Just last week Kate and I rented a VW Eurovan w/ camper and headed to California for 5 days in the sun. However it didn't quite work out as planned. We arrived in CA on Wednesday the 20th after a 14 hour drive from SLC to San Simeon. We camped up on a hillside less than a 1/4 mile from the Pacific Ocean. That night it was really windy and huge waves were rolling up on shore. It sounded like rolling thunder - it was louder than I expected. The camper was great--super convenient, and actually fairly comfortable.
Thursday we woke up to rain and lots of it. We spent most of the morning touring the Hearst Castle. I must say, the Castle is beautiful even in the rain. Kate and I both agreed that if you find yourself in CA, the castle is a must see. After the tour of the castle we were ready for the real reason we came to CA. The Tour of California bike race was starting day 4 of an 8 day race. Today's route would take the riders from the Monterey peninsula along Hwy 1 and into San Luis Obispo. The day would be roughly 135 miles of rolling/mountainous terrain. For any pro cyclist its not the mileage or the climbs that made this stage a death march. It was the stiff headwind, cold rain, torrential at times, bearing down on the riders for an 8 hour ride. We caught the race about 75 miles in, on the 3rd rated climb of the day. As the riders rolled by, they seemed to have that 1000 yard stare that only some who has ridden 75 miles in the cold rain could have, knowing they still have 60 to go. After they rode by, we loaded up the van and drove to S.L.O. for the finish. It all ended with a breakaway. One solo rider managed to stay out in front and win the day's stage.
Friday was not too bad weather-wise. A little sun, a little rain makes for an exciting time trial. This day's stage was in the city of Solvang. Solvang is a quaint Danish town in the heart of Santa Ynez Valley. The city was most recently featured in the movie Sideways. There were wine bars and pastry shops on every block. While we couldn't enjoy the wine, we certainly enjoyed the fine assortment of Danish pastries! Anyways, we had a great time and the start and finish were only a block apart. We were able to see lots of action. The eventual tour champion won this day by a commanding margin of 30 seconds.
Saturday we ventured down to Santa Barbara. Santa Barbara is nice town located right on the Pacific Ocean. We got down town early for the start of the race that day. Before every race the cyclist all have to sign in and this gives everyone a chance to see them up close and get a autograph or two. I won't bore you with who we saw, but Kate was excited to see so many world champions (and she thinks George Hincapie is hot). This day turned a little epic since Kate started to suffer from a tooth infection. Since she is pregnant and a "little sensitive" we needed to get this taken care of immediately. Since it was a Saturday, we expected it would be difficult to contact our Dentist, and when we found out he was on vacation, we weren't sure what we would do. To make a long story short about 10 phone calls later and few tears shed. Kate's OB/GYN was able to call in a prescription and save the day. However we had spent so much time trying to find a dentist that was open in Moorpark, CA that we had missed the end of the race.
Sunday brought more rain! I believe the Italian cyclists had had enough. Lucky for them, this was the last day. This day would end in Pasadena with 5 laps around the Rose Bowl - in the rain!
All in all we had a great time in California and can't wait to go back with our bikes.
I almost forgot. Our camera stopped working on the first day as the cyclists neared us. So the photos you see below were borrowed from the Rock Racing website.
Stay tuned - Kate's ultrasound is scheduled for March 3rd.
