On the SLO Road Again, Just Can’t Wait to Get on the SLO Road Again

December 5, 2023

The day begins with a more exhaustive search for the lost Garmin. We tear apart our apartment and then go down to the car and strip it too, including unloading the bikes to see if it had fallen beneath them somehow. It’s an exercise in futility though. It’s definitely gone. It’s so strange though. In our 30+ years of touring together we’ve never lost a Garmin. The only theory that makes sense is that it got knocked out of her shirt somehow, dropped unnoticed to the shoulder of the road, and someone picked it up. Like my wallet, it’s a mystery we’ll always wonder about.

It’s unsettling to lose something like this. It’s like losing my wallet last spring in Minervino Murge, another sign that we’re both getting too old and unreliable to do life any more. Really though, it’s just stuff - easily replaceable if you’re in the right place at the right time with the right resources, which fortunately we are. Rachael’s moved on past the grieving stage to acceptance, which was facilitated when she found that there’s a replacement just across the ridge that we can pick up on the drive south.

The store doesn’t open until 11 though, so there’s no rush on starting the day. We’re over at Moonside at 8 again, and then after Rachael’s done and gone I work on the post for awhile before heading back myself.

By lucky chance there’s a bike shop on the short walk back to the room, and they’re just opening up as I walk past. On a whim I stop and ask the guy lining bikes up in front of his shop whether there’s a mechanic on duty this morning with time to look at my grinding gears, a problem I noticed yesterday when I finally tested them out on some hills for the first time since last summer.

He does have time. Today’s as good as any since we’re hanging around anyway, so I hurry back to the room to get the bike and return with it a few minutes later.

Straight Wheel Cycling, in Half Moon Bay. Recommended, based on the limited evidence so far.

I help Rachael start packing up, and then about 45 minutes later I head back to pick up the bike. It’s not ready yet, and won’t be for another half hour perhaps because it needs a new drive train: new chain, new cluster, new chainrings too he thinks. He’s got the parts and the time though, so I sign off on it and go sit in the sun on the bench outside to wait. It’s a beautiful morning and I don’t mind sitting there watching the world go by and scrolling through sites on the phone. And I don’t mind the work, and am not surprised. I don’t keep maintenance records, but it’s probably been a couple of years since the Rodriguez has gotten any proper attention.

He’s out taking it for a test ride maybe 40 minutes later, and then swings by my bench to complement me on what a wonderful bike it is. Twenty minutes later Rocky and I are driving east over the ridge on scary Highway 92, and soon enough are southbound with me staring at 200 miles of Highway 101 and Rachael studying the manual for her new Garmin 1040, the upgraded version of our 1030 Plus that just came out last year.

The drive flies by, considering it’s nearly three hours long anyway. It’s a beautiful, sunny day, and traffic is surprisingly light and fast moving. We drive through without a break other than to pull off at a rest stop for a short service break, and pull up in front of our new home just past three.

I love this stretch of road along the Salinas River north of Paso Robles. It was brilliant in the spring when we drove north, but it’s gorgeous now too.

I should stare at the map and see if there’s a ride to take through here sometime.

We’re staying in an Airbnb here for the next five nights. It feels like it will be a great place for us, conveniently located on the edge of the historic district, comfortable, and with convenient storage for the bikes in the garage. And the owners are very much into biking and bike travel themselves. Liz greets us on the sidewalk, and we spend the first several minutes comparing notes. They’ve taken several tours in France but she really wants to hear about Spain so I send her a link to the blog.

With four straight days of fine weather ahead and surrounded by plenty of choices for biking and hiking, it should be an excellent stay.

Checking out the features of the new Garmin 1040.

Ooh, it’s got a high traffic alert feature, and a built in hook to map to the closest Starbucks!

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Steve Miller/GrampiesGlad you found a replacement for the Garmin but a little bit confused. Do you just carry them loose in a pocket? We use a handlebar mount for Dodie's waterproof phone that she uses for GPS which makes it easier to glance at periodically without stopping. It is harder to lose that way also.
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11 months ago

Scott AndersonTo Steve Miller/GrampiesYes, we ride with them on handlebar mounts too. We take them off at the end of the ride though of course. Something went wrong between the time we stopped at the car, she took the device off the bike, we chatted with Kathleen and loaded the bikes, and got in the car. Pretty strange.
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11 months ago