After a great rest at the Hollister Inn, complete with WiFi and complimentary breakfast, I set out for my day rested and refreshed.
First stop was the local bike shop, Chain Reaction Bicycles, to get a kickstand. Yesterday, when trying to ford the flooded sections of Coyote Creek trail, I found out just how hard it is to load a touring bike without a wall to lean it against. The owner was kind enough to install it on the spot!
After his toil was over, he even took the chance to help me review my route, and let me know about the road conditions ahead. If you’re in Hollister and need bike help, Chain Reaction is the place to go!
Another quick stop for food, and I was on my way. My route was almost entirely through the rolling California countryside, which this year is a beautiful green instead of the typical golden yellow.
As I neared the 45km mark, I reached the first hill I had to push my bike up. Pushing at 4km/h is a heck of a lot slower than my minimum riding speed, 8km/h. As soon as I was able to, I hopped back on the saddle and huffed and puffed my way to the top.
Boy was the climb worth it! The last 12km of the trip to Pinnacles was all downhill, round sweeping corners. What a relief! I almost felt as though I was riding a motorcycle coming around some of them!
I got into the National Park around 3:30, with ample time to setup camp, and feed on tuna, tomatoes and salsa until I couldn’t eat anymore. Now it’s nap time.
Hopefully, I’ll get some hiking in tomorrow morning so I can see what Pinnacles is all about!