Big Sur is always the summit of our Pacific Coast experience.  Each part of this ride is so distinctive – the palm trees and warm sunny beaches and hills of southern California, then this central part of rugged and challenging coastline.

We woke to a light drizzle and fog and delayed our start a little to give it a chance to burn off.  Megan read the comments made by visitors to the blog to our group, and by the time we started to ride, the roads were dry but it was still cool with some high fog.

Our first stop of the day was only a few miles down the road at Hearst Castle.  Not too much could be seen on top of the hill with the fog, but it is always a fun stop with the museum and the shops.

Then just another 5 miles down the road to the vista point to visit the Sea Lions.  When you ride a motorcycle you are so connected to everything around you – the temperature and the smell of the countryside.  We could smell the sea lions before we saw them today ; )

We had a great stop, took lots of photos, and chatted to other groups of bikers at the same car park who were heading south.  They told us Big Sur had been foggy on their way down, but we still hoped by the time we hit it we would get lucky.

Then it was straight into our first set of curves on the way to Ragged Point.  The group rode like a well oiled machine taking the curves fast and smoothly.  From lead to sweep, we never lost sight of each other, and the switchbacks are a glorious sight when you can see bikes from one end to the other.

Ragged Point is always a special stop on the ride, and pulling in the memories of past adventures and past riders is very strong.  After our lunch, that connection with past Amazons became even stronger.  Linda Baginski from our first adventure, who met us at Cambria yesterday, had ridden up to Ragged Point the day before and hidden an Amazon Heart necklace under a rock for one of us to find.

The group decided Natalie most needed the blessing, and we had much fun directing her in circles with calls of “Hot, hotter….oh no, really cold” until she found it.  We took some group photos and as we headed back to the bikes, we saw that the fog had started to lift from the hills.

The next 50 miles were so beautiful.  The group rode tight and fast, and we didn’t hit any traffic.  Just glorious twisties one after the other, with the occasional switchback, diving descents and stunning arched bridges.

We pulled into Ripplewood 1.5 hrs later, exhilarated and tired.  Once again our new riders are no more – we are all seasoned experienced bikers now ; )

The last stretch into Monterey was gorgeous – every other year it has been fogged in, but we rode in brilliant sunshine with views of the bay all the way to our hotel.

Dinner was on the wharf at a seafood restaurant with the whole group sampling the famous Monterey clam chowder.  Back home for a final chat in the hotel bar and then off to bed ready for tomorrow’s adventure!