Distance, elevation: 59 mi, +863/-591 ft.
Detailed route.
What route is shown in the embedded map above may depend on Google's mood. So here are snapshots of the route we took: Google Maps, PDF
7:30 am. Up.
8:30 am. Massive hotel breakfast. All the eggs. All the protein. Pocket a couple hard boiled eggs, clementines, a banana, and a packet of peanut butter for the road. We do not plan to stop for lunch today. Dropped a squeezey water bottle in the bathroom, oops. We decide to leave another bottle empty too, since we haven’t been drinking nearly enough to justify the weight.
9:45 am. To Steinbeck House. Serene vibes.
10:30 am. To King City. At some point we bungee up J’s panniers to keep them from hitting the spokes. Note to fix this tonight.
12 pm. At the intersection crossing over 101 in Gonzales, we get routed onto a road with a sign that says “Not a through road” and will eventually take us onto Short Road. The old and wise will tell you that shortcuts don’t often amount to actual shortcuts. Listen to them. We end up on a dirt path with bumpy rocky parts -- a road that almost definitely is private farm property. We spend 30 mins partially walking, partially coasting, partially questioning the navigation. Admired some juicy-looking bok choys. Then we are through.
12:30 pm. Back on paved road. It is hot today. Low 90s, sunny.
1:10 pm. Front derailleur jumps off small cog as we start up a hill. Note to fix this tonight as well. Quick break under a tree.
1:30 pm. Start on Foothill Road. We expected it to be hilly, perhaps because we were welcomed with a sign “Wrath”, but it was actually all right. 4 miles in, we get routed to turn left onto a dirt path but decide to backtrack and turn left instead onto Paraiso Springs Road. It is paved but cracked to the cadence of cobblestone. That, plus the southbound wind, turns this into a bit of a push. But it is pretty short and flat, so not actually much to complain about. Funny though, how we hadn’t even noticed the tailwind until we started moving against it. A lot of good things come for free, and are also invisible. Learning to see. “Don’t it always seem to go, that you don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone~”
3 pm. Greenfield. Tiny, sleepy town. Then we are out as quickly as we’d entered. Grapes of wrath. We stop for a quick food break under a tree next to a vineyard before getting onto El Camino. Windy.
3:15 pm ish. Metz Road. An absolute dream. Perhaps one of prettiest segments so far. Flanked by golden grass on the left and on the right: sweeping views of Salinas River contouring neat, verdant fields punctuated by shady oak trees. Along the path, train tracks cut straight into an arched tunnel in the distance. The ride itself is a real pleasure too. Not much traffic and fun rolling hills. Overall, this segment included, the open sighting on much of today’s route made easy work of attacking moderate hills with intention. We enjoyed this road so much that instead of following navigation to turn off onto Spreckles Road, we continued until we reached King City. Today: tailwind, little traffic, moderate hills, a good night’s sleep, a nice big breakfast, the beauty of the land. Today was a cut through butter.
4:10 pm. Arrive at King City. Fireside Inn. Wash bibs, hang to dry.
5:30 pm. To dinner. Tacos at La Potranca. 4 tacos + a burrito between us but we were still both a bit hungry after. They were good, but not good enough for seconds.
6:45 pm. Buy cup noodles from La Princesa grocery store. Jetboil ftw. Soup is functionally kind of like gatorade, right? Eat at hotel and book tomorrow’s hotel in Pasa Robles.
7:45 pm. Fill water bottles at coin machine. Fast flow and felt like a video game. Took two tries.
8 pm. Chill at hotel. Roll out. This particular hotel has a wood console table with gently filetted edges which are perfect for the job. Lacrosse ball is still the best for nooks and crannies.
10:30 pm. Lights out.