Californian trip 01 - part VI

Notice: Time - includes short stops at traffic lights, studying the map, etc.

A ranger arrived while I was cooking breakfast. I could tell that local people had told her about a "lost" cyclist. She was in a good mood and allowed me to finish my breakfast. The Pacific Coast Bike Route was not always the shortest way along the coast, so I had to make a small detour. Around noon, I reached pretty Capitola. I have to say that I liked this suburb more than Santa Cruz itself. In Santa Cruz, I spent some time watching dozens of surfers waiting for "the wave". Almost every one of the many access points to the ocean between San Francisco and Santa Cruz was used by surfers. It was a pity that the water in this area was already too cold. Camping on the beach was prohibited, and the rangers made sure that nobody stayed there overnight. I could not find a campground and was not willing to pay for an expensive hostel, so I slept in my sleeping bag without a tent beside an unpaved road.

I cooked my last breakfast at a viewpoint overlooking the rocky coast. I was there with several photographers who were taking pictures of waves crashing against the rocks. Half an hour later, I left coastal Route 1. I was only about 50 km south of San Francisco, but my final destination was Palo Alto. So I left the coast and headed east, crossing a mountain range about 600 m high. I could really appreciate the elevation difference during the long, steep downhill ride, which offered a wonderful view over Silicon Valley. I reached Palo Alto at noon. Because my friend was not at home, I visited the library across the road. I was lucky - the library was having a book sale, and I bought several books for 25 cents each :) Of course, I also had to send an e-mail home to say that I had finished my Californian trip.

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