Day 4

  
 
Go Lakers!
    
 

   

Go Early and Go Hard! After keeping track of the days only by number, it is time to realize that it is Wednesday, which means Game 1 of the Lakers vs. 76'ers series. Our game plan is clear: Get up early to beat the crowds and pedal hard so we can reach camp early enough to find a place to watch the game. 70 miles with the "Evil Twins" hills are no problem when you are motivated. Especially, since we think the game was at 4:30 (turned out it was at 6:30). In the picture, Kurt is rolling down after conquering the first twin. Eventually, we will hit a sweet 8 mile down-hill that takes us from 1800 feet and all the down.

Half way there! On the way down, we pass the half way point of the ride (about 500yds further down that where we are standing). There is a big sign and a photo spot, but we opt to roll by. After all, the Lakers are more important that some half way sign...

Always nice to know where you are We can't pass up the photo op presented by this sign. However, the 233 might as well be 40 or 793 - all that matters to us is how close today's camp is.

Hydrate People, hydrate! Drink before you're thirsty, drink plenty, and drink sportsdrinks (not just water). The ride into Oceano Airport (our camp for the night) is beautiful. Rolling along the coast by Pismo Beach with the sun in a clear blue sky and the ocean to our right in an even clearer blue is awesome. The temperature is quite a bit nicer here as well and the cool ocean breezes are very welcome.

Uh - where is everyone? Our plan to get to camp early appears to have worked. By the time we get in, the place is virtually empty (a new sight for us). We even have time to do some laundry before heading to town. It is quite a unique feeling to be walking down runways and camping next to the tarmac. We are told that when the ride organizers originally were looking for camp sites, they ran into the owner. He had lost someone close to him to AIDS and immediately decided to donate the space to the ride every year. Very cool!
Stretch! On the top list of things you must do on the ride is stretching. It is vital that you get a good stretch every day after riding. You may not feel it at the end of the day, but if you don't stretch, you'll definitely be feeling it the day after. It is recommended that you stretch several times every day and every time you have been off your bike for more than 15 minutes. We stick to our routine of stretching at the end of the day, and that seems to work well.
This could have been Pismo Beach by night We take the local shuttle service back into Pismo Beach around 4pm figuring we can wander around a little and find a good place for a steak. Turns out Pismo Beach isn't much of a town and tracking down any kind of decent looking restaurant proves difficult. On a tip from a by-passer, we end up going to Guiseppe's Italian Restaurant. What a treat! We would never have guessed that a Zagot rated restaurant is hiding in this town, but the food, the service, and the ambience is excellent. Great to eat with real silverware for once...
Kurt and Henrik: 1 - Lakers: 0 All that hard work and then the Lakers don't come to play. Big disappointment! Scotty's Bar and Grill is the only place in town with the game on and a bar, so we end up watching the game there (along with 75 or so other riders). We meet Blair and Mark from Massachusetts there. They are very cool guys (even though the were Anti-Lakers...). I can't resist the temptation to order a Margarita, but the lemonade at Scotty's is a lot better...
This is also the day of the natural Hot Springs outside of Pismo Beach. Many riders stop there to let their aching bodies be soothed by the warm water. Hot water doesn't sound as appealing as a cool Margarita to us, so we ride on. Many riders also choose to spend this night at a Hotel. In fact, so many do this that the city is operating shuttles back and forth from camp every half hour. I'm all for a real shower and a bed to sleep in, but Kurt keeps me in line and reminds me that skipping the tent for a night would be "cheating".