were greeted with extreme winds and strong wind gusts and unfortunately for us it was a head wind – causing unfavorable and very hard cycling conditions – so much so we stopped early and booked ourselves into a hotel!! No camping tonight!

Day 77: Long Beach – Rest Day

Tuesday 15th November 2022

What do you do on a rest day? The washing and out for dinner in clean clothes!

Day 76: Los Angeles to Long Beach (61 kms)

Monday 14th November 2022

Today’s ride was just a huge culture shock. It took us all day to get to the beach and it confirmed with what everyone says about LA – a very large urban sprawl.

We left Hollywood and cut through some very nice residential areas with leafy tree lined streets and large houses. It all deteriorated after that! We then entered downtown LA, through China town, through Mexican Town, through the “tenderloin” area of LA and then into the industrial area where we were competing with the trucks for the road. We both commented that we have been to places in LA that no other person has ever seen!!

We needed lunch, only to find a service station, so for the second time on the trip we had lunch outside the ‘servo’.

We had ridden 30 kms by the time we got to the bike trail. The bike trail runs beside the Los Angeles River and it was another 25 kms to get to Long Beach where we were staying for the night. We were both looking forward to getting off the roads and onto the bike trail but little did we know that for the next 25 kms we had to pass the homeless who had set up camp all along the side of the river and under the bridges.

It was a sight and such a shock to see how many homeless there are. Peter commented on how well Prue was riding but I think Prue couldn’t get to Long Beach quick enough and get off the bike trail!!

We arrived at Long Beach and it was a breath of fresh air – lovely harbour over looking the ship, ‘Queen Mary”. (only a couple of homeless to be seen).

Day 75: Los Angeles (Rest Day 3)

Sunday 13th November 2022

Marla and Dave invited us to their family pachanga(BBQ) in the afternoon.

So we had the morning free and we wanted to go to a bamboo exhibition at Japan House. The artist, Tanabe Chikuusai works with bamboo, creating large installations to increase the demand for bamboo. Due to the Westernisation of Japan, the demand for natural materials has diminished, such as bamboo and the country’s bamboo forests have been left in a state of ruin. So by creating these large installations, he is trying to extend the lifecycle of bamboo for future generations.

Marla picked us up in the afternoon and we had a fun time with Dave’s family and friends. Two of the guests were involved with cinematography, so Peter and I felt very much part of the LA “Hollywood” experience.

Day 74: Los Angeles (Rest Day 2)

Saturday 12th November 2022

We were meeting up with Dave and Marla, who we had met previously when we were camping in Carpinteria.

They suggested a walk to the Hollywood sign and on the way was the Griffith Observatory and Greek Theatre. The Griffith Park is amaze of trails and the first trail we took, brought us back to our starting point!! I think we were too busy talking!!

We then got on the right trail (asking people on the way to make sure we were on the right trail!!) and got to the Hollywood sign at 4.15 pm. It took us 3 hours, when it should have taken us an hour and a half! After our photo shoot – Dave and Marla were using their photo for their Christmas Card, we returned back to the car.

On the way back it was a hour and half – one hour of that was in the dark!! We were a little worried that the car wouldn’t be there as where we parked it stated that there was no parking after sunset! Both Dave and Myla knew the consequences – the car is towed away for illegal parking! Thankfully the car was still where we had parked it!

After an eventful and fun walk with great views and great photos we went our for dinner. Marla had booked LIttle Dom’s in Los Feliz. We were treated to a delicious Italian meal. Thank you Marla and Dave. We were very spoilt.

Day 73: Los Angeles (Rest Day 1)

Friday 11th November 202 (Veterans Day in America)

After our successful trip on public transport the night before we thought we were pretty good and felt very confident to get around LA on public transport. Unfortunately in LA all the attractions are very far apart so walking is not an option.

So today we went to the Science Museum to see the Endeavour Space Shuttle. it showed us the full space shuttle program to make the space shuttle happen. We were fascinated by it all and it gave us an insight to the collective power of what humans can do.

After our visit to the Museum, Peter got his wish of having an American Hot Dog as there was a hot dog stand out the front!

Then we went to La Brea Tar Pits. It is an active excavated Ice Age Fossil Site – the only one in the world found in an urban location. Over the last 50,000 years, Ice Age Animal, plants and insects were trapped in sticky asphalt, which has preserved them. Most of the fossils discovered are housed in the museum at La Brea Tar Pits.

It was interesting, that ‘dire wolves’ were the most common large mammals to be found (about 4,000). They say that the wolves attempted to feed on the animals trapped and became trapped themselves.

Day 72: Malibu to Los Angeles (45 kms)

Thursday 10th November 2022

Another gorgeous day and we were very excited as we were going into LA. We got the map out and planned the days route and then in small print it said “Avoid riding SR 1 in the Malibu area on Thursdays because it is trash day. There will be bins blocking the shoulder.” Guess what day it is – Thursday!!

We had a horrible ride through Malibu. A very busy 4 lane highway with fast moving traffic and no shoulder as the trash bins were there!! So we were weaving in/out and around the trash bins and the trash truck and the motor cars, that were parked in the shoulder.

We called in to the Malibu Pier to have coffee at ‘Malibu Farm’ and respite from the traffic. Very upmarket and had a gorgeous shop at the end of the pier –

We headed off again but it wasn’t long until we picked up the bike path that went along the beach. We planned to have lunch at the Sant Monica Pier – quite a different environment to the Malibu Pier!! It was very touristy.

After Santa Monica we continued along the beach front to Venice Beach – very ‘colourful’ place, lined with little stalls, buskers etc.

Once through Venice Beach we turned left and rode into “Hollywood” where we had our accommodation.

We had a slight hiccough with our accommodation as we thought it was Hotel, but it was an Air BnB, on booking.com! We arrived and it was an apartment building, hot a Hotel and no-one was expecting us. We didn’t know whether it was a scam and we had lost our money, but thankfully the host turned up and we are now in a very comfortable unit just off Hollywood Boulevard

We were Meeting Tim Pryor for a Japanese meal, near Miracle Mile. This was a major feat for two ‘newbies’ in downtown LA but we managed to catch two buses for a total cost of $1.50 return and find the restaurant! We had a lovely night with Tim – great way to start our LA stay.

On the way we met Noelle, doing her food deliver. They are robots, who deliver food in the Beverly Hills and Hollywood areas only. Peter and I were amazed.

Day 71: Ventura to Malibu (75 kms)

Wednesday 9th November 2022

We woke up to a gorgeous sunny day and couldn’t wait to get back on the bikes! We got to the bike path and the day got better as we had a tail wind!

It was a flat ride out and again through a large producing area. Through our discussions with the locals they are all quite concerned with the excessive use of groundwater for agriculture.

We rode through Port Hueneme, and the Channel Islands Harbour. It is a huge area with large marinas and many waterfront homes with private boat docks.

We rode pass the Naval Air Station Point Mugu and stopped and had lunch at the missile display. We were very excited to see a ‘Tom Cat F14’ (after just seeing Tom Cruise’s new film, ‘Top Gun Maverick’) and were waiting for Tom Cruise to walk around the corner!

We then go back on State Route 1 – 4 lane highway, very busy but did have a large shoulder.

We were planning to camp at Leo Carrillo State Beach but we were making good time and had excellent riding conditions so we rode another 25 kms to get to Malibu RV Park and campground.

Malibu was amazing – the houses were incredible. Most of them were tucked away behind very big fences!!!

We arrived at our campsite – a small climb to ride to get to the top pitch. We were the only ones there overlooking the coast with LA in the distance.

Day 69/70: Ventura – Rest Day

Monday 7th November/Tuesday 8th November

The weather forecast was rain for the next few days so we decided to treat ourselves and get a Hotel for two nights to avoid the rain. I think we are ‘wimps’, compared to the others as they all headed off on their bikes to their campsite, we headed to the Hotel!!

Two lovely days looking out of the window, watching the rain fall and catching up on some well over due correspondence!!

We have just come back from having lunch at the pub and guess what song was playing?……..”It never rains in Southern California..”????!!!

Day 68: Carpinteria State Beach to Ventura (38 kms)

Sunday 6th November 2022

We were up early as Daylight Saving ended in California. We met a local from Ventura who put us on a dirt track, and said that it will take us all the way there…………?? Something happened as we ended up on the railway line!! But we did find the seal colony!! They have both seals which are Pacific harbour seals, and Californian sea lions which can be found from California to Alaska. The seal colonies are found all along the coastline.

We eventually found the proper cycling path into Ventura. Also very popular with surfing and the day we rode in they were having a surfing competition.

We had a Warmshower organised for the night, but we were a bit early so we headed to the beach and found a trendy street full of eateries, so we had a “oishi” Japanese meal in the sunshine.

Since we were the first to arrive at Dennis and Jayne’s we had the pick of the places to sleep – we took the bedroom. Kirsty and Ian were in the caravan and John was on the fold up bed in the living room. Dennis and Jayne have hosted over 160 Warmshowers’ guests. They never knock anyone back and have had up 8 cyclists staying at once. They ‘wined and dined’ us and made us all feel very much at home. Just a big shout out to all Warmshower Hosts – your generosity and hospitality is amazing. Thank you.

Day 67: Carpinteria State Beach – Rest Day

Saturday 5th November 2022

We planned a day in the library to get on WiFi and catch up with our blogging.

As we are travelling, we are well and truly ‘out of the loop’ of what is going on in the world so thankfully our friend Jo gives us a monthly summary. This was the last update:

“……Nth Korea firing missiles left right and centre so South h Korea letting a few go in return. All in the sea of course. Putin continues to pound Ukraine and with winter fast approaching he’s now concentrating on knocking out power, water and gas stations to freeze the population. Attempted assassination of Pakistan’s Imran Khan few days ago. Bullet hit his leg but killed a couple with him. Nervous wait along the dairying sector’s of SA’s R Murray waiting for flood waters to peak any day now. UK PM still there after 2 weeks, possibly a miracle. Massive riots in Iran following death of young girl for not correctly wearing hijab. Biden announced USA are behind the Iranians rioters making him even more unpopular in Iran and at home. The mid terms very close now so please be careful MANY Republicans candidates continue to deny results of 2020. At some voting center’s armed vigilantes have set up camp to ensure no cheating but their presence intimidating voters. Nancy Pelosi’s husband attacked with hammer. Trump didn’t produce the outstanding secret files he still has despite a federal subpoena. Deadline to produce them is set for next week. Around the time he’s due to announce he’ll run again in ’24. Can he run for president if he is under/non compliant with court order?? It’s all hotting up. Obama’s on the campaign trail, Biden appearing more frail….. Most importantly of all, Prince harry due to release his fascinating autobiography in New Year. It is called SPARE as in heir and the spare. Aussie’s have renamed it The Spare with Hair. Much sleep is being lost in anticipation of the release…..”

Thank you Jo. We are glad we are actually out of the “world news loop”!!!

After a successful day in the library, we went back to camp to watch the sunset again. Then out to dinner to enjoy a yummy Thai meal.

After dinner we joined Dave and Myla, around their camp fire. They are from LA and were camping two sites up from us. We got quite friendly with them and hopefully we will catch up with them when we are in LA.

Day 66: Santa Barbara to Carpinteria State Beach (25Kms)

Friday 4th November 2022

Now on Map 5, 400 kms to Imperial Beach

We are slowing down a little as we have 400 kms to do in 6 weeks – so plenty of time hence a short ride to Carpinteria.

In the morning we visited the Mission Santa Barbara and its museum. It is the only Californian mission to remain with the Franciscans since its founding in 1786 and a community of Franciscans friars still live there today. The skulls and crossbones are placed at a site of transition between the place of the dead and the place of the spirit.

Then we went to the Santa Barbara County Courthouse, a historic landmark for its architecture and ended our sightseeing at Stearns Wharf, the longest deep-water pier between Los Angeles and San Francisco where we had fish and chips.

After lunch it was a short cycle along a palm tree line bike path out of Santa Barbara, through Summerland, a trendy village but unfortunately spoilt with its location next to the 101 freeway and a train line and then into Carpinteria State beach. Far enough away from the main highway so no road noise, so Peter was happy.

We made camp and then went to the beach to watch sunset.

Day 65: Refugio State Beach to Santa Barbara (55 kms)

Thursday 3rd November 2022

We left Refugio early and rode into Santa Barbara along great cycling paths.

We were amazed to see so many bikes locked outside in the open. So we both thought that this was a very safe city to live in and very cycle friendly. (We did hear from the gossip, the night before, that Santa Barbara had no homeless as they rounded them up and then transported them to Lompoc. Hence Lompoc being very unsafe!)

We headed straight to the Beach where we had a celebratory drink – Two reasons: we had finished another leg of the Adventure Cycling Associations Map 4, now onto the last map, Map 5 and our wedding anniversary of 4 years!! So Peter booked a Hotel for the night to celebrate.

We were lucky to be in Santa Barbara on this night as on the first Thursday of the month, there is an arts festival downtown. The Main Street is closed with live bands, shops and art galleries open with lots of eateries overflowing on to the road.

It was a great atmosphere. We were lucky to see pop-up-opera in the Art Museum before going out to dinner at the Fishouse.

Lovely night and a big treat. We love anniversaries!!

Day 64: Lomboc to Refugio State Beach (55 kms)

Wednesday 2nd November 2022.

The sun was shining and we had a lovely ride out of Lompoc, a slow and gradual climb and then a magnificent run into Gaviota State Park. Our maximum speed down hill was 67 kms!!

We had lunch at Gaviata State Park Beach overlooking the Santa Barbara Channel where we could see 5 oil rigs. This channel is rich with petroleum products.

We had a choice to camp in either Refugio or El Capitan State Beach, we chose Refugio as the camp site was right on the beach front. We had the best view, even though a little windy. We even had a hour sitting on the beach but still too cold to swim and Prue was still wearing her windproof jacket!

Day 63: Oceano to Lomboc (62.9 kms)

Tuesday 1st November 2022

Today we were on a straight highway with wide shoulders through Santa Maria Valley, a major agricultural area and then one long climb into Lompoc.

We stopped at Guadalupe, a huge culture shock as we both thought we had arrived in Mexico. It was a town for the workers , mainly Mexicans, who worked on the farms in the Valley.

Here we were introduced to Harris Beef from Harris Ranch. Harris Ranch operates one of the largest feedlots in Western United States covering nearly 800 acres and has the capacity to feed up to 120,000 head of cattle at one time.

We spent the night in a hotel in Lomboc as there was no camping available and it was a town known for “not so nice” nightlife. So we booked a Hotel. Here we met the NASA crew who were launching rockets with satellite payload from the Vandenguard Air Force Base, just down the road. Space X had just launched a satellite 3 days earlier. We were fascinated with their stories.

We also met Mark, from the Napa Valley. An interesting guy who works for himself, helping small vineyards selling their wine.

After a delicious Harris steak for dinner, Prue’s first steak and Peter’s second steak, since we have been on the road we fell into bed.

Day 62: Morro Bay to Oceano (60 kms)

Monday 31st October 2022

Happy Halloween!

We had a good night sleep, with no disruptions and the owl did not return!

We had a late start, got away by 10, as it rained overnight (first rain for the trip) and we wanted to dry the tent before we left.

We planned to go to Laura Doty’s, a private hiker/biker camp site near Oceano. Donald was also going there but Alaysa was riding onto Lompoc. So we said goodbye to Alaysa, and headed off.

We arrived in San Luis Obispo and stopped at the Mission San Luis Obispo De Tolosa where we had lunch in the Mission Plaza, just in time to hear the bells ring. They were beautiful and loud! The bells ring twice a day, manually,following a tradition that goes back more than a thousand years.

We went through the old town of San Luis Obispo, which is lovely and again full of lovely shops, restaurants and even a place where you can throw axes, for fun? And a bubblegum alley which we visited.

Our route took us back to the ocean, where the sea mist greeted us. We rode through, Shell Beach, Pismo Beach and Grover Beach. All these towns were saturated with resorts and eateries, very popular in Summer.

Then headed inland again to our accommodation via a shortcut, that Prue selected. It was looking good until we saw the BIG, and STEEP hill in front of us, with no shoulder! Thankfully it was a short but we did get down to 4.5km’s!! Peter was not talking to Prue for a few moments there!!

We found Laura Doty’s Private Hiker/Biker camp site. They had an amazing setup for bike tourers. There was a bath house with fresh towels and everything you needed. A little kitchen area with real coffee, cereal etc and an open fire pit. We took full advantage of everything.

Donald organised takeaway pizza and wine and we all sat around the fire pit. Three very happy campers!! Thank you Laura and Ben! An amazing setup for cyclists.

Day 61: Morro Bay – Rest Day

Sunday 30th October 2022

That night we had another interruptive sleep. This time it was from a feathered kind – the owl. This owl screeched, no hooting, just a continual screech. This time Prue got up and she found the owl, perched on a branch, just above our tent. Prue shined the torch on it, eyes locked and then silence. Then she went back to bed. One minute later, it started screeching again. so Peter said “that’s it” and got his ‘dazler’* out . That fixed that, and the owl flew to the other end of the park.

Then a few hours later, there was an almighty crash and a huge piece of bark had torn away from the trunk of a gum tree and fell to the ground. Quite close to Jake’s tent.

Due to our disturbed night we all had a sleep. Over breakfast there was a lot to discuss about the night adventures!

We said our goodbyes to Kirk, who was cycling to San Luis Obisp, and Joe and Jake who were continuing on down the Coast and we headed to McDonalds to do some blogging. The WiFi at McDonalds was so bad we didn’t stay long.

After McDonalds we went to get more stores – you may think we spend half our life in the supermarket and we do!!!!

We popped in to the local pub for happy hour on our way back to camp and met Rick and Nancy, from Canada, heading South to Palm Springs for the Winter.

When we cam back to camp we found Donald was there and a French girl Alaysa, who was cycling the Pacific Coast on her own.

It was great to see Donald again. We had met Donald previously, who was travelling with, Harley, his dog. Harley wasn’t enjoying the trip so Donald flew to Mexico to drop Harley off at his Father’s house. He then flew back, collected his bike and continued his trip South.We had a little party to celebrate our reunion – camp fire, wine and nibbles!!

*When pressed, produces and ultra high frequency that humans can’t hear but animals can.

Day 60: Hearst San Simeon State Park to Morro Bay (45kms)

Saturday 29th October 2022

We left before everyone as we wanted to go into Cambria to do our washing and we thought while the washing was going we would treat ourselves to breakfast. We met a local in the Laundromat and he saw us heading towards a cafe and he gave us a ‘toot’ on his horn as he was driving out and pointed us in the opposite direction to another cafe!! Great recommendation as we had the best breakfast – eggs benedictine. (American Style with chats of course!!)

Cambria is a fun town and had a scarecrow festival on. Each artist had to select a period of time in art history that inspires them and create a scarecrow to reflect it. Also, renowned for Antique shops and eateries.

After Cambria we had an easy ride to Cayusco, seaside resort where we had lunch and then onto Morro Bay.

Rode into town before the State Park and came across a Halloween festival – amazing everyone was dressed up and we just loved all the families in Halloween costume – Mum, Dad and the kids.

After sunset, we rode back to camp and caught up with the other guys,(Joe, Jake and Kirk) and discussed the days ride and events.

Day 59: Plaskett Creek Campground to Hearst San Simeon State Park (60kms)

Friday 28th October 2022

We only rode a little way and stopped at the Vista Point where we met Peter “Rocky”, sporting a striped robe. He was named after his love of rocks and very kindly gave us a small piece of jade which he had found in the valley. He thought we were British but when we told him we were from Australia he immediately ran back into his van and pulled out a plastic didgeridoo and then started playing – like a true professional.

We continued onto Gorda and then onto Rugged Point which is the southern entrance to Big Sur. We met Kirk (Cyclist) there, so we rode together to San Simeon State Park. We stopped on the way at Hearst Wine Bar, overlooking Hearst Bay – so pretty. Then into the Village to get stores and then to the camp site.

Joe and Jake (Father and son) were there as well who we have had 2 previous nights with, so decided to have a camp fire. We didn’t get to bed until 9.30 pm and we all commented it was such a ‘late’ but fun night!!

Day 58: Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park to Plaskett Creek Campground (56kms)

Thursday 27th October 2022

What a majestic day.

We had an early start due to the campers, next door, starting their van up at 6am, which they ran for an hour!! They were a group of California Conservation Corps, who work for the State Parks, who went by their own rules! (Quiet time in the State Parks is 10 pm – 8 am)

We were on the road by 8.30 am – nearly a record. Yes, there was a hill for us first thing so we set off with a vengeance.

We made it to the top and while we were taking in the view at the vista point, the other guys from the camp site arrived. We all commented on what a glorious day it was- sun out, spectacular scenery and no wind.

We noticed on the way there were signs saying that no wild camping was allowed and if you did a small fine of $1,000!! (Peter said an expensive nights accommodation for the best view!)

We arrived at Plaskett Creek Campground and got very excited to find that we were camping on lawn, the excitement was short lived as it had long drops and no showers! Where was Scout Campbell when you needed him!!

Day 57 : Monterey to Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park (55 kms)

Wednesday 26th October 2022

Late start – may be it was too difficult to leave the comforts of a Motel room??!!

After picking up a few stores – which all takes time; we were on the road by 10.30! The day started with a hill, but the sun was shining and we had another tail wind.

The road took us through Carmel Highlands. It had an amazing coastline with houses to match – all perched on different angles of the cliffs to get the best views. The scenery was spectacular and it only got better as we approached Big Sur.

We stopped and had lunch at Bixby Bridge. The concrete span, is one of the highest bridges of it’s kind in the world. It is 260 feet (79.25m) above the bottom. There we met a Father travelling with his 5 children from Switzerland. They were such a lovely family and we got on so well with them that they have offered us a bed in Switzerland when we get there!!

Big Sur is very touristy and very popular so it had plenty of accommodation, restaurants and shops. We stayed in the camp site – 10 of us tonight which was lots of fun.

Day 56: Monterey – Rest Day

Tuesday 25th October 2022

11.42 am we felt the earth shake. We were in our room and both felt the tremor and said “I think we are having an earthquake!” It was over very quickly and no damage.

We headed out after that excitement and Peter requested Fish and Chips for lunch, so off to Fisherman’s Wharf we went. We think every town on the Pacific Coast has a Fisherman’s Wharf!!

Then we went to the Aquarium. A lovely walk to get there around the waterfront. When we arrived we couldn’t buy tickets at the door and had to buy them online. So a half an hour later we were still fluffing around trying to get our tickets. Anyway, it was well worth persisting.

On the way back we walked through the Cannery Row. In the 1900’s it was where they canned sardines. It was a very vibrant industry during the World Wars when there was a high demand for sardines. But by the 1940’s the sardines were virtually gone from Monterey Bay so the area became abandoned and full of deserted factories.

John Steinbeck’s realised the historical legacy of the area and converted it in an upmarket area for fine dining, Hotels, shopping and nightlife.

The Cannery Row is also famous for Forest Gump’s best friend, Gubba who started the shrimp restaurant, Bubba Gump Shrimp CO, in the movie.

Day 55: Sunset State Park to Monterey (55 kms)

Monday 24th October 2022

A very flat ride ( what? no hills says Prue) and the sun was shining!

We rode through Salina’s Valley which is known as the “Salad Bowl of the World” as approximately 70% of the USA’s lettuce crop is grown there as well as plenty of other produce..

We had a lovely ride in to Monterey on bike baths and went through Sand City – the city is built on the sand dunes. Amazing place and sand was everywhere you looked. I would hate to do their house work after a wind.

We were going to stay in a camp site just out of Monterey but fortunately we spoke to a local couple when we stopped for a coffee break and they said we must visit the Aquarium – world famous. David Packard’s daughter, Julie who is an ocean conservationist and philanthropist helped create the Monterey Aquarium in the early 1980’s (HP was founded by Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard in 1939 in Monterey)

So we booked into a motel for 2 nights so we could visit the Aquarium.

Day 53: New Brighton to Sunset State Beach Park (21 kms)

Sunday 23rd October 2022

Rest Day? We planned to have a short day and stay at Sunset State Beach Park.

We had a lovely slow start to the day – as most others in camp as well as we all did the 100kms the day before.

The plan was to find a cafe with WiFi and then ride into camp but with only a few kms to ride we found ourselves at the campsite before finding a cafe! We did find Oscar, harvesting the brussel sprouts on the side of the road!

We set up camp after climbing up a couple of hills once again to get to the camp site. Then we made good use of the sunny afternoon and headed to the beach.

Day 52: Half Moon Bay to New Brighton State Park (100 kms)

Saturday 22nd October 2022

Actually, we can’t lie, it was only 99.78 kms!!!

We woke to a wet tent as it rained overnight but the weather forecast was for a clear day. So we packed up and headed into town for breakfast – too wet to enjoy breakfast at camp and we needed a hearty breakfast for our big day’s ride!

The day’s ride went well as everything was in our favour – the sun was out, we had a tail wind and beautiful scenery and lots and lots of pumpkin farms/sales on the way – only 8 more sleeps to Halloween!

It was a long ride with not a lot in between the towns – except Pumpkin Farms! We had lunch on the side of the road and stopped at Davenport for coffee before cycling into Santa Cruz on the bike path. The ride into Santa Cruz was the highlight. It is well known for its surfing and down town amusement park. We were told that the Beach Boys and The Monkeys played here on the foreshore before they became famous.

After leaving Santa Cruz we rode through Capitola, quite different to Santa Cruz as very upmarket with lovely shops and restaurants. Gorgeous village atmoshphere.

Then the final climb (Prue had enough by this stage and walked her bike up the hill!) to our camp site – just can’t believe that all the camp sites are on top of a hill!! We made it!!!

Day 51: San Francisco to Half Moon Bay (55 Kms)

Friday 21st October 2022:

We had a leisurely morning – even did another load of washing before leaving.

We rode through the Golden Gate Park to the Pacific Coast and then turned left! We followed the coast to Fort Funston where we had lunch and nearly got blown away.

The highlight of the ride was on the ‘Devils Slide Trail’ which has been converted from a former segment of Highway 1 into a hiker/runner/cyclist and equestrian path. It has amazing views which you can enjoy without the traffic. This initiative to preserve this section of the road was the legacy of Ollie Mayer as she fought to have a tunnel built and won, rather than an upgrade of Highway One on the fragile road around the mountain.

We had a lovely bike bath, fro Miramar into Half Moon Bay State Beach where we made camp.

Day’s 47 to 50: San Francisco

Monday 17th to Thursday 20th October

We stayed in the Marine Memorial Club Hotel, a very regal and ‘proper’ establishment, extremely comfortable with breakfast and “happy hour ” included!! We were in heaven! And our room was next to the the laundry so it was very convenient and we washed everything that could be washed – even the food bags!

The Hotel was near Union Square, so very central for sightseeing. Each day we did one main sightseeing activity and then fluffed around and rested!!

Day 4 as a tourist:

Day 3 as a tourist:

An early start this morning and we caught the ferry to Alcatraz where we spent the morning. We loved it, especially meeting the inmates!

We got back from Alcatraz and walked to Fishermans Wharf for lunch and then caught the cable car back to our Hotel.

We were meeting Prue’s cousin, Rupert, once removed for dinner so from our Hotel we walked up the hill to Mark Hopkins Hotel where we met Rupert and his husband David in the bar ‘Top of the Mark’. The view was breathtaking. and the cocktails went down very nicely!!

Day 2 as a tourist:

Peter wanted to go to a bike shop (for something different) but had to walk through the Tenderloin area. This area is renown for the homeless and ‘seedy side of life’ and both our nieces, Jessie and Sophie said not to go there!! Fortunately Peter survived but did have culture shock! Whilst Peter went to the bike shop Prue went downtown to get some retail therapy. The bike saved the day again – no purchases!! No room on the bike!

San Francisco has hired Urban Alchemy, a non profit organisation that puts civilians on the sidewalks to police the street-level issues such as addiction, mental illness and homelessness. Most of the workers are often rebuilding their own lives after being incarcerated. They try to keep the streets clean and safe. For the ‘tourist’ it is reassuring to have them around.

In the afternoon we went to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art SFMOMA

We went to Golden Gate Park. Thank goodness for the union alchemy guy who helped us find the bust stop!!

In the Park it has the Japanese Gardens which we went in to see and had a bowl of udon noodles for lunch.

Dinner at the cutest Italian restaurant next door – Cesario’s offering classic Italian fare in a cozy setting.

Day 46: Samuel State Camp to San Francisco (53 kms)

Sunday 16th October 2022

Well, where do we begin. The night was fraught with challenges. Firstly two campsites up there was a large group of American Indians who we knew were in for a good time. The State Park Rules stipulate – ‘Quiet time from 10pm to 8 am’ we thought we would be OK. Not true. Still at 12 midnight the party was continuing. Even though the rules state the hours of quiet time , no-one police it.

They finished around 12.30 but loud talking continued most of the night. Then at 4 am we could hear music coming from their site. Peter got up as by this stage “enough was enough” and he found two young people in the car bopping to music. Peter told them to turn it off. Little did we know that our whole campsite was secretly clapping and cheering Peter on. Peter was the hero at breakfast. (He could select any bar from the picnic table!!) We have found in America people do not complain due to possible consequences ??

We rode into Fairfax to have coffee and then on a very scenic route to SF. Our favourite place was Ross, where we rode on the most beautiful road, Shady Lane, through a very expensive suburb. It was a lovely introduction to SF and Peter and I got very excited to be there.

We stopped at Sausalito, for lunch. It is known for its beautiful views of the bay and San Francisco. It is a popular day trip from San Francisco, where you ride a bike across the Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito and then catch the ferry back.

After Sausalito, it was a small climb to the top where we got our first glimpse of San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge

A climb is always followed by a downhill run so a perfect entry onto the Golden Gate Bridge.

We cycled along the coastline, past the boathouses into the City. Thankfully there was a bike friendly route avoiding the steep hills San Francisco is well now for. We found our Hotel and felt at home immediately. The Marine’s Memorial Club and Hotel. It is owned and operated by the Marine’s Memorial Association and it is the first ever “Living Memorial” in the USA, providing historic exhibits featuring American military history. The Marine Memorial Club Hotel is a very regal and proper establishment, extremely quite and luxious with a 2 hour “happy hour every day. Prue was in heaven!

Day 45: Bodega State Camp to Samuel Taylor State Camp (72 kms)

Saturday 15th October 2022

Yes, wet and misty this morning as well!!

Stopped at Valley Ford to get our morning coffee. It had three cafe/shops so we definitely thought we would be able to get a latte. We stopped at the first restaurant and they only had filtered coffee. They sent us to the Creamery where they have espresso. The open flag was out but “no go” as the door was locked and the sign on the door said they were closed for maintenance. So we went to the last store and Prue got very excited as they were open and there was an espresso coffee machine but none of the staff on that day knew how to work it!! We weren’t meant to have coffee!

We had lunch at Tomales – another cute town with a variety of cafes/pubs and restaurants. We then rode through Marshall, located on the Tomales Bay, the centre for oysters and clams. All along the road there were oyster and clam restaurants – filled with people wha have just come up from San Francisco for the day.

We went through Point Reyes Station, which looked like a fun town. Lots of pubs, restaurants, trendy gift shops etc. We had our usual afternoon treat of ice cream!!

We pressed on and found the bike track into our campsite. As Samuel Taylor State Park is only 50 kms fro San Francisco there were a lot of San Franciscans on their bikes having a weekend out. So our campsite was a group of 8. Peter and I were the only ones not from SanFrancisco so it was great to get to hear where we should go and what we should do when we are in SF.

We had a lovely night chatting around the campfire.

Day 44: Stillwater Cove Camp to Bodega Dunes Campground – Sonoma Coast State Park (42 kms)

Friday 14th October 2022

We had a late start as we slept in as Prue had attack of the “snores” which kept Peter awake and Don the host still wanted to chat!

It was another misty/foggy start but at least we could see the view and as the day progressed the sky cleared and the sun came out, just in time for us to enjoy lunch at the cutest cafe – Cafe Aquatica overlooking the Russian River at Jenner.

Day 43: Point Arena to Stillwater Cove State Camp (60 kms)

Thursday 13th October 2022

Yeah! We woke up with the sun shining but that was very short lived. Prue once against put on her long pants and heavy jumper and water proof jacket.

We set off and cycled through Anchor Bay and then onto Stewarts Point, where we came across ‘Saltwater Taffy’- a local lolly favourite. Peter and I loved them!!

The ride into Still Water Cover Regional Park was a lovely. It was an undulating ride and the secret was to get the speed downhill to get the roll uphill – we got pretty good at it!!

We got a good campsite by the camp host – Peter thought he was a bit lonely and wanted some company, especially when he found out we were from Australia, so he could chat about his experience in Sydney. He was a Vietnam naval officer with the American navy, and visited Sydney in the 70’s!! They were told to wear their uniforms and they were treated like Kings. He loved Australians, so he looked after us vey well.

And we had a great camp fire!!

Day 42: Manchester to Point Arena (11 kms)

Wednesday 12th October 2022

Again we woke to a cold, grey, overcast, misty, foggy day but we did have all panniers accounted for and no damage done from the raccoons!! We planned to go to Point Arena to go to the library to do some blogging before we cycled to Gualala, which was only a short distance away.

Whilst Peter was in the library, Prue surveyed the town, found the best bakery and a lovely Motel – Wildflower Motel at a reasonable price.

Prue went running back to the Library, told Peter to go to the Bakery and have a look at the Motel. He loved it and we were in! It was the cutest little town – had a great Co-Op and an original Picture theatre.

Day 41: Little River to Manchester (45 kms)

Tuesday 11th October 2022

Again we woke to mist and fog. We were- “not happy Jan!” To get us through the first 20 kms we planned to have coffee at Elk, down the road. Arrived outside the cutest coffee shop …………but closed on Tuesdays!!

Then another climb…..another steep climb where we found ‘Vista View’ (Look Out) to have lunch. Even the sun came out!

On the way to Manchester Beach State Park we popped into the KOA Campground, Manchester to get some stores, as they have a camp shop. Luckily for us as they advised us that the State Park was closed. So we stayed at KOA!

Since we arrived early and the weather wasn’t too bad, we decided to wash the tent as it was looking a little wore for wear. Also the clothes went straight into the washing machine.

Another early night, but was interrupted by the raccoons at 2am! Peter caught them in action. They had dragged the food panniers to the fence and then tried to break in. Peter to the rescue and he zapped them with the ‘dog dazzler’* – they all magically disappeared!!

Then what to do with the food panniers?? We popped them in the ‘raccoon proof’ boxed rubbish bin. We were terrified that the rubbish tip truck would collect them early in the morning before we got up, so poor Peter had no sleep and retrieved the panniers at daylight!

*Ultra high frequency noise production ing device, that humans cannot hear but animals dislike intensely.

Day 40: Westport Beach RV Park to Little River – Van Damme State Park (57 kms)

Monday 10th October 2022

We woke to a very foggy/misty day. We met another camper there who said he has been coming to this camp site every year for the past 20 years and this year is the wort wether he has experienced!

The road was windy, hilly and very narrow in some places, so we road with a lot of caution and had all our lights flashing and wearing yellow vests to stand out. The traffic actually is very considerate and so far we have had no problems.

The fog lifted in the afternoon so we could get glimpses of the Pacific Coast. It is a very pretty coastline particularly around Mendocino.

We camped further down the coast at Little River. We were a bit miserable with the cold and had a miserable ride so we went to, Ole’s Whale Watch Bar at the LIttle River Inn, to drown our sorrows. It is amazing what a cocktail or two can do!!

After drinks, we staggered down the hill and found we had the campsite to ourselves so we were happy little campers – a quiet night ahead.

Day 39: Standish Hickey State Rec Park to Westport Beach RV Park and Campground (47 kms)

Sunday 9th October 2022

We were all prepared for the big climb (fuelled with burgers and beer from last night!) and surprisingly we both coped with the climb and we both thought it would be a lot worse. Since all our attention was on the big climb we didn’t think the next climb would be bad but we were surprised by how steep it was. We both thought the shorter climb was harder. Anyway we did both and rolled down the hill to camp.

We decided to set up camp early and not ride on as it was very misty/foggy and cold. Also Peter wanted to check the brakes on the bike and mend his shirt.

We thought we would have a camp fire but the fire wood was damp and green so it got the better of Scout Peter so early to bed we went!

Day 38: Humboldt Redwoods State Park to Standish Hickey State Rec Park ( 70 kms)

Saturday 8th October 2022

Today was the total opposite to yesterday – Hot and Long!!

We slept in as had a disruptive sleep. The camp site took awhile to settle and so we did we!!

In the morning we were held up by a couple who were interested in what we were doing. We eventually got on the road. We stopped at Miranda which was a quaint place and then rode onto Garberville for lunch. We were greeted by the the homeless and we kept running into them wherever we went – so eventually we found a refuge at the back of a car park!!

After lunch it was a continual climb in very hot conditions. We stopped at the Grandfather tree. Age 1800 years, Height 265 feet and diameter 24 feet.

After making camp we went straight to ‘The Peg House’ . It is a well known institution, especially for cyclists, as it is directly opposite the campsite. Music, burgers, beer and a fun time with all the other cyclists sharing many a cycling tale!!

Day 37: Ferndale to Humbolt Redwoods State Park (62 kms)

Friday 7th October 2022

Today was one of those majestic cycle touring days.

We had a late start – 9.30 am and rode to Del Rio through the dairy rich farming country. We had a few climbs to ride to get out of the valley and then had our best coffee in Del Rio.

Then onto the Avenue of the Giants, a scenic road running through the Humboldt Redwoods. It has been called the finest forest drive in the World.

We came across ‘The Corn Crib” selling fresh produce. We bought a melon and a tomato – ‘last of the big spenders’ and had lunch there.

As you ride through along the Avenue of Giants, you find many Memorial Groves. Families and organisations donate money for a memorial grove and are able to memorialise a loved one in perpetuity and at the same time help support the redwoods reservation.

The sun was out and it was just another beautiful day of cycling through the redwoods

We came across Charles and Eloise Shields Family Grove. Charles and Eloise were in their 70’s, embarked on a goal to encourage people to get out and see more of the USA. They visited the redwoods many times ant they thought, “that all visitors to the Redwood Groves could be uplifted by the majesty and the timelessness of these quiet giants.”

Day 36: Ferndale – Rest Day!

Thursday 6th October 2022

We woke to a very misty/foggy morning, which is the ‘norm’ for Ferndale and then it clears to a lovely sunny afternoon (2 hours only) then the fog returns.

We thought it was time to update our blog and catch our breath so we have stayed in Ferndale – very small and very pretty town. It also has a library with WiFi!

Donald, with his dog Harley are here with us today as well, so we are meeting back at the Mexican Restaurant for dinner tonight.

Day 35: Arcata to Ferndale (43 kms)

Wednesday 5th October 2022

The campsite was close to town and on the highway but surprisingly we coped with the road noise and there were no homeless to be seen. (Too dangerous for them to cross the road!!)

Just before Eureka we saw ….. Gum trees. A small group along the side of the road. We got a little homesick.

We went through Eureka, and had coffee at Old Eureka in a funky cafe. Old Eureka is famous for its Victorian architecture and its creative artistic culture. A fun place.

There is a lovely bike path that takes you through the town, which we went on and headed out towards Ferndale along country roads zigzagging across 101. This area is very rich in dairy farming and the “rich manure smell” travelled with us all the way to Ferndale!

We met Susie at Ferndale who was just setting up camp.

We made camp and headed into town for WiFi. The Mexican restaurant was the only place we could find with WiFi so Mexican for dinner it was!

Day 34: Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park to Arcata (80 kms)

Tuesday 4th October 2022

We got away early – too early for the elks so we took a photo of the only elk we saw!

It was a lovely ride out and we were told that we would see elk on the way and fortunately we we did come across live elk!

Prue was struggling in the morning – we think it was to do with not having her morning coffee stop but we made up for it at our lunch stop at Trinidad -where we had fish and chips. Yum! They did the trick, to get us up the next big hill!!

Trinidad is a small picturesque seaside town with breathtaking views overlooking the offshore rocks which are part of the Californian coastline.

We had a lovely ride out of Trinidad along the scenic route and we came across a tightrope walker. They had erected a wire stretching across a small bay. We just saw him complete the walk. Amazing.

We then found the bike lane leading into Arcata but little did we know there was mighty climb halfway. Well we both made it up the hill but had to rest and admire the view to catch our breath. While resting Robert come riding up and we gave him a round of applause as he too made it to the top!! We were staying at the same camp site so we rode into Arcata together to get stores and then onto the campsite, Redwood Coast Cabins and RV Resort.

Little did we know that to get to the campsite we had to cross a four lane freeway in peak hour traffic – that was a challenge for the end of the day!! Everyone commented on how scary it was.

There at the campsite we met Susie, and Donald(travelling with Harley, the dog) who we had met before so it was another fun reunion!

Day 34: Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park – Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park (73.48 kms)

Monday 3rd October 2022

Well, we are back in business. 73.48 km with three reasonably size hills! I think it was because we were well rested as we had the best campsite ever. Very quiet with just the sound of the river.

The State Park was located amongst the redwoods next to the Smith River – only river that hasn’t been dammed and renowned for its pristine emerald waters and its abundance of salmon.

We left Jedediah along the Howland Hill Road, which passes through the centre of Jedediah State Park. It was beautiful and known as one of the most beautiful drives through the redwoods.

We lunched at Klamath, a small town named after the tribe of native Americans that lived in the area.

We climbed out of Klamath and then went on the Newton B.Drury Pkwy. This road takes you through the Prairie Creek’s old-growth redwood forest. It was another little gem of a road riding through these beautiful redwoods.

We stopped at the Big Tree Wayside A 1,500 year old redwood tree topping 286 feet tall and 74.5 feet around.

At the end of this road you came out onto a prairie, well known for its wild elks roaming the prairie. Here we camped the night and we didn’t see one elk!!

But we did have another fun night with Dale from Colorado and Robert from the Nederlands – who were camping there as well, both on bikes and both the same age as Peter!

Day 33: Fort Dicks to Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park (26 kms)

Sunday 2nd October 2022

We were safe but we had the worst night sleep – Bad luck number 3!

The owls started hooting at 9pm then the dog started barking and barking and barking……….and barking – all during the night. Then the rooster started crowing at 5.30 am.

There was another couple staying in the tree house – we both commented on the noisy night and little did we realise that this small grove of redwoods is surrounded by houses – all of which have a dog or a rooster or an animal of some sort!

After the bad night sleep, Prue said to Peter that is the third bad thing that has happened to us so lets dump the penny! ( Prue is not superstitious at all??!!)

We tried again to get my phone working so we went to another provider T- Mobile and hallelujah, Prue is connected!

We rode to Jedediah State Park which is a park preserving the old redwoods along the Smith River.

Day 32: Harris Beach State Park to Fort Dicks (Warmshowers) (39 kms)

Saturday 1st October 2022

We had a rough night as Peter had an encounter with a homeless man at 3 am in the morning.

The homeless are a huge problem in the States and the closer the camp site is to town the more trouble you will have with them. They are attracted to the campsites for refuge due to their proximity to town. This is our second encounter with them when camping.

We said our goodbyes to Connie (who is deaf and had her hearing-aids out so did no hear the commotion happening at 3am!)

Connie gave us a “lucky” penny. She quoted to us what her Mother always said to her,

” Penny penny pick me up, As today, it’ll bring you luck!”

Well no luck today!!!

1. Prue’s prepaid phone plan had expired and it took 2 and a half hours at the Verizon phone shop to sort out. We left and still not sorted due a a signing up complication.
2. Peter got a flat tyre – a huge staple pierced it so we got two punctures for the price of one!

Bad luck comes in threes…………..

On the way to our warmshowers we crossed the border to California – we are looking forward to warmer weather!

Our warmshower host, David has a small patch of redwoods at the back of his house and offers free camping to cyclists on a platform in amongst the redwoods. We wanted to have a safe night after the night before. He also, has a tree house and a little house which he rents out.

He greeted us with a Foster’s and three glasses. Very thoughtful of him.

Day 31: Gold Beach to Harris Beach State Park (Brookings) (45kms)

Friday 30th September 2022

Well you will never guess who stayed at the same Hotel as we did? Todd. Our dear friend and Scout. Todd is from Vancouver and was cycling to Crescent City. We caught up with him 5 nights during our trip down the Coast. Then he sped on as he was covering more miles than we were. We called him Scout Todd as he relayed back to us daily on the state of the camp sites ahead! He had hired a car and was heading back home.

We had a fun night with takeaway and drinks on the balcony. He also introduced us to the Hotel Continental Breakfast – scones and gravy??? Which we gave a miss.

The weather had improved and it was warm and sunny so Peter and Prue were back on the road. The scenery was superb and we even had a tale wind so we made it to the campsite in good time. We even went to the beach for a couple of hours in the afternoon. Our first beach day since Canada.

There was only one other cyclist in our camp site, Connie and she was a Grandmother of 5!

Day 30: Gold Beach (Rest Day)

Thursday 29th September 2022

Another rest day you are saying!! Well it is wet. Well it was very wet this morning!! The weather forecast is for warm and dry days a head so we will be leaving tomorrow….

Day 29: Humbug Mtn State Park to Gold Beach (38 kms)

Wednesday 28th September 2022

As expected it rained all night and into the morning. We packed up once the rain stopped and headed to Gold Beach where we had booked two nights accommodation as the next day was going to be wet as well.

Fortunately, the sun came out for us to see the coast, as this stretch was meant to be very pretty.

We arrived at lunch and we could book into the Hotel early. We upgraded to an Ocean view with balcony, so we were very happy with our lot!!

Prue did the washing while Peter dried the camping gear. Prue met a lady in her 70’s who had recently retired to Gold beach with her husband. They had sold their house and bought a 39 foot RV which they have put on a rental site. She had moved up from California and said California was very expensive and they couldn’t afford the rentals available there so moved to Gold Beach, Oregon which is much cheaper.

We ate in – Pizza and wine watching a movie. How we appreciate small things when we have been on the road camping!

Day 28: Bullards State Park to Humbug Mtn State Park (61km)

Tuesday 27th September 2022

It drizzled overnight so the tent was wet and the ground sheet was saturated and covered in dirt. We had to give the ground sheet a rinse under the tap before we left.

We had a late start as Peter had a sleep-in until 7.30am. Peter had a bad night and blamed it on the neighbour who snored all night!

It was a boring and undulating road as well as a head wind. The high-light was coffee at Floras Creek Coffee Co in Langlois, a cute little coffee roaster in the very quaint town.

We collected stores at Port Orford and greeted by the homeless again!

We arrived at Humbug Mountain State Park and paid for a proper campsite, not a hiker/biker as we knew it was going to be another wet night and we didn’t want to camp under the trees on the hill – also our “snorer” from the previous camp had already made camp there!!

We took awhile to set up camp as we had to dry everything out and prepare for another wet night. Once set up we took advantage of being by ourselves and had a camp fire.

Day 27: Bullards State Park (Rest Day – 12 kms)

Monday 26th September 2022

We decided to have rest day. Had a lovely walk to Coquille Light House in the moring then rode into Bandon to see the sights and catch up with our blogging.

Day 26: Sunset State Park to Bullards State Park (36 kms)

Sunday 25th September 2022

We had a night of ship whistles as well as the tidal horns!! Peter slept through the lot – amazing! But we did wake to an array of bird noises, which is quite rare as most birds are migrating to the South.

We went back to Charlestown to get stores and coffee and then headed up Seven Devils Road. Our scout, Todd, had already prewarned us and he said the hills are nasty!! But he forgot to tell us that once you got to the top the Whiskey Run Road was down hill, windy and exhilerating. We loved it!

A new record 12.30 pm into camp!! Made camp and then cycled into Bandon to do the washing – we love laundromats!!

Day 25: Umpqua State Park to Sunset State Park ( 54 kms)

Saturday 24th September 2022 (Grand Final – Cats stormed over the Swans!)

We left later than expecteded as we kept chatting to Sybil and then an enormous tree just snapped at its base very close to us – a mighty noise but we were all very grateful that it wasn’t on top of us!

We cycled through Lakeside, Hauser on the 101. It was a busy and boring road with no coffee stops! Again there were sand dunes all the way down on the coast, so there were lots of san buggy hire companies all the way down.

We then crossed another McCullough Bridge – Conde McCullough Memorial Bridge, coming into Coos Bay. We were recommended to do a long detour (30 kms) to avoid the long bridge with no shoulder, but Peter and I decided to walk across the bridge. (Our forward cycling Scout, Todd gave us the advice to walk the bridge and not not do the detour!) It was the highlight of the day, as we had time to take photos and enjoy the aesthetics of the bridge. Thank you Todd!!

We were a bit famished after crossing the bridge so we fell into Safeway – our new one stop shop! It has a Pharmacy, Bakery, Deli, ATM, Liquor, Restroom and Starbucks! So Peter has coffee and WiFi while Prue does the grocery shop! P.S. The bikes come in too!!

From there we had a pleasant ride to Sunset Bay State Park and guess what, the fog horns follwed!! We are still trying to find the official name for them.

We made record time to camp 3 pm!! First ones in camp so had the best spot and were ready to head to the beach but it became quite cold so Peter headed to the fire wood stock pile to buy two loads of wood. We nestled down warmly for the night!

Jo and Rose from England cycled in followed by mad Marco from Berlin. If he asks to stay at any Warmshower please welcome him as he is delightful!

Day 24: Carl G Washburne State Park to Umpqua State Park (71 kms)

Friday 23rd September 2022 (Grand Final Holiday in Melbourne – Go the Cats!)

Walked to the Hecetta Head Lighthouse which is perched atop 1,000-foot-high Heceta Head. The light atop the 56-foot tower was first illuminated in 1894. It is the only lighthouse with an English Lens and it is the strongest light on the Oregon Coast. It can be seen 21 miles (31.6kms) from land The views from the lighthouse were breathtaking. The light house was name after Bruno de Heceta, a Sapanish navigator who surveyed the Oregon Coast in 1775.

After the lighthouse you cross over another Conde B McCullough Bridge – The Cape Creek Bridge, resembles a Roman Style Aqueduct.

The ride from there, had beautiful views all the way to Florence. Florence is famous for its sand dunes, so every person on the road, were towing a sand buggy of some sort!! Huge business. The dunes extended from Florence to Reedspot.

The road from Florence to Reedsport was very undulating and busy with continuous stream of traffic. We were both amazed how big the USA RV(Recreational Vehicles) are. And they are always towing something eg. car, boat, trailor etc!!! Some are even bigger than a semi-trailer!

We made it to Reedsport, and from there we headed to our campsite Umpqua Lighthouse State Park. Situated on Lake Clair, where we had diiner overlooking the lake with little squirrels running around us!

We met gorgeous Sybil from Switzerland again who is cycling from Whitehorse, Alaska to San Francisco. She is dynamo on the bike!

We did have a small complaint as their was a continual “fog horn” type noise all night. We later found out it was called a ???(we can’t remeber the name – watch this space!) It measures the changes in seal level.

Day 23: Newport to Carl G Washburne State Park (61 kms)

Thursday 22nd September 2022 (Day of Mourning in Australia for the Queen)

We were farewelled by Peggy and Jessie and Peggy suggested to have morning tea at Seal Rock Cafe and Bakery which we dutifully did!!

We had our first real overcast day with a head wind! Prue tucked in behind Peter on highway 101 going south and had a very cruisy ride!

We had lunch at Yachats, pronounced “Ya harts” then the weather improved, sun came out, the wind dropped and we had a lovely ride into Camp with gorgous scenery on the way.

Also we heard the exciting news that Sophie, our niece, has just got her first job at AACo in Brisbane as Finance Support Officer starting in December. Now we are just waiting to hear about Annie’s, sister to Sophie, first job placement.

DAY 22: Newport Rest Day (0 km)

Wednesday 21st September 2022

Peggy from Warmshowers very kindly offered us to stay another night which we accepted thankfully, as being on the road for 6 days Prue was desperate to have a rest day!

Our rest day consisted of a walk on the beach, lunch at historical Nye Beach, a drive around town with Peggy, an afternoon nap for Prue and a yummy home cooked meal by Peggy. How spoilt were we. Thank you, Peggy and Jessie, the Labrador, for having us to stay.

DAY 21: Lincoln City to Newport (48 kms)

Tuesday 20th September 2022

We were discussing at camp about Warmshowers* and Susie had one line up in Depoe. Prue was feeling a little weary so she thought she would try. She found Peggy at Newport and texted Peggy apologizing for the late notice. Well, lo and behold Peggy replied and said she would love to have us to stay. “Yippee” said Prue

*Warmshowers is a non profit hospitality exchange service for people bicycle touring.

We had a lovely ride along 101 passing through Depoe – famous for whale watching, specifically for the grey whales. Peter and I watched for a while but no luck! Went on the old highway to via cape Foulweather and Otter Crest which was very pretty.

Cond B McCullough was the notable State Bridge Engineer for the Oregon State Highway Department from 1919 to 1935. He developed one of the most impressive collections of beautiful and efficient bridges in the USA.

Just before we got to Newport we went to the Yaquina Cape Light house. It was built in 1871 on the mouth to the Yaquina River.

We found Peggy’s place very easily and was very close to Historical Nye Beach where we had dinner. Peggy was going out that night, so she made us feel very welcome and have the house to ourselves while she went out.

DAY 20: Cape Lookout to Lincoln City – Devil’s Lake Sate Park (65 kms)

Monday 19th September 2022

We were very sad to leave Cape Lookout. We were the last to leave amongst our fellow cyclists, Todd, Susie, Abbi and Liam and our new French friends.

We had a very steep climb to start the day but a very enjoyable ride down the hill! We rode into Cape Kiwanda which was beautiful and had a great surfing beach, then onto Pacific City and Neskowin where we stopped for lunch. Lo and behold the whole gang arrived!!

We took the Old Scenic Highway 101 to Otis, where we met Susie who rode into Lincoln City with us to camp at Devil’s Lake. Todd, Liam and Abbi were riding on further.

The hiker/rider campsite was up the steepest path which Prue had to get Peter help push her bike up. Prue got hysterical as she could not believe where they put the cyclists in this camp! We met the French couple again and lovely to spend more time with them.

DAY 19: Nehalem to Cape Lookout State Park ( 70 kms)

Sunday 18th September 2022

The Hiker/Biker Camp at Nehalem was much nicer and we could all spread out amongst the trees.

Another long day in the saddle but with lots of stops enjoying the events that were happening along the way mad the ride very pleasurable. One of them was the kite competition and the other a stop in a diner for a small snack milkshake and fries – Peter was having a great time!

After the diner we had 20 km’s to ride to Cape Lookout State Park. We thought we took a shortcut and ended up on a very gravelly road and hilly with a few undesirables camping on the side of the road. We speedily sped past them, head down and pedalling, pedalling. We then came across another couple of guys in camouflage and they were out hunting for Elks. Silly Prue asked if they had to have a license to do that!

They informed us that the undesirables were making amphetamines in their “rigs” and after a few weeks something goes wrong and the rig burns down – which we witnessed on the way, seeing the remains of a burnt-out RV!!

We were very pleased to see the main road in front of us and a welcome face -Todd. Prue felt relieved and knew now we were on the right route and heading for camp! Todd couldn’t believe we did the dirt road!

We had the best campsite at Cape Lookout and it was divine. The beach was gorgeous and it had lovely walks. It was a pity it was so isolated, and we only had stores for one night, as we would have liked to have stayed there for another night.

DAY 18: Fort Stephens to Nehalem State Park (70 kms)

Saturday 17th September 2022

We finally made it to the Pacific Coast and were no let down. The scenery was beautiful and the climbs – both of them were challenging.

We had coffee at Seaside and lunch at Cannon Beach – both interesting and lovely places with lots of eateries, shops etc.

Our last climb had a magnificent view overlooking Manzanita and our Camp Site for the night.

DAY 17: Astoria to Fort Stephens State Park ( 17 kms)

Friday 16th September 2022

We had a leisurely morning after a night with the sea lions. Thankfully we didn’t have to use the earplugs!

We walked up to the Astoria Column on top of Coxcombe Hill. It is a very treasured monument commemorating America’s settlement of the West. Attilio Pusteria was the artist behind the 525-foot-long mural that wraps around the Astoria Column.

We then had lunch at a brewery which was surrounded by lots of food trucks – so the choice for lunch anything and everything plus fries!!

We collected the bikes from the Hotel and then rode out to Fort Stephens State Park – Hiker/Biker Section. The camp site was fully booked out, so we were all jammed in a small area behind the garbage compactor!! All 11 of us! Here we met Susie, a US Taiwanese girl riding alone, and Abbi and Liam from England riding to Mexico City. Little did we know we would spend the next few days with them.

DAY 16: Cathlamet – Washington to Astoria – Oregon

Thursday 15th September 2022

We all left camp and headed out to catch the 9am ferry to Westport. Busy road which we just had to do the miles.

We found the bike track leading into Astoria where we were greeted by the homeless lady with her trolley and then another transvestite on his pink bike. He escorted us into town!! We booked acccommodation at the Bowline Hotel overlooking Columbia River. Here we celebrated arriving in Oregon and finishing Map 1 – Pacific Coast. Bicycle Route. 4 more to go!

We had the afternoon free so we went to the Maritime Museum where we spent a couple of hours at the Columbia River Maritime Museum. It outlines the history of the Columbia River and describes the stories of the legendary Columbia River Bar, one of the most dangerous passages in the World.

Day 15: Cathlamet – Rest Day

Wednesday 14th September

Prue had a sleep in! Then a late breakfast followed by coffee in town at Patty Cakes Cafe’ & Roasting. And would you believe it we met Claudia, who we met at the State Park and Todd who cycled past. Todd was in a hurry to catch the ferry so we waved him on.

On rest days we have time to look above! The birds are showing us how to draft in a peleton.

We walked the Main Street of Cathlamet, went to the Visitor’s Information Centre, where we met this girl who had spent three years in Japan, then onto the Gallery and back to camp.

We just finished lunch and behold Todd comes cycling in with another cyclist – Mark and told us that the ferry had broken down so they were now staying the night. We are all meeting at the Brewery at 5!

Day 14: Toutle River RV Resort – Castle Rock to Cathlamet (81 kms)

Tuesday 13th September

We knew it was going to be a big day, so we made up time in the morning as we did not have to pack up our tent and we were woken by the 6am train so we up and on the road by 8am.

We aimed for Longview to have coffee. Found a great cafe, Red Leaf Organic Coffee and met the local ladies who had just attended bible class.

Then it was long hard ride along Highway 4. The road was very busy and had no shoulders but it did have interesting sights along the way to keep us amused.

We arrived at the Convenience Store at the top of the hill before going into Cathlamet to get some stores. Prue got excited as there was ice cream available in a waffle cone. I ordered a single scoop ‘cookies and cream’ waffle cone and then went out to get Peter to go inside and select his flavour and pay.

Peter came out with the biggest waffle cone ice creams you have ever seen. Prue made a comment and said that she only ordered a single cone but Peter said that that’s what you get for a single cone! They were huge. And the lady sitting behind us commented, “that is why Americans are so fat!”

The same lady asked if we were going downtown to Cathlamet. Prue replied , “yes” and then asked what there is in Cathlamet. She said, “there was a nice Mexican restaurant, and a nice American restaurant and if you want yarn there is a great yarn shop there as well!!” Great – all things covered.

We found our campsite at the Elochoman Slough Marina on a dike overlooking the river. Set up camp and then went to the local brewery for 5’s. It was trivia night so all the locals were there. We were not game enough to participate as Peter and I had no idea about USA History!!

Day 13: Lewis and Clark State Park to Toutle River RV Resort- Castle Rock (34 kms)

Monday 12th September

NOTE: Weather is changing – getting cooler. The days are getting shorter and the leaves are changing colour – Fall is coming

We said our goodbyes to the Hosts, Steve and Mary, Todd, the cyclist and Claudia our neighbour who comes from San Diego and has offered us accommodation when we get there.

Rode into Toledo to get coffee and WiFi. Would you believe the coffee shop is a tax accountant and insurance broker all in one shop! No wonder we rode past it. Once we found it they had great coffee! And they allowed us to stay and do our blogging and emails.

We had lunch overlooking the Cowlitz River and then headed off to Paradise RV Camp. (Prue has a thing about Resorts and Paradise – unfortunately all bad!) We took one look at Paradise RV Camp and thought OH NO! Fortunately, we had just passed another one on the other side of the freeway, so we went back.

We checked in to Toutle River RV Resort. We totally got lucky as they offered us free accomodation in a self contained hut “The Love Shack” for cyclists (Member of Warm Showers). Peter got very excited!!

We made ourselves at home and once the door was closed we could hear no freeway traffic- hooray said Peter but 5 minutes later all hell broke loose – the train whistle blew not once but three times and then the shack shook!! We didn’t realise that the railway line – two of them (Main line from Portland to Seattle) were on the other side. We got hysterical, we were camping in between the freeway and the railway line! So on the hour we woke to the sound of the whistle and then the whole building shook. We now knew why it was called the “love Shack”. Nothing to do with what was going on inside!

Forgot to mention we did have a TV and video player so we watched the movie, ‘Grumpy Old Men” and felt quite at home!

Day 12: Elma to Lewis and Clark State Park (83.41 kms)

Sunday 11th September

We left early as we knew we had a big day. And Prue was prepared (had a nanna’s nap yesterday) and not taking any detours or shortcuts this time!!

Also, we got some helpful local knowledge from Jerry (Manager of RV Elma) how to pass through Centralia and end up on the Jackson Highway route (not so hilly!)

We had big farewells, saying goodbye to Jerry and Rhee, the owners of the Park. Just the most amazing hospitality from these guys and couldn’t do enough for us.

We had coffee at Oakville – again just a hut in the middle of nowhere. But they do make a mean coffee!

Off to Centralia where we planned to have lunch in the park. Peter rode in and straight out as he was abused by the local homeless inhabitants. So we ended up at Centralia College – huge grounds with table and chairs under cover. Which was fortunate for us as it just started to rain – the first rain since we have been here in North America

Just as we were about to eat, a transvestite came up to us out of know where! She/he was trying to be so helpful but I think we were running out of patience. She/he also wanted to know old we were!! Finally she left and we finished lunch and skedaddled.

Peter couldn’t wait to get out of Centralia but we had to stop at Safeway for supplies. Met another unsavoury character, who was hovering around us and our bikes. Surprisingly he gave us a warning not to leave our bikes unattended and he forgot his bike lock so he went home to get it. He wasn’t leaving his bike unlocked unattended.

Finally arrived the Lewis Clark State Park and was greeted by a wedding party in full swing. Oh dear, what do we do here. We rode into the park and found the hiker/biker site, opposite the Host of the Campground. He assured us the wedding frolickers would be out by 10 pm and if not he would send them on their merry way.

So we made camp and in rode Todd, our cyclist friend who we met at Elma!

Fortunately for all campers the wedding party behaved badly and were asked to leave early by the Ranger!! All quiet at Lewis and Park and no road noise!!!

Day 11: Prancing Unicorn Resort and Recreation to Elma (45.5kms)

Saturday 10th September

We survived the night!! We were packed up in one hour and rode out by 7 am!! Unfortunately we had to ride back to Shelton to pick up our route. No where for breakfast so we picked up a coffee and sandwich at a service station – ate it on the kerb and off we went!

We had a good ride to Elma, 20 minutes of riding uphill and then all down hill after that!

It was an exceptionally hot day (32 degrees Celsius) and a major fire risk. Not hot by us but very unusual where we were. So we knew we wanted to get off the road by lunchtime.

We arrived at our campsite (Elma RV) with a fire helicopter flying overhead, doing water dumps on a grass fire at the fairgrounds, which we had just passed. Prue was not putting up any tent and ready to jump on the back of the owner’s truck to evacuate!

Rhee, the owner spoke to the fire chief (their RV was in their camp site) and we got the all clear. So for $5 USA we were on grass, we were given two packets of welcome cookies (no funny business) and greeted like long lost friends.

We headed into town to have dinner and ended up at Shu Jack’s Bar and Grill for pre dinner drinks. We were welcomed by the locals and Jim became our best friend, who has lived in Elma all his life and knew everyone and everything!

Jim was so impressed with us , he bought us a drink and rang his wife to come and meet us. Fun times with them while we had a small serve (huge) of Nachos. Jim introduced us to every local that walked by!!

We went back to the campsite and still we were inundated with people who thought we absolutely mad and why were we doing it. Also met Todd, another cyclist on the same route but only going across the border into California.

We went to bed with the exciting news of the arrival of Bam and Ayanga’s third child Thomas Ayanga Khutagt.

Day 10: Belair State Park to Shelton (Prancing Unicorn Resort and Recreation) (60 kms)

Friday 9th September

Prue selected this campsite as it was just over half way before the next campsite (90 kms)and we knew we would rather not have to ride that distance if we didn’t have to.

We got to Shelton (5 kms) from the campsite. Not good vibes – just lots of homeless people, the town looked sad and lots of empty buildings We quickly got our stores found a coffee shop to get on WiFi to call Prue’s Mother and then headed out.

We had a ‘pit’ stop at the Fire Station in Mason County and met two road cyclists who were doing a loop. We started chatting and they very kindly asked us to have lunch with them at their Summer house on Mason Lake. They assured me there was only one steep short hill to climb. They had just spent 3 months and were leaving the next day back to California.

They were an amazing couple who lived out doors and you name it they did it but we were most impressed with their white water rafting down the Grand Canyon on the Colorado River for 25 days! WOW!!

After saying our goodbyes we headed off to …….

We arrived at PURR (Prancing Unicorn Resort and Recreation) and OMG Prue was about to ride out. The picture (on the website) tells a thousand words and why did Prue not pick up the vibes ☮️ Because Prue did not want to ride 90kms!!

We met Polly (a 50 year old single lady living in a van) who thought the place was terrific. She gave us the low-down of the place and it is where a group of like minded people get together as a community and work on the Burning Man Event. This event is held annually in the Western United States. It is an event focussed on community, art , self expression and self reliance. They build a temporary city, in the desert in the middle of nowhere and a large wooden effigy of a man which they burn at the end of the week’s celebrations just before labour day.

We didn’t quite get it so we knew we didn’t belong and couldn’t wait to get out of there!

Day 9: Seattle to Belfair State Park (37 kms)

Thursday 8th September

We had a leisurely morning – again making optimum use of Hotel time, including another load of washing!!

We went and had coffee downtown in our favourite Pike’s Market Place and then headed for the ferry. We were catching the ferry back to Bremerton to pick up our cycling route.

The queue for the ferry had all sorts of people and one was a lovely lady doing her Chief Mate Course and she was giving us a description of the ferry we were going on. It was an Engine Order Telegraph (EOT) which is when the pilot on the ship (bridge) gives orders to the engineers in the engine room to power the vessel at a certain desired speed etc. Well we were getting a blow by blow description of what was going wrong as the ferry took a very long time to berth!!

While we were waiting we heard the new of the death of The Queen – it was very sad and Prue even had a tear or too.

Once we got to Bremerton, we got stores and then headed to Belair State Park* It was a horrible road out of Bremerton and then we got onto Belair Valley Road which was much nicer, but still had a very narrow shoulder.

*The State Parks offer Hiker/Biker spots for minimum cost and first in first served. But we have been told that they newer turn away a hiker or biker

Met two other cyclists at the camp ground. Jim was heading to San Francisco with his wife’s blessing and Zac, was single and heading to Argentina.

Day 7/8: Seattle (Rest Days)

Tuesday 6th and Wednesday 7th September

We we’re up early to do the sites. So excited we arrived an hour before everything opened, so off for coffee!

We visited Space Needle, which was built for the 1962 World Fair in Seattle.

Then we went to the Chihuly Garden and Glass. This was instigated by the Wright family who own and operate the Space Needle. They wanted to reinvigorate the centre of Seattle so they asked Dale Chihuly to present a comprehensive collection of his work. Chihuly designed an Exhibition Hall, a Garden installation and a Glasshouse. Peter and I were totally in awe. It was just the most amazing exhibition.

After Chihuly we went straight to the Pikes Place Market. It is Seattle’s original farmer’s market and the centre for artisan and specialty food stores.

We had to have America’s #1 Chowder at Pikes Place Chowder. Peter enjoyed it but didn’t think it was worth queuing for!!

Day 6: Bremerton to Seattle (15 kms)

Monday 5th September

We left Illahee Park, up a very very steep hill. Thank goodness Prue was well rested and she knew at the end of the day there was a room in a Hotel for 3 nights so she scampered up the hill!!

We caught the ferry to Seattle.

We went straight to Ivars Fish Bar for lunch. A famous institution that began on Seattle’s waterfront in 1938.

After lunch we could check into our Hotel. So after settling in, washing done we when out to explore and ended up in our first diner, Mecca Cafe. Another well known institution in Seattle. They have two happy hours Breakfast? 6am – 9am and Afternoon 3pm-6pm! We missed both!!

Day 5: Oak Bay Campground to Bremerton (67 kms)

Sunday 4th September

We left early as we knew we had a big day ahead.

There was not a lot enroute but thankfully we found “Cove Coffee” – a drive through coffee hut at Port Ludlow in the middle of nowhere!

We rode onto Paradise Bay, across Hood Canal Bridge. The Hood Canal Bridge is a floating bridge. It is 2.4 km long – the longest floating bridge in the world. The crossing was actually quite hard as it felt long and it was quite windy.

Camped in Illahee State Park, 5 km from Bremerton. This campsite is set on a steep hillside in a well preserved forest park. Prue arrived exhausted and did not want to see another hill!

Day 4: Port Townsend to Port Hadlock (27 kms)

Saturday 3rd September

We had a late start as we made the most of the Hotel room, so Peter did some housekeeping and Prue went out to find a Post Office? – as we bought a painting and we wanted to post it home as we weren’t sure how long it would stand up to being tied down on the back of the bike! Two hours later it was in the post. (That was a story in itself and yes, the postage was more expensive than the painting!)

Then we headed downtown and it was just gorgeous. It had lovely old historical buildings built in the 1880’s-1890’s. The Port Townsend business elites aspired to create a ‘New York of the West’ but unfortunately economy and geography prevented the region’s dreams. These old buildings were made up of lots of art galleries, shops and gourmet eateries. And yes we had our usual coffee* hit and bun!

*Our coffee is now a 16 oz latte – we are both off the cappuccinos as half the cup is froth and yes we have gone big – 16 oz! We are liking the USA big sizes!

Today was our first official day, following the Pacific Coast Bicycle Route. We picked it up at Port Townsend via the Larry Scott Trail. It is such a pretty trail and easy to ride.

We lunched in the bus transit area and then rode to Oak Bay Campground, just out of Port Hadlock.

We were advised by other campers that the homeless visit the site so we made sure we camped close to the others, made friends and felt quite safe. It was a good move as we scored a meal of fresh crab from our fellow campers.

Day 3: Port Angeles to Port Townsend (90 kms!)

Friday 2nd September

What a great exit we had to exit Port Angleses, along the Olympic Discovery Trial (Trail from Port Townsend to La Push), through Sequim. We met Kaye and David at the Old Sawmill coffee shop. David is a retired pilot and has fully built a RV-7 kit airplane from scratch. They have retired at Sequim for the weather, the private, private airport (compared to the private, public airport) which their house backs onto, so their hanger is his back yard, and they have a view overlooking the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

Kaye very kindly offered to take a photo of us as she said we probably don’t have many together and also said if were in any trouble to ring them.

Most of the day followed the trail except for a very small section on highway 101 (shoulder and busy) and then onto 20 highway (no shoulder). The adventure started just trying to cross the road – it was one continuous flow of traffic both ways.

We made it safely and then found the Larry Scott Trail which led us into Port Townsend. Little did we realise that our campsite was 4.2 miles (6.7km) out of Port Townsend in Fort Worden State Park, It is a historical park, originally known as Fort Worden, A United States Army Coast Artillery Corps base constructed to protect Puget Sound from invasion by sea.

It is 433 acres and we were put next to a large group of campers playing rap music with the largest rottweiler. We were not happy. We spoke with the ranger and there was nothing else??? So we decided to ride back into town and find accommodation.

Day 2: Rest Day – Port Angeles

Thursday 1st September

Our plan was to catch a shuttle bus up Hurricane Ridge, where you overlook the Olympic Mountain range. We woke up to our first overcast morning, so we didin’t think it was worthwhile going. However we decided to catch a bus to downtown and catch the later shuttle bus, lucky for us the clouds lifted and we had magnificent views over Mount Olympic.

Day 1: Victoria – Canada to Port Angeles – Washington USA

We finally crossed the boarder to USA, via a ferry from Victoria on Vancouver Island to Port Angeles, Washington on 31st August 2022. What do you do for your first lunch downtown Port Angleses, have an American Burger!

Port Angeles is an old logging town and the logging / saw mills have shutdown, so the town is suffering with unempoyment and many young people are struggling.

Then off to Walmart (the biggest store we have ever seen!) to buy a USA SIM for our mobile phones.

We set up camp at Kampground of America (KOA) just out of town. Our campsite had a lovely view overly looking the Olympic Mountain Range.