3/23/2016, Marina---Paso Robles, 120 miles, 13h, Sunny, 60°F
The road is mainly flat from Marina to Paso Robles, with slow elevations to 1339 feet as close to Paso Robles. It's open California valley with vineyard after vineyard. The new green leaves on rotating vines wander along acres of grids, drinking eagerly from the sprinkling fountains, what a promising season!
I had heavy breakfast (Omelet with potato chips side, strawberry and banana smoothy, coffee) at Denny's before setting out on 7:15 am. It was a mistake because soon I had hiccups again and the heartburn bothered me all the day. The first four hours were OK with undulating roads. My first stop was at Greenfield, where I had a strawberry smoothy in a McDonald's since my stomach was still full. Then in the next 2 hours, I was riding along the Pacific rail, which made me sleepy, almost closed my eyes for a few moments. I had to get energy now. So at San Ardo, a tiny town, I stopped to have a chicken salad sandwich and an ice cream bar in a roadside liquor and gas. The sandwich was terrible, also because my heartburn, but the ice cream bar relieved my pain temporarily.
In a big open field besides the Pacific rail near San Ardo, there are many machines swinging their iron arms and pumping a rod into the earth. I was not sure what it was, but it labeled as Chevron Water Treatment Facilities on the map, though it was more like pumps in gas or oil fields. I was lost in the field until a nice man looked like an engineer stopped his car and asked me if I needed any help. He did show me the way out to the freeway 101 south. However, the google bike map gave an alternative way to a dead end, which made me come back to 101 high way. Moment later, the google map gave another alternative way, which led me into the river covered with grasses (it's called river road). So 1 hour was wasted on looking for the alternative road, and I had to go back to 101 highway. I tried to avoid the highway because the roadside stands said biking is prohibited on the highway. Yet, the google map always give you the choice of ride on highway, seems there is no other ways available, and the shoulder is wide enough, so I rode on it when I had no other choices.
I made another stop at San Miguel to buy some water in the roadside gas station, then I switched to a local road paralleled to 101 highway. It was dark now, I rode carefully and slowly to shun passing cars. The moon was rising above the horizon, full and big, throwing shadows of old trees and farm house, above the broad and undulating vineyards, what a pastoral view! I began to feel lucky to bike at night now. At last I arrived at the Paso Robles Inn on the Spring street, it was 21:00 already, and I slept without eating anything.
