Cycle Tour Kirk Creek To Morro Strand, Shuttle Around Coast Highway Closure

I awoke Wednesday morning on day 5 of my 8 day bike tour of coastal central California, greeted by the sound of the waves crashing on the cliffs below my tent at Kirk Creek campground. The morning weather was very damp fog, classic Big Sur, so my gear was pretty wet but manageable.

I was on a schedule that day. I would ride up to the closure on Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) at Gorda, closed due to the Mud Creek slide, and meet a shuttle that would take me around the closure and drop me off on the other side. It would take me about an hour to ride to Gorda. The shuttle ride would take 3 hours, then I had 45 miles of riding to finish the day. It would be fast with a big descent followed by flat roads and a good tailwind. I needed to stop in the biggest town of the day, Cambria, for supplies. My schedule would be tight, but I refused to stress about it and just take it as it happened. I packed up and said good-bye to the few fellow campers who were awake that early, and I was on my way.

 

My shuttle passed me a couple of miles before Gorda. The driver, Mandy, recognized me from my description and pulled over. We introduced ourselves, and I had her drive ahead as I rode the rest of the way. I was not going to miss the chance to ride PCH as an abandoned road.

Mandy was a friendly and knowledgeable host. I tried to help as much as I could, but she insisted on lifting my bike onto the roof of her car, and she remarked on how light my touring bike was. She had shuttled many touring bikes as a tour guide, but she said mine was among the lightest. She probably says that to all the bikers. We agreed that we liked the lighter style better.

Whenever I stop in Gorda, I take a picture of gas prices at the pump for fun. I usually post it to Facebook and freak people out. It may be the highest gas price in the country, but I have no problem with it. Getting gas there would be expensive. And you don’t need to fill up. A few gallons will get you to a place with more affordable gas.

No one else signed up for the shuttle, so it was just Mandy and me. I learned that Mandy was in the process of stepping down from a leadership role in an environmental organization. I never got around to asking which organization; I was too interested in hearing her talk about the various birds, deer, and fish in the area, and the organization’s efforts to restore and protect wildlife.

We got delayed by the traffic at the “Lightning in a Bottle” music festival. Had I known that The Glitch Mob and Emancipator were there, I might have considered checking it out. Mandy eventually cut around the traffic backed up on the main road. But with the delay, the longish ride ahead of me, and the need to get supplies, I made the decision to have her drop me off in the lovely coastal town of Cambria rather than drive back up the coast to the other side of the slide. It cut out about 20 miles of riding, and my body was telling me that it needed an easy ride that day. The next day would be my longest day with the most climbing, and I didn’t want to push it. I missed part of PCH with low traffic, but I did not regret the decision to take it easy that day.

While in Cambria, I needed to find another fuel canister for my stove, and I wanted to stock up for dinner.  Mandy recommended where to get what I needed.

The food was easy. I got the biggest deli sandwich ever at Sandy’s Deli and stashed it away for later. The fuel was another matter. I needed an isobutane canister, which has many advantages, but finding replacements easily is not one of them. You pretty much have to go to a dedicated camping store. You might find one at a hardware store with a few camping supplies, like the Cambria True Value store.  It was a large canister, but I could hardly be choosy in my situation.

I came upon the tiny village of Harmony just a few miles down the road. I took Mandy’s advice and stopped there. I have passed it many times, laughing at the posted population of 18 and never thinking about stopping. It is worth it for the stunning glass shop alone. On a weekend, you could also check out the dairy and ice cream truck, a pottery shop, and a “visitors center” with free coffee.

I continued south. The scenery was rolling grassy hills and ocean views. Morro Rock was visible most of the time, and I featured it in many of my pictures.

Like Harmony, I had driven by Cayucos many times and not stopped. Staying with my plan, I pedaled slowly through the lovely little town. It had a pier, a beach, and a quaint downtown area. I stopped at the local liquor store. It can be hard to find the right size bottle of Jack Daniel’s when you are riding, but Paul’s Liquor Store, while simply named, had what I needed.

Morro Strand was an interesting campground. It didn’t have Hike or Bike sites, so I reserved a tent site at full price. The spot I selected was as close to the ocean as I could get, with just a low bluff between me and the bay.  It gave me awesome scenery, but it wasn’t without issues. My campsite was 100% sand.  So it was hard to pitch my tent and keep my gear clean. Many people thought it was a nice view, including the neighborhood only a few hundred yards away, perched above the campground. They looked over the campground as part of their ocean view. Many of the homes had windows on the side facing us. I just pretended they weren’t there. The campground had no showers, but they did have an enclosed bathroom with flush toilets and sinks. Omitting showers seemed odd. The campground seemed designed for RVs, with tent sites as an afterthought.

After setting up camp, I rode around the area for yet more supplies and sightseeing. The summer days were long, and I found myself going down with the sun. I fell asleep early and slept well once again, ready for the next day of my tour.