Kirk Creek Campground to San Simeon, CA - 44.3 miles

Great day today! According to Don, it's a "bluebird day". The ocean is roaring just yards from our campsite, but the tent is pretty wet from the dew and there are lots of insects now that it's getting warmer. One of the bugs had a huge pincer on its end, so I decided to let him stay where he wanted! It was pretty frustrating not to have potable water, but we tried out one of my water purification tablets and it seemed to work well. We rode to Plaskett Creek and got water at the campground there. We locked up the bikes and walked up the rode to Jade Cove where at the end of the headlands, we climbed onto the rocks and enjoyed the sunshine and the waves. It was a definite revisit spot. There was the thrilling dusky blue of the ocean laced with crashing white surf on the large boulders that made up the beach. Flowers of all kinds dotted the white and grey hillsides and crags rising abruptly from the rocky beach. Pink and white morning glories, red paintbrush flowers, purple lupines along with every imaginable shade of yellows and greens in the bushes. They lent the timeless bluffs elegance and charm and further inland the hills changed quickly to brown scrub-covered mountains. Butterflies chased each other in dizzying unending circles while the lizards scurried through the brush. There was a crisp cool breeze that brushed passed on its way up to the mountains and we lounged on the high rocks enjoying the sun's glorious rays as we soaked in the roar of the ocean. The huge climb over Big Sur was our next challenge and we slowly made our way to the top and began a thrilling descent into Ragged Point where we stopped for a long-overdue lunch. A burger with cheese and bacon and honey-jalapeno sauce and perfect curly fries was just the ticket. It was downhill from there to Piedras Blancas where we stopped to watch the elephant seals molt. Such funny creatures! Apparently elephant seals are not born with the ability to swim, which I found very interesting. They make the oddest noises as they mock-fight and flip sand continually over themselves. Just as we left, a German Harley motorcycle tour pulled in and we had to laugh at the fact that they had a SAG wagon! Onto Hearst Castle where we enjoyed the visitor's center and read up on the castle's story. It was pretty interesting to find out that William Hearst got tired of always camping on their land, so he decided instead to build a castle. Of course he also managed to do it in the great and grand European tradition and it's a pretty magnificent collection of art as well. While there, we learned that at Pacific Grove, there's a $500 fine for butterfly molestation, and that Kirk Creek campground formerly housed convicts who behaved well! The castle is huge and takes all day to tour, so we rode on to San Simeon Station where we stayed at the state park for the night. $2 for the both of us...a pretty good deal! The showers were hot and it was great to be clean again! We strolled down to the beach and enjoyed the ocean tides by moonlight and accompanied by the sounds of the freeway right next to it!

-from Morro Bay, CA