Week 9 kicked off with another sunny morning and I headed west on 33 passing Lake Casitas.
I made my way north on 154 past Lake Cachuma heading up to Santa Maria before taking the 166 East through the Sierra Madre Mountains.......the first part of the 166 was really lovely.....very green with rolling hills.
The Cachuma Reservoir
The final day of March (how time flies!) saw me start off near the little town of Coalinga and very nearly finished me off there too.....3 different drivers pulled out of side streets in front of me within the space of 10 minutes....and 2 of the 3 had seen me, thought about staying where they were and then after some more thought just went for it anyway! I was a little perplexed as I headed out of town west on the 198 but it all soon faded away as I rode into rolling countryside and quiet winding roads.
The road had a little bit of everything......long sweeping bends, shorter series of bends feeding into each other.....some dips and hills.....and some nice views too!
I stayed on the 198 until I came to the 25 where I turned north towards Hollister and once again the 25 kept me more than entertained along the way.....some 50 miles of it through farmland....very green and lush, more long straights than before but still enough bends in places to keep me awake and smiling.
San Luis Reservoir
From Hollister I made my way east to the I-5 where I turned north to find the 140 to take me through Merced and onto Marisopa for the evening which is about 40 miles short of Yosemite National Park. The weather is supposed to stay warm and sunny all week so I thought I would take the chance and see how far I can get into some of the parks and forests on the eastern side of the state. Most of the passes will still be closed with snow but the main routes through should all be accessible.
Two weeks left!
