Wednesday April 11, 2012
13 miles (21 km) – Total so far: 204 miles (328 km)
What a difference a good nights sleep makes! It rained really hard last night, but I slept like a baby. Once I was sure everything inside the tent would stay dry, I actually found the sound of the rain falling on the tent very comforting. I slept till after 7:30 – very late for me.
When I got up, it was still drizzling, and everything around was wet and muddy. It looked like the rain might stop soon, so I took a long stroll around the campground. I really like this place -it is beautiful wooded area right on the shores of a very pretty lake. I wished I had more time to appreciate it.
The rain started to let up a little, so I did my best to pack everything inside the tent so it would stay dry. Contortionists could have done it better, but I managed OK. Finally, I have packed everything but the tent, the rain fly, the ground cloth and the bike cover. The bike cover, the ground cloth and the rain fly are soaking wet, and the tent gets rolled up with the rain fly, so its going to get wet. I’m going to need a place to dry it all out before I can sleep in it again.
As I rode away from Lake Cachuma, I stopped at a scenic overlook on top of the Bradbury Dam. The dam was constructed in 1953 to convert the Santa Ynez River into a reservoir. Interestingly, Santa Barbara County prohibits any human body contact with the lake water. They allow paddle boats and small motor boats, but no swimming, jet skis or water skiing.
Leaving the dam, I rolled downhill into the Santa Ynez Valley. The rain came and went – sometimes partly sunny and sometimes cold and rainy. Here, finally, I got my first glimpse of the kind of rolling hills that I associate with Santa Barbara and the Central Coast Wine County. Lush green hills with a few tortured old trees, mottled with shadows from the passing clouds. This is what I come to California’s Central Coast for!
I decided a rest day was called for. A hotel bed, a place to dry the wet tent, a long hot shower, electrical outlets to recharge the gadgets, and a good restaurant dinner all seemed pretty irresistible after yesterday’s difficult ride and last night’s rain. Solvang was only a few short miles away, so I headed into town with a renewed sense of purpose.
Only to be thwarted by the first breakdown of the trip! Rattle, Rattle, thump, thump, thump!…..One the the fenders had come loose and was threatening to come off altogether. No problem! Stop, dig the tool kit out of the pack. 1-2-3 it’s all back together again. Nothing trivial like this is keeping me from that hot shower!
Once checked into a nice comfy hotel room, the gear in my bags exploded. There were tents, drop cloths, rainflys and bike covers hanging from every available hook and cranny. Every electrical outlet was consumed with some gadget to be charged.
Then came the shower. The shower that dreams are made of. Aaaahhhhhh. At the campgrounds, this shower would have cost 50 quarters! Then into fresh clean clothing. Then a walk into town to see what’s what.
Solvang was founded in 1911 by a group of Danes who traveled west to set up a Danish colony far from the mid-western winters. The city full of bakeries, restaurants, and merchants offering a taste of Denmark in California. The architecture of many of the facades and buildings reflects traditional Danish style.
It’s also in the heart of the California Central Coast wine country, so my first stop was a local wine bar to sip a glass, and to get recommendations for dinner.
I learned the restaurant in my hotel had a very good reputation, and was a favorite of the wine bar owner. As I walked back to the hotel, I took a quick detour through the local farmer’s market. Very busy, lots of people shopping.
Then dinner. With a really nice glass of pinot noir. Lobster bisque, a bacon wrapped pork chop and chocolate cake and port. Yum Yum. Then I hit those nice clean sheets on that big wide bed. ZZzzzzzzz……..