Under The Pedal: 12 - 19 Nov 2009 Big Sur

12 - 19 Nov 2009
Big Sur Monterey - Cambria 116 miles (185.4 km)
Just before I left from China, I saw a book also named Big sur by Jack Kerouac who is my idol. I never heard of this novel before, a Chinese translation team translated it by themselves, but this novel's background is just based on this Big Sur! A couple of decades ago Jack Kerouac and his friends camped in this area, it is fate, my American trip is just following Jack Kerouac's footsteps, but because of the winter I changed my route heading to south, I thought I can not get any clues from him, but with Big Sur, I am so happy.

From Carmel to Cambria the local people called this area Big Sur, although on the map just one point named Big Sur. Big Sur's road for cycling is pretty dangerous! on your left side is a cliff and on your right side is the Pacific Ocean! The road's shoulder is very narrow also, sometimes I even shared the road with cars. The cars were driving so fast and the road itslef is so curve and hilly. Even like this, I met so many cyclists, they are mostly heading to Mexico. I stayed here a total of 1 week, tried a lot of different campgrounds, and am looking for the same feeling as Jack Kerouac's year.

At Andrew Molera SP, I met a couple from San Deigo, Natasha and Philip and their friends, they were coming to celebrate Natasha's birthday! They said last year the same time they came here, they love here so much. We stayed together 2 nights, have a lot of funs and joints! They tought me how to use the pipe to smoke and they have so many different kinds of weed: blue cheese, pineapple goo, fullsun kush, super snowcap.......etc. then I was totally stoned. When we said farewell they said when I get in San Diego I could connect them, thanks!

At Lucia I met two guys by car and they gave me a pretty nice free lunch, at Kirk Creek Campground I met Jim and Carrie, they said to me their name together is Jim Carrie who is the most famous comedian! Easy for me remember, they gave me a book named Death in Grand Canyon. At Plaskett Creek I met a park ranger named Richard who drove me to a closed monestary on the top of a montain, he said an old man named Bruno who was Jack Kerouac's friend during the 1950s Jack Kerouac invited him coast to coast, but he got sick and did not go, I thought that trip should be in the novel On The Road.

From Andrew Molera Park, mostly parks are self help pay, so I did not pay any more. I know it is such a bad behaviour, but I perfer saving more money, and all the bikers did not pay either.

7 days riding were pretty hard because of the curve and hilly road, at San Simeon there was a castle named Hearst Castle, people told me this is the only castle in America, but this must be a fake one. I think castles should be from the cold-weapon period, when America the country was created it was already a hot-weapon period, and of course this is a place of luxury for rich people not for me. Nearby the castle there is a beach full of seals, they are so stinky! but I stayed here long time just staring at them. From Ragged Point the road became flater and flater. In Cambria is where the big area named Big Sur ends, I met a local woman we talked from morning to evening!!!! She brought me to see all of Cambria and introduced to me a book named "Where the highway end" it is based on Cambria during the old west, you can imagin from American West movies. One bike shop helped me fix my bike for free and gave me cycling clothing with their logo on it, thanks! In the evening she brought me to meet her friend an old German artist who was friend of Jim Morrison, The Doors singer!!!!! This was a really awesome way for me to finish my Big Sur trip!