Biking from Monterey to SLO
Well, it’s time for another personal photo blog! Seany (the hubby) and I love to do all sorts of out-doorsy sporty things, and that includes bike touring. For those who don’t know, bike touring is like backpacking, but with bikes. You bring everything you need for camping and life and bike away. We’ve slowly over the course of several short trips been chipping away at the west coast. This past week we did the long-anticipated Monterey to San Luis Obispo bit, which includes the incredibly gorgeous Big Sur portion of the coast.
It. Was. AWESOME.
Perfect weather the whole way, and all the triathlon training we’ve been doing has certainly prepared us for this trip. Enough talk, here’s some Californian eye candy. Oh, and there might be a couple shots of us in there too :0)
LizardArtWorks 
Lovely photos. Glad you had a great trip! Yes, cycle-touring is just great. As long as it only rains for a few hrs. 🙂
Lovely pictures! I especially love all those California poppies!
Absolutely beautiful pictures. We take a big trip every year and I always start off planning for the west coast but usually end up cutting it just shy of California. I really want to take a trip up the coast line of California into Oregon this year. Would be a nice addition to my travel blog. Thanks for sharing
If you do, *definitely* go north to south. The wind blows that direction most often, so going north you’d be fighting headwinds the whole way. Been there, done that, it sucked…
Fantastic!!
Wow! These are just absolutely stunning.
Beautiful photographs. What a great adventure. You two are very cute!
Congrats on getting Freshly Pressed!
You’re so lucky! I’m in love with a woman who is or was a triathlete who now is trying to kill me for reasons I’m not privy to…I biked from North Conway, NH down or over to Brownfield, Maine to see her perform from a distance and camped out on the Shepherd’s River which was cool cause that’s my name and I have a big fire going which made everyone in the dry as the desert valley a little nervous after 36 hours of continuous smoking out of the valley…I thought it was cool watching the smoke drift downstream telling everyone in it’s path “danger!!!” in such a soft and eloquent way…everything went fine till the day of the show when it turned out I was on someone’s land who started screaming at me maybe cause the whole town had burned to the ground 100 years ago…dunno…but I found out that I can put out my fire and pack up in less then 5 minutes…she decided to dump gallons of water on my fire anyway while her husband queried me: “what were you thinking?” Answer: Shepherd’s River…my name is Shepherd…I apologize…” I used a trailer with my Specialized mountain bike and the day after the concert I had to cover 80 miles over a series of 1600 foot hills only to find out when I reached the flat that one of my trailer tires was almost flat and the other kinda flat and my bike tires soft and then coming down a hill at 25 mph no hands my rear wheel came all the way out of the frame sending me to the pavement like a sack of bones…I’m still sore but it was great…I did not know I could cover 80 miles through hill with flat tires…now I do…but don’t have time to write about camping on beaches and finding al my stuff in the custody of the police or getting my laptop stolen first day back in Harvard Square…another time…thanks for your post…I’m writing from the Boston Public Library and now out of time…Peace!
I want to go here now. Going to hang a photo of my bike on the refrigerator just to remind me of your great blog.
Beautiful photos!!! I would love to bike the coast someday.
Your photos are stunning!
Beautiful pictures! May I ask what camera you used? I’m looking to buy a new one but can’t decide on which one to get…
Love it!! Incredibly too much. I want to go, NOW. Hold my patience, hope to be there in a few months, got a big project to complete here in Mexico City first.
The photos are super! Glad you got freshly pressed and it was right there before my eyes! All the best.
This is my project to visit every metro station in Mexico City and visit the surrounds to document urban life – mainly in the streets! Cheers..
http://mexicocitymetro.wordpress.com/
That is a bike trip I’ve been dreaming about for forty years. The best I could do was called “Sierra to the Sea” starting from San Jose with the Almaden Bike Club. I’ve done others but always dreamed about a coastal trip. Your flower photos are amazing. Thanks for sharing and bringing back some great memories.
I love this ride! I normally do it in one day, but taking your time is much better! Jealous
140 miles in one day with camping gear!? that’s crazy pants! We definitely like to take our time, and arriving at camp at 2pm and having the rest of the day to relax is pretty nice too :0)
This looks like a fantastic adventure! Wonderful photos, too. Enjoy!
You have a wonderful eye! Your composition and perspective are beautifully executed.
Been on that route many times – great to see it’s still as beautiful. Congratulations on surviving the curves, traffic and hills on your bike!
very nice ^_^
I wish I can do what you guys are doing, hope you have your RoadID on with you. Have a great trip. Stay Safe.
You took some beautiful shots. I really enjoyed the pelicans, the rays bursting through the trees, your orange roadside flowers and your blooming rose. Terrific!
These photos look fantastic… and it looks like a great trip!
This is awesome! Great photos! I’ll be doing a tour with two friends from LA to Boston this summer! Too bad we ride through the boring part of California’s desert… These pictures are awesome!
Nice post. I learn something new and challenging on blogs I stumbleupon on a daily basis. It’s always interesting to read articles from other writers and practice something from their websites.
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PROUDREVIEW
Mmmm….so lovely. Simply stunning photos. Thanks for sharing.
What triathlon are you training for?! Wildflower? Great pictures! Now I wish I still had my bike! I never thought of biking and camping! So awesome!
We’re doing the Morgan Hill Sprint Tri this weekend, and the Santa Cruz Tri in the fall :0)
Awesome! Good luck with your event and continued training! I’ll have to check out the SC one! Thanks for wandering by on 2 wheels!
Nice photos…looks like you both had a wonderful time “on the road.”
Great photos, my boyfriend and I are canoe trippers, kinda like bike touring, but with canoes 🙂 However biking would be a lot of fun as well!
Nice! I bet you live in a place with a lot of rivers?
Great post! A friend of ours here at TwoCanoe did a cross country bike tour across Canada, it was interesting to see his progress as he made his way from the west to east coasts, all the while camping and carrying his life with him. Your pictures and athleticism are equally inspiring, keep up the good work!
Thanks! I dream of doing a cross-Canada ride some day as well :0)
I was in Big Sur last week too! (Though in a car, not on a bike.) I love your gorgeous photos, thanks for sharing!
holy crap those look gorgeous!
These are dreamy and beautiful. 🙂
Beautiful photos, thank you for sharing them. I would really want to visit some of the places.
Wow you are an amazing photographer. I love the pic with the rays of like through the trees.
I live in Slo, so i find this awesome! great photos!
awesome pictures and the place looks amazing
Great photos, guys! If I had to pick a fave (no fair) it’d have to be the one with the sun’s rays coming through the pine trees. Incredible sight! Enjoy the rest of your trip!
beautiful view…nice post…thank u…:)
Looks like a wonderful journey!
These are amazing pictures!
Wow. What an amazing trip. Makes me wanna hop on a bike and join foul
Reblogged this on Venomous Diva and commented:
Very nice photos..Get close to nature always should be a good thing:)
You are sooooo cool. Thank you for the wonderful photos; they are just gorgeous!
enjoyable photos…. 🙂
nice………….
asheeee.blogspot.com
Beautiful! It looks very peaceful.
Splendid photographs
Reblogged this on sman3painan.
Amazing pics..
Beautiful….My sister lives in Monterey…Definately I will go and visit her after this pictures and blog…Thank you both of you. Leon
Nice pictures with very nice places.
blogoriginator.wordpress.com
Great! Many thanks for your marvellous pictures! 😉
Perfect weather for bike tour,beautiful photography.Really amazing photos.Thanks for sharing.
Wow! I can’t get over the amazing colours in your photographs!
Congratulations on being Freshly Pressed!
Great post and photos, makes me long for a bike ride. And the weather looked very nice indeed.
really awesome looking ….
I loved, loved (did I say loved) this post. I used to live in Monterey a few years a go and you gave me a beautiful field trip. I had forgotten how utterly lovely it is..
Beautiful shots!!
-lynne-
Absolutely fantastic fotos: thank you for sharing. Makes one really want to cycle there, too!
Safe bicycling,
Pit
Quite the adventure you’ve embarked upon! Great, vibrant shots!
Wow! Having driven this stretch a number of times, I really envy your bike-ride. What a great way to slow down and enjoy every mile. Thanks for the pictures. Stunning! How great that you got our state flower in bloom while you were at it!
The Coast is so beautiful! I miss it!
awesome pics come and check our newly created blog:D
hay paisajes muy lindos exelente clima muy nublado con unas personas alegres y con una sonrisa demasiada estupenda me parecen unas buenas fotografias lindas y muy entretenidas me encanta el tema…
Gorgeous! Thank you for taking us along on the journey…
🙂
Wow! Beautiful photos.
These photos are incredible. Congrats on being FP!
I like you pictures. 😀
Your photos make me homesick for the area of my upbringing. And you captured all of it so beautifully. It looks like it was an incredible, scenic trip.
Great pics!
Does your city arrange Critical Masses? I’m just back from Critical Mass in Dhaka. You can check out about it and a few pics here on my blog. http://aisjournal.com/2012/04/27/coming-back-from-critical-mass-8-in-dhaka-what-it-was-what-was-there/
Beautiful pictures!
Brilliant pictures! And congratulations on being freshly pressed.
Good job! Lovely ride and heavenly scents too. Now those are California poppies in the raw, not at all like what grows here in my Virginia gardens. Congrats on FP, and please visit my world/blog/photos. D.
Wow these pictures bring back such good memories of California! Great post!
These pics are simply incredible! 🙂 Thank you for sharing. 🙂
Really stunning scenery, lucky you
Wow! What a wonderful trip! And the wildflowers are just gorgeous…not to mention the oceanshore scenery! Thanks for sharing!
Amazing! Makes me want to get on my bike and take off! Look forward to more blog posts! Congrats on being Freshly Pressed!
Ace photos.. I’ve recently got into bike touring in the UK, such a great way to see places properly. Good luck!
Gorgeous photos and so jealous of your weather! Can’t wait to get my bike back on the road!
nice pictures…
Fantastic scenes! And very nice work with the camera as well!
What a great adventure!
great photos, love S.L.O.
veryy nice photos! ( healthy for the mind)
Very beautiful photos–some of the best photos I have seen in the blogosphere.
Years ago I hitchhiked up the coast road from San Luis Obispo to Monterrey. Spectacular country.
“New Camaldoli”
Aww sounds like u had such a fun adventure! I also LOVE going biking and exploring places! Thanks for sharing your story and pics. I especially like those wild yellow flowers with the ocean in the background:)
Love the photo of the flowers 🙂
Very beautiful photos 🙂 amazing…
Beautiful photography! Did you just shoot these recently? If so, I’m incredibly jealous of your weather.
How long did the tour last?
Yup, pretty recently – late April. It was a short tour – only 4 days :0)
This is awesome! One day do the most dangreous road in Bolivia near La Paz (Ps. It isn’t to dangerous ; )
http://www.theartofadaptation.com
nice journey…! Any time I want do it.
It’s a great post – I like the pictures. I love biking as well. Thanks!
Thank you so much for sharing this trip! My husband and I lived in Monterey for a year, 2009 to 2010. Miss it so much- these pictures bring back so many memories!
I love this! Thank you for sharing your photos. I grew up in Cambria and this coastline is heaven. I live in Texas now and it so nice to see a glimpse of home. Thanks so much!
Gorgeous shots! I love me some California eye candy! Looks like a fun ride.
Very nice. The wife and I have done a lot of bicycling on a tandem. But I don’t believe we ever captured photos as vivid as you did. I wish we’d have gone with you.
I love your photos. They’re so lovely and the flowers on the sidewalk looked so beautiful. What a wonderful trip you both had.
Such beautiful sights! What an adventure! Thank you so much for sharing!!!!
♥ Love and light ♥
~ Jennifer
Awesome bike ride, great pics, thanks for sharing. Here’s my trip report for cycling Vietnam, but I am afraid my pics are not anywhere near as good as yours.
wowwww dreamy and beautiful
Awesome pics. I will be one happy camper to wake up every morning to see that blue pacific ocean over the horizon while enjoying a good coffee. Drove south bound from San Jose to San Diego a few years back, I can’t wait to make the north bound trip all the way to Seattle and maybe south again to San Jose to complete the loop.
Spectacular photos! . . . Having been born in the general area, your pictures had special meaning!
http://arabianmusings.wordpress.com/
Nice post.. i like it more
I have a relative with a home in Pebble Beach so we spend a lot of time on the coast. I haven’t taken that drive in ages. Your photos are gorgeous and your trip looked so much fun. Reminds me of the blessings of living in this beautiful state!
Really you are posted a good blog thank you for sharing this
I like it foto and journey!!!
Beautiful! I love San Luis Obispo. And we once drove the coastal highway from San Francisco back to Southern California. Most beautiful ride of my life. The hubs, Sean, drove the entire way so I wouldn’t miss a thing.
wonderful location and nice photo shoot also…
Congratulation on FP and on the gorgeous photos! The Big Sur area is one of the places I’ve been wanting to go – living in Central Cal, me and my husband have been planning on a long San Francisco to SLO ride, but it just never came together…
Wow! Breathtaking landscape. Looks like a lot of fun…
Amazing. Lovely 🙂
http://www.likeq.me
Wow.. the pictures seems to be more beautiful than those in my favourite picture folder.
Great set of photos. You both look like a very together sort of couple. Enjoy the miles together.
mesmerizing! the sun rays through the trees and the birds were my favourite!!
Is it weird that the whole time scrolling down I was waiting for a shot of the bikes themeselves? Looks like a great trip.
Ahhhhhhhhh! Thanks for the visual trip-mini vacation
Beautiful! Thanks for sharing. Miss the whole Central Cal coast. Great train ride on Amtrak goes through this area, too. Stunning photos.
Loving your photos – Congrats on being FP!
Thanks 🙂 Just passed through SLO for the first time last month. Gorgeous part of the world…
Absolutely BE-U-TI-FUL!! That has to be the most amazing stretch of scenery in the world. Your photos really capture the tranquility and peacefulness of that “California eye candy”. No, you really can’t even dream a place like that up, you just have to see it to believe it.
Great Holiday and nice pictures…
Perfect weather and natural beauty.Also beautiful location for taking nice photographs.
I think this is most beautiful photo of nature.
Ganda!
Your next destination should Africa and Uganda is most preferred by the people who want full enjoyment of the tropics.Am waiting you tell me when you come
I just love biking. Biking on such a road must be a really cool adventure.
Absolutely gorgeous!
how nice!! so envy you guys~
Incredible. It’s wonderful to see you taking advantage of your good health (and keeping it) and not missing out on this contact with the outdoors. I rode along Big Sur with my parents in the 1960s, when I was a young teenager. I have never forgotten the beauty, but you are getting much more out of it than I did. Thanks for the photos and congrats on being FP.
Un viaje estupendo y unas fotos geniales!!!
nice pictures 🙂 and beautifull life
Oh wow! Those are some amazing pictures. What a trip you’ve been on. I love heading down there myself but have never seen it in the way you two are. Doing on bikes offers a whole new experience. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
I can’t imagine biking from Monterey to SLO; however, I love the drive. Its been years since I’ve taken that drive and your photos brought back some of the best memories I have had. Thank you.
Stunning photos! How lucky you are to live near such natural beauty. 🙂
Beautiful! Stunning! the color, the objects, it must be a wonderful trip!
Love the California poppies!
Really Biking from monterey to SLO is a beautiful tour.I liked it.These are some amazing pictures.Great photographs.Thanks for sharing.
Beautiful photos!
I love your all the photographs.Absolutely wonderful.That has to be the most amazing stretch of scenery in the world. Your photos really capture the tranquility and peacefulness of that “California eye candy”.Thanks for sharing
Lovely photos. I love the flowers. I will share your photos with my husband may be some day we can do a wonderful trip on bike.
http://www.nellynazario.weebly.com
your cool. This is awesome!!!!
Great pics . . . what memories!
Love it
Reblogged this on Modern Gentleman and commented:
This will be my next vacation.
Your pictures are breathtaking. A couple of questions if you don’t mind: How did you start doing this bike touring, (training, food, equipment)? I’d love to start with short trips with my girlfriend and our dogs. What would you recommend?
Thanks! My hubby and I started….well, I don’t really remember, to be honest. I didn’t have a car for a long time and had to bike everywhere, so I got used to biking a lot. We’ve always loved camping, so it made sense to put the two together. Get a rack for your bike and some panniers, and you’re all set to go! Start off with something small, like a one day or weekend trip. Be aware that you’ll go a *lot* slower than you would without the extra stuff, especially if there are hills. And bring snacks – lots and lots of snacks.
Thanks for your input. I’ll start slowly this Summer:)
Awesome :0)
Today I went bike riding for, brace yourself, 10 minutes. I know it sounds like a joke, but I have to start somewhere, don’t you think?
Excellent, excellent work! Great bike trip. That’s what “living” is all about! 🙂
Looks like an amazing ride. Love the shot of the light coming through the trees!
beautiful pictures! thank you for sharing your adventure, looks like a lot of fun! Good luck on your triathlon too! Tru2Cntry
Yeah these photos are amazing. Good shots with a good camera and lens. Beautiful colors. I don’t even have to travel cause thanks to you I can see all of this right here in front of my computer. Even though I wouldn’t mind living in such a nice place of nature myself 🙂
I traveled that same stretch of road last summer- unfortunately a tad foggier than your trek, but amazing anyway. Looks like Spring is the time to see the flowers in full swing! Your post is inspiring me to head back this year.
Side: Next time you’re in the area, stay at the Adventure Tent at Fernwood… We stumbled upon it and it’s a special place (and the photos on this link don’t do it justice).
http://www.fernwoodbigsur.com/adventure_tent.html
Thanks for writing!
Thanks for the suggestion, I’ll look into it!
Beautiful photos!! Looks like an amazing experience. (And I love that you call the husband Seany. My son is Sean and we have called him Seany since he was little.)
Magníficas fotografías. Gracias por compartirlas por WordPress.
I’m inspired to ride! Thanks for sharing!
I love this part of CA during this time of year, your pictures captured it’s beauty.
Love the photographs! So beautiful 🙂
très belles photos, belles couleurs.
Merci pour la visite.
Chantal
Reblogged this on Colby is Mega and commented:
Love the Photos.
Thanks for taking me along, great photos. I’ve driven the route you took but only biked on the coast road from Ft. Bragg to SF, which was a great trip. Looks like you had the ideal time of year.