Day 16 - Morro Bay, CA - Lompoc, CA
Bike - Specialized Roubaix
Miles ridden - 78.3 miles
Total elapsed mileage - 1065.6
Time in saddle - 5:39
Average speed for day - 13.8 mph
Maximum speed for day - 37.7
July 17-19, 1961 -
July 17 - Marylou and I got up at 6:30 and went freezing in the river. I was then invited to breakfast of scrambled eggs and sausages. Then I was invited to throw my bike in the camp trailer and go south with them. Marylou insisted and here I am. I rode in their Cadillac and we traveled slowly, seeing as much as by cycle. The road was very rugged and there were headwinds, so I don't feel too bad about cheating. We are in Morro Bay State Park now. Marylou seems extremely fond of me and wants me to stay with them for a couple of days. I must leave before too long, however. We have exchanged addresses and I have promised to see her at her home.
I was brought 89 miles.
July 18 - Got up pretty early this morning and was fed pancakes. Marylou and I just lazed around all day and saw the town while the others went fishing. It is always foggy and cold here. After supper of hot dogs I took in "Mein Kampf" and "Parrish" with Marylou at the Morro Bay Theatre.
Made 0 miles.
July 19 - Today Marylou made me solemnly promise to visit her in her home and kept saying how much she would miss me. She gave me her Parrish book so I could return it to her personally. We all left camp at 10:00. I headed south and they, home. Arrived in San Luis Obispo and had brake fixed ($2.36!). I saw some back country and got to Pismo Beach at 2:30. The S.P. was packed and I was directed to a very ratty county park. I hung around a while, then pulled out of the fogbound place. I reached Guadalupe at 4:45 and saw the sign "le Roy Park, Santa Barbara County." It is a beautiful place - running water, fireplaces, wood for the picking and green grass, but absolutely deserted. It is off the beaten path, but I can't help feeling I'll be kicked out.
6:00 - I'll crawl in sleeping bag and read Parrish.
Made 43 miles.
I was a late bloomer, even by 1961 standards, so meeting and spending over two days non-stop with blue-eyed, fair-haired Marylou made her my first girlfriend. And when Mr. K handed me the keys to his Cadillac to take his daughter to the movies, it was the first time I went on a date in a car not driven by a parent. It was a rite of passage, under the most unusual of circumstances.
July 5, 2011 - Got away from the motel at about 10:45. Fine morning - clear, cool, dry, seabreeze filling in from NW. Did a little sightseeing in Morro Bay, took a few pictures, including of the still-in-business theatre and the entrance to the state park. Planned to meet Bob in SLO at 1:00, but wind was so favorable and road so fast that I was there at 12:30. So was Bob, so we linked up and found a bike shop so I could replace my mirror - this time with one that clips to the bow of my sunglasses. Left town at 1:00 and agreed to meet again at 2:00 for lunch in the next town, Arroyo Grande. For the record, SLO is a very pretty town with a vital, bustling, historical city center area and Arroyo Grande is equally attractive.
Couldn't say quite as much for Guadalupe, whose business is farming. Didn't see the park where I stayed in '61, but didn't really look because the day was wearing on. As the road passed through Guadalupe and bore off to the southeast, it disappeared into infinity, probably ten miles down the empty plain. I had a dantesque "Abandon all hope, ye who enter here" moment, but I was not on the road to Hell, because I had a fifteen-mph wind at my back. I knocked off those ten miles in about thirty minutes.
I had agreed to meet Bob at 6:00 on the far side of Lompoc, but had underestimated the distance and was slowed more than I expected by the third climb of the day, over Harris Grade on a fast, four-lane road with wide and smooth shoulders. Got into Lompoc proper at about 6:30 and, with liquids exhausted some miles back, stopped at the first motel I came to, verified availability, and called Bob.
Drank my fill, had a most relaxing visit to the jacuzzi, dined with Bob, did laundry, worked on this blog and went to bed relatively late.
Talked to my daughter on the phone this morning about visting and sleeping arrangements following our arrival in Long Beach, now planned for the afternoon of the 8th, more than a day earlier than originally projected.
It's hard to believe that only 16 days ago I was dipping my wheel in Oak Harbor. A lot of miles under my skinny tires.
I also called Sean this morning: he was planning on flying back to Denver the same day. After two weeks on his bike, he said, and having done pretty much what he set out to do, he was ready to go home. I wish him luck and success in his bike-repair and -building, as well as his riding, endeavors.
Tomorrow night, Santa Barbara.
Bob
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