Day 26: Morro Bay to Oceano. 36 miles.

This morning I was still trying to decide whether or not to stay another night in Morro Bay and take a day off from riding.  When I went to the front desk of the hotel and asked how much it would cost that decided for me.  Apparently they double their prices on the weekends.  Knowing I would be riding today I decided to take advantage of all of my biking and camping gear being safe in the hotel room, so Hank and I headed to the store to stock up on groceries.  We got a whole bunch of good stuff!  Basically my meals on this ride have been oatmeal with nuts and berries for my first breakfast, bacon, eggs, and hash browns at a café along the way for second breakfast. Clif bars, trail mix, dried fruit and nuts for lunch and pretty much off and on all day.  Dinner depends on what’s nearby.  If there is a restaurant I will usually grab something, but most of the time I’m cooking rice and beans or chicken and rice in camp.  I’ve gotten into a pretty good routine of eating constantly throughout the day.  Riding all day requires a ton of calories! While I was out getting groceries I got this picture of Morro Rock offshore of downtown Morro. 

After I got back to the hotel I packed everything up and got Hank loaded and ready to hit the road.  Last night I realized my phone was no longer making or receiving calls so I planned on making a stop along the way today to get it fixed.  Six miles down the road at the first Verizon store they couldn’t fix it, so I had to go to another town a little out of the way and try another Verizon store.  They couldn’t fix it either and told me I need a new phone.  Everything else works except making or receiving calls so I will just deal with it when I get home. 

The tail winds were awesome today!  We cruised at to speed again today.  I hope for the same tomorrow and every day.  Today we hit the milestone 1,000 mile mark!  I took a picture of the odometer on my cycling computer.

This evening when we got to Oceana I expected to be staying at a campground that the guide book said has hiker/biker campsites. Apparently I need a more updated version of the book because I found out they don’t have them.  I had nowhere to sleep!  I was wandering around town trying to figure out what to do, looking at really expensive hotels online and no campgrounds available when a guy came rolling up on a bike.  He asked if I was looking for a place to stay.  I told him about the situation and he knew exactly what I was talking about because it happened to him.  He told me where he and his wife were camping and told me there were more hiker/biker spots.  This guy came out of the blue and saved the day!  I followed him to the campground and got a spot.  Without his thoughtfulness and kindness I would have either spent $200 on a hotel room or ended up who knows where for the night.  I have met some awesome people on this ride!

Now it’s time to decide how far to go tomorrow, and then get some rest.

Goodnight third graders, families, and friends!  I miss you all!