Today was cold. 41 at 7:15 when I started and it never got to 60. At least the winds blew from the North and while it tried to rain all day, raindrops never fell on my head. Riding the wave of the future 100 years after Butch Cassidy proclaimed it so can be a little intimidating. This was never more so than the several places where I had to ride on US Hwy 101. Hwy is a four lane divided highway that runs the length of California. While the speed limit is 70, drivers must never have had calculus. If they had they would know that a limit is something that can be approached but never exceeded. Riding on the shoulder of 101 is not all that bad it is wide, at least 10 ft, so you really have your own lane and are never in any real danger of being hit, provided you stay on the shoulder. The problem is the road surface. You can find yourself going 20 mph on a good section and working just as hard to go 10 mph on a bad section, without any change in wind or grade. The other problem with highway shoulders is have they have more debris than the road way. This requires one’s constant attention. Riding in traffic requires a lot of attention but unlike other moving vehicles rocks, wood, broken glass, dead animals and truck tires do not have any reason to avoid being hit. Granted they tend to stay in one place and are not subject to the erratic and unpredictable movements of some automobiles, but at speed collisions can be just as damaging to a cyclist. I avoided all road hazards with the exception of one stone on a downhill that punctured my front tire. Fortunately, I had a safe place to fix it. I made 120 miles before we decided to bag the rest of today’s ride and avoid 101 during rush hour. I’m glad I did, judging by what I saw from the car the higher volumes of traffic would have made the ride very unpleasant.
For all concerned about my crash/fall, I am going to be fine. I have a nice road rash on my knee that will heal soon. The knee works fine for cycling but not for kneeling. I guess that I will not be going to mass tomorrow. Should not be a problem as Karen would kill me if I were to become Catholic.
We stayed in Buellton CA. Buellton is a small town next to Solvang CA a fake Danish/Dutch tourist town. The Dutch influence seems to be spreading to the older town since the Days Inn we stayed in had a windmill. The design was several centuries old and it didn’t seem to work. In a state that has been so energy starved at times, it seems odd for a town to embrace windmills without embracing wind power. However I guess tourists are more attracted to old rather than new. Most museums market the old rather than the new. And maybe I am too, after all the basic design of my steel bicycle is over 100 years old.
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