Our good friends Greg and Alyson were getting hitched and chose one of the best places in California to do so in my eyes, Big Sur. It was set on Halloween weekend and the weather was perfect. I visited Big Sur a few times earlier in the months leading to the wedding and was always curious on the Old Coast Road that was used before the infamous Bixby Bridge was built. It is an all dirt road that snaked its way behind the peaks of the coastal mountain range for 10 miles before linking back up with PCH. I’ve only been up short sections of both ends and asked Dan and Drew if they wanted to ride bikes all the way through before the wedding which with out hesitation they both said yes. We headed out early the morning of the wedding, not knowing the exact mileage, elevation or how long it would take us. PCH was empty as the sun peaked over the hills to barely warm us up on the chilly morning. Riding over Bixby Bridge was an experience in itself. Right after that we hit the Old Coast and headed inland starting with a bid descent down a dirt road. There was no turning back from there. We pedaled our way back further into the road under a canopy of coastal redwoods with the light dappling in on us. The air felt so fresh and crisp in the shade that the thought of the road getting steeper really didn’t cross your mind. When the road reached its highest point it was now hot out and we were only about halfway, but the views were worth it. Rolling hills on one side with the Pacific Ocean on the other. We were running short on time at this point so descended back to PCH where Drew got the only flat of the trip. He picked a great spot to blow out his rear tube. As we pedaled back we grabbed some burritos from a market and put them in our back pockets to save some time before getting ready for the wedding. Very happy this little idea turned into such a fun ride to cap off a great weekend with friends.
