Distance (mi) = 22.2
Ave Speed (mph) = 9.5
Max Speed (mph) = 24.9
Time (h:m) = 2:19
Route:
Highway 1 S, Pescadero, Pidgeon Point Lighthouse and Hostel
In the morning, I grabbed a coffee and egg wrap sandwich at the Half Moon Bay Coffee Company and started my ride to the Pigeon Point Lighthouse.Hostel. For a more funky espresso experience, try the McCoffee joint in the middle of town on Main Street. The downtown area has numerous eateries, a country grocery store, gift shops, galleries, and even a bicycle shop.
The road conditions on Highway 1 S leaving HMB are favorable with wide shoulders. Traffic is moderate. The weather today was excellent, sunny skies and speed-boosting Northwest wind.
There are at least half a dozen beaches with easy access on the ride along coast to Sants Cruz. These beaches are not crowded and often pristine. The biggest are Cowell Ranch Beach, San Gregorio State Beach, Pescadero State Beach, Bean Hollow State Beach, Gazos State Beach, Ano Nuevo State Reserve, and Walden Beach. The Ano Nuevo Reserve is home to one of the world's largest colonies of elephant seals. Permits are required for hiking in the area.
My destination for the day was Pidgeon Point Lighthouse and Hostel. The lighthouse beacon which is currently inactive is the second tallest lighthouse tower in the nation will be reactivated after it is refurbished. The giant Fresnel lens has already been painstakingly restored by volunteers. Invented by the Frenchman Augustine Fresnel, the lens consists of 1,008 glass prisms enclosing a light source. The prisms concentrate the light, allowing a low-intensity light source to project a strong beam over a great distance.Initially, the lamp inside the lens was a series of concentric wicks fueled by lard oil, giving off a light measured between 60,000 and 80,000 candlepower. Later a kerosene lamp was substituted, and then a lamp which used vaporized oil, providing yet a stronger beam. Finally, in the late 1920s, Pigeon Point switched to a 1,000-watt electric light bulb, increasing the light to 680,000 candlepower (visible for more than 20 miles). The lighthouse will be operational again in the future.
The latter half of the 19th century was an historic period in California. Gold was discovered in 1848 and the state was admitted to the Republic in 1850. New settlers arrived, and ship traffic increased greatly since transporting cargo from the East Coast was a lucrative business. On January 28, 1853, the clipper ship Carrier Pigeon set sail from Boston for San Francisco, carrying 1,300 tons of cargo. On June 6, 1853, she ran aground near what was then called La Punta de la Ballena (Whale Point). Although the ship was wrecked, the crew was saved. Before long, the point of land was renamed Pigeon Point in memory of the ship.
I was assigned a bunk bed in the Dolphin cottage. Besides me, dorm room #2 was shared by two men from England who were touring by car, Gary from Maryland who is riding border to border as me, Andy from Switzerland who started his ride in Anchorage, Alaska, and Victor from Portugal who flew to New York and is touring the country looking for a place to live. The other rooms in the Dolphin were occupied by two docents, and a German couple from Berlin.
Pigeon Point is the only hostel that I know of which has a hot tub perched in a spot with a 270 degree view of the Pacific Ocean. This is a must stop when doing the Pacific coast bike tour.
Ave Speed (mph) = 9.5
Max Speed (mph) = 24.9
Time (h:m) = 2:19
Route:
Highway 1 S, Pescadero, Pidgeon Point Lighthouse and Hostel
In the morning, I grabbed a coffee and egg wrap sandwich at the Half Moon Bay Coffee Company and started my ride to the Pigeon Point Lighthouse.Hostel. For a more funky espresso experience, try the McCoffee joint in the middle of town on Main Street. The downtown area has numerous eateries, a country grocery store, gift shops, galleries, and even a bicycle shop.
The road conditions on Highway 1 S leaving HMB are favorable with wide shoulders. Traffic is moderate. The weather today was excellent, sunny skies and speed-boosting Northwest wind.
There are at least half a dozen beaches with easy access on the ride along coast to Sants Cruz. These beaches are not crowded and often pristine. The biggest are Cowell Ranch Beach, San Gregorio State Beach, Pescadero State Beach, Bean Hollow State Beach, Gazos State Beach, Ano Nuevo State Reserve, and Walden Beach. The Ano Nuevo Reserve is home to one of the world's largest colonies of elephant seals. Permits are required for hiking in the area.
My destination for the day was Pidgeon Point Lighthouse and Hostel. The lighthouse beacon which is currently inactive is the second tallest lighthouse tower in the nation will be reactivated after it is refurbished. The giant Fresnel lens has already been painstakingly restored by volunteers. Invented by the Frenchman Augustine Fresnel, the lens consists of 1,008 glass prisms enclosing a light source. The prisms concentrate the light, allowing a low-intensity light source to project a strong beam over a great distance.Initially, the lamp inside the lens was a series of concentric wicks fueled by lard oil, giving off a light measured between 60,000 and 80,000 candlepower. Later a kerosene lamp was substituted, and then a lamp which used vaporized oil, providing yet a stronger beam. Finally, in the late 1920s, Pigeon Point switched to a 1,000-watt electric light bulb, increasing the light to 680,000 candlepower (visible for more than 20 miles). The lighthouse will be operational again in the future.
The latter half of the 19th century was an historic period in California. Gold was discovered in 1848 and the state was admitted to the Republic in 1850. New settlers arrived, and ship traffic increased greatly since transporting cargo from the East Coast was a lucrative business. On January 28, 1853, the clipper ship Carrier Pigeon set sail from Boston for San Francisco, carrying 1,300 tons of cargo. On June 6, 1853, she ran aground near what was then called La Punta de la Ballena (Whale Point). Although the ship was wrecked, the crew was saved. Before long, the point of land was renamed Pigeon Point in memory of the ship.
I was assigned a bunk bed in the Dolphin cottage. Besides me, dorm room #2 was shared by two men from England who were touring by car, Gary from Maryland who is riding border to border as me, Andy from Switzerland who started his ride in Anchorage, Alaska, and Victor from Portugal who flew to New York and is touring the country looking for a place to live. The other rooms in the Dolphin were occupied by two docents, and a German couple from Berlin.
Pigeon Point is the only hostel that I know of which has a hot tub perched in a spot with a 270 degree view of the Pacific Ocean. This is a must stop when doing the Pacific coast bike tour.
Me and Gary from Maryland ready to leave the lighthouse, both riding dark blue frame Trek 520s (both year 2,000 model), both heading to the Mexican border
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