I’m updating from the Amsterdam Coffee House in Paso Robles. Just opened. Nice interior. You should visit.

Laura and I are doing well. The ride out from SLO to Morro Bay to Paso Robles was beautiful and really lived up to our memories from last year. The trip didn’t seem as hard (maybe we’re stronger riders now?). The weather has been perfect. Sunny but a cool breeze, perfect for cycling up hills and mountains.

Yesterday we did a 43 mile ride around the Paso Robles area going up Cypress mountain on a variety of roads (paved and unpaved). It’s beautiful country riding up here. We rested at one intersection for about thirty minutes and didn’t see a single car. We rode up some 15% grades that we had to snake across the road to climb. When we reached the top of the range, we followed the ridge on a dirt road that was absolutely sublime.

Returning back to camp was a blast. We had a 9 mile downhill on Adelaide Rd. that was wide and perfectly banked – the closest thing to flying!

So far, the trip has been great. Laura and I and a few other friends will leave the Great Western Bike Rally tommorrow morning and head out for more secluded terrain. We’ll have to carry water for a day or so since there are no towns and hardly any people. It should be an interesting and challenging ride!

Anyway, we may not be able to update until Friday when we should hit civilization. So till then. Thanks for following.