Well, I’m sitting in a hotel in San Jose as I write this update. I hadn’t planned on being in San Jose. In fact, I had originally planned on staying somewhere near Hearst Castle on the Pacific Coast Highway. The problem was that everyone else in California made the same plans. And so, all the campsites were booked solid. There were a few available hotel rooms, but they were going for a premium price. So, I simply kept riding. And riding. And riding.
I might as well just go ahead and admit to something that may cause some of you to gasp in disbelief before losing all respect for me: I didn’t really enjoy the ride today all that much. Oh, don’t get me wrong, the Pacific Coast Highway is beautiful. Especially the curves between Big Sur and Caramel. It would have been even more amazing on a sport bike or a bike not loaded down with the amount of stuff I have. At times, I found it a lot of work keeping the bike behaving in the tight curves.
Yes, it’s beautiful. But wow, I didn’t expect it to get as cold as it did. In fact, I would guess that today was the coldest day of my trip so far. Even colder than the day i left Ottawa (or at least almost as cold). Fog came in within an hour of hitting the coast, and I had very few breaks from the mist the entire day. By the end, it just wasn’t fun anymore. Traffic was also pretty nasty, I guess because it was Friday, and the weekend was looking like great weather.
What made up for the less-than-enjoyable day of riding was the way my day began. As I pointed out yesterday, Paul was simply the most gracious individual I’ve met. I truly feel blessed to have had the chance to meet him face to face.
Oh, the other thing I almost did today, and it would have been a real highlight for me, was attend the San Jose Sharks pre-season game tonight. Their arena is only four blocks from where I am staying, and so I walked down to see if I could get a ticket for the game. I imagined sitting in the stands, booing every time Dany Heatley touched the puck. (For my non-hockey readers, Heatley is enemy #1 to Ottawa fans after he demanded a trade from Ottawa this summer). I went up to the ticket booth, expecting the ticket to cost $20. I was shocked when she told me that the cheapest ticket was $50. For a pre-season game! I couldn’t believe it. And, I couldn’t justify it. Even if I wanted to boo the guy. So, I came back to the hotel.
I’m not sure what I will do tomorrow. Oakland is near by, so I might check that city out. Or, I may ride into San Fran and see what I can find on my own, before I get the proper tour the next day.
I expected days like today, although I didn’t expect to have one of these days while riding the Pacific Coast. Perhaps I’m just not an “ocean guy”. Or maybe it was just the cold.
Can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings!
so you DO know the way to San Jose!
Too bad about the hockey ticket prices! Was conversing with Paul last night on Twitter, he enjoyed your visit as well! Ride safe Rob!
Enjoying your blog Rob. So a loaded down Wide Glide Handles like my top heavy Sportster in the curves? As for cold, woke up to our first heavy frost here in Kanata. Take care,ride safe.
Dudley.
I went to San Francisco in July one year. It was so hot here in Ottawa and when I got to SF it was FREEZING. All of the tourists were wearing San Francisco fleece jackets – they sold like hot cakes.
We also did the highway down to Big Sur and had lunch in Monterey. It was breath-taking, too bad you weren’t able to enjoy it to its fullest. You’ll have to go back and do it again one day.
Lose respect? Psssh…no such thing. I admire that you have spent hours upon hours daily on your bike for eleven days. I would have been wiped out for sure! You are entitled to be tired every now and again during your long journey
Add A Comment