Distance traveled: 74.13 miles
Total distance: 2234.27 miles
Average speed: 10.0 miles/ hr
Time on bike: 7 hrs and 23 min
Today we biked through miles upon miles of strawberry fields!!! Just when we thought we hit the last field... there were more! In each field there were about 50 workers who would walk down the rows and pick the ripe strawberries by hand. A huge truck would come bringing huge boxes of empty plastic containers. The workers would then put the strawberries into the plastic containers, box them up again, place them on the truck, and then ship them to grocery stores! The whole day it smelled like fresh strawberries and all we wanted to do was go and eat them!
Today was another beautiful day and we made it a decent distance to Big Sur, CA. We were under the impression the Big Sur was a mountain but we found out it's actually a river. Though apparently we are entering the mountains again and we have some good climbs ahead of us tomorrow. We have learned not to listen to people too much though because often times the locals exaggerate big climbs or tight shoulders!
We also were treated to some serious trail magic today! I'm not sure if I have used that term before, but if I haven't let me explain. Hikers and bikers refer to "trail magic" as basically any unexpected nice thing that is from the goodness of someone's heart and it can manifest itself in many ways. For example, someone picking you up on the side of the road in the pouring rain and giving you a place to stay is a great example of trail magic. A lot of the times, older people, who in their youth were hikers or bikers and now call themselves "trail angels" will pay it forward. While they were on the trail they experienced such nice people that they would like to return the favor! Trail angels position themselves along the trail and give out trail magic!
Today we met a trail angel right after lunch time! He gave us homemade cookies, protein bars, energy gels, maps of the upcoming town, and he filled our water bottles! He had traveled a lot of the same road we did on this trip and we talked for a long time! He told us that when we get too old to ride we should pay it forward and become trail angels! The best part about trail magic is it's completely unexpected, 100% appreciated, and totally restores your faith in humanity!
Mary and Joe
PS Mom, I'm still alive.
Total distance: 2234.27 miles
Average speed: 10.0 miles/ hr
Time on bike: 7 hrs and 23 min
Today we biked through miles upon miles of strawberry fields!!! Just when we thought we hit the last field... there were more! In each field there were about 50 workers who would walk down the rows and pick the ripe strawberries by hand. A huge truck would come bringing huge boxes of empty plastic containers. The workers would then put the strawberries into the plastic containers, box them up again, place them on the truck, and then ship them to grocery stores! The whole day it smelled like fresh strawberries and all we wanted to do was go and eat them!
Today was another beautiful day and we made it a decent distance to Big Sur, CA. We were under the impression the Big Sur was a mountain but we found out it's actually a river. Though apparently we are entering the mountains again and we have some good climbs ahead of us tomorrow. We have learned not to listen to people too much though because often times the locals exaggerate big climbs or tight shoulders!
We also were treated to some serious trail magic today! I'm not sure if I have used that term before, but if I haven't let me explain. Hikers and bikers refer to "trail magic" as basically any unexpected nice thing that is from the goodness of someone's heart and it can manifest itself in many ways. For example, someone picking you up on the side of the road in the pouring rain and giving you a place to stay is a great example of trail magic. A lot of the times, older people, who in their youth were hikers or bikers and now call themselves "trail angels" will pay it forward. While they were on the trail they experienced such nice people that they would like to return the favor! Trail angels position themselves along the trail and give out trail magic!
Today we met a trail angel right after lunch time! He gave us homemade cookies, protein bars, energy gels, maps of the upcoming town, and he filled our water bottles! He had traveled a lot of the same road we did on this trip and we talked for a long time! He told us that when we get too old to ride we should pay it forward and become trail angels! The best part about trail magic is it's completely unexpected, 100% appreciated, and totally restores your faith in humanity!
Mary and Joe
PS Mom, I'm still alive.