We were sorry to leave this morning . . . would have liked to luxuriate a little more in our favorite campground of the trip. Just outside of the park was this diner. Too early for a second breakfast but if we had know it was there, we might have skipped our breakfast and had a nice sit down one here.  Since we do not venture far from camp once we arrive for the day, it is always interesting to see what is ‘just down the road’ the next morning.

We pedaled south out of Pismo Beach and began the first climb of the day . . . it was a nice stay . . .

Not to far down the road was this Philips Refinery . . . interesting that some of the gas is refined right here and it is still $4.49/gallon!!!!

Another CalFire station . . . there seems to be one right around every corner. No metal pole buildings for these guys . . .

. . . and they had quite an array of sensors, out back,  at their weather station. Much more sophisticated than the weather station setups at our 66 forest fire stations in WI. But, all the info is fed nation wide into the same NFDRS (National Fire Danger Rating System)  system.

We are back in the ag region today as we pull away from the coast . . .

More strawberry beds being prepared for planting by fumigating the rows to kill any pathogens. We did the same thing at the Boscobel Nursery in WI with Methyl Bromide. Bad stuff . . .  but effective!!!!

The fields were FULL of migrants picking and boxing all sorts or produce. Folks may have a problem with legal or illegal immigrants but I’m not sure who would provide this workforce if they were not here. American would not do this work for twice the salary. Very hard work and hot!!!!

Black berries were being harvested from hoop shelters used to keep them out of the blazing sun.

Cabbage, on the left, being harvested . . . 7:55am

All this produce needs to go somewhere and there are many of these large cooler facilities, strategically placed among the fields . . . trucks from all over the United States ready for the long haul.

The long road ahead . . . reminded my of the Northern and Southern Tier rides. Wide open spaces, open enough area to be able to see the water tower ahead for Guadalupe. On a bike, that means it’s usually about 6 miles ahead.

We stopped in Guadalupe after 15 miles for a little refreshment. Things were heating up already and the high today would be 88 degrees. Here Glen and Jenny make friends with Jose, the store owner, and Diego, from the Deli department . . . fun!!!

. . . oh yeah, and just like Hispanic markets in WI, they had a HUGE supply of fresh baked goodies!!!!

I bought some sun screen and SPF chap stick, liberally applying them to beat the sun. The color from my ‘fork incident’ bruise from  a week or so ago is starting to fade. It was three days after the incident before I  even knew I had a bruise. So much for showering in CA state parks that have no lights in their toilet/shower buildings!!!!

I took this shot on the way out of town. Well tended cemetery like most, but it was the green grass that really caught my eye. All the irrigation water is used to water CROPS not grass. We haven’t seen a large area of green grass like this since probably, OR!!!

Speaking of water, these strawberries have been planted, now it was time to start the irrigation. By early spring they might be in your local supermarket????

I went off course today to ride through Vandenberg Air Force Base . . . hoping to see some jets . . .

Saw no jets, (its a missle base!!!) but had my third ‘puncture’ of the trip. No trouble locating the culprit as the staple was poking about 1/16 of an inch out of my new Specialized Armadillo tire . . .

Connie laid on her side, and rested,  as I fixed the flat. Nice wide shoulder here!!!

. . . the rest of the staple was INSIDE the tire . . .

. . . I guess the Armadillo couldn’t stop it from reaching the tube . . .

. . . as I sat on the shoulder repairing the tube I heard someone who walked up behind say, “everything all right”. I looked up and it was Tom, who was driving the van today. I told him things were fine but what was he doing here, off route (sagging is only provided on the official route of the day and if you venture off the route you are pretty much on your own). He came upon me because he had missed the turn off of Hwy 1 and on to Hwy 135. So he made a U turn and headed back to get on course. Nice of him to stop by, though!!!!

There were a couple of these climbs through the Air Force base . . .

. . . before I got to the main gate. Had to snap a photo of Connie by the entrance sign. She has ALWAYS had a thing for men in uniform!!!

We were supposed to stay at El Cahon State Campground tonight but the park was having ‘mechanical issues’ (probably water pumps) so we are moteling in at a Motel 6 in Lompoc. Actually, we are in motels for the rest of the trip now, except for one more night of camping at Carlsbad . . . maybe we can talk Joe into moteling it there too . . .

Speaking of Joe, the trailer was dropped in the parking lot of the Motel 6 and everyone grabbed their gear . . . here Dave and Joe are enjoying a beverage of their choice after the hot ride and were very willing to give advice  . . .

. . . to Jenny and Pam, who were repairing Jenny’s flat that had happened while the bike sat in the courtyard of the Motel 6. Good timing!!!! This was Jennie’s fourth flat with the 52mm Schwalble tires she is running. It was a staple for her today too, that flatted her rear tire. She is tied with Glen for the most flats.

Everyone was in by 2:00pm, so lots of lounging around this afternoon. Rich was the only one to brave the UNHEATED pool. Was quite an experience!!!! Tonight we will eat at one of the restaurants near the motel, and prepare our breakfast and lunches tomorrow morning, in the parking lot.  AND . . . our last rest day the following day!!!! Yippee!!!