Day 17 - Thursday, July 12, 2012 - I ❤ strawberries

The morning started with Ferg's roommate, Jordan, kindly leading us out of San Francisco to the great Highway, Route 1. We had a very strong headwind paired misty conditions. Our largest climb of the day was made more difficult by the lack of visibility. The hill appeared to have no end into the fog.

The morning was rough, but was made right by the elements turning in our favor. The fog burned off, the sun made a lasting appearance, and a tailwind carried us into Santa Cruz. There was an amazing display of wind surfing and kiteboarding around Ano Nuevo Bay. We stopped and admired their skills and wondered when Bill will take up kiteboarding.

We noticed many artichoke fields along the way. Before Davenport we stopped at Swanton Berry Farm. That place was a gem! We didn't pick our own berries, but indulged in the variety of desserts offered - chocolate covered brownie, cheesecake, strawberry shortcake, and of course fresh berries! It was set up paying on the honor system and gave a 10% off deal to cyclists. We signed their "cyclists only" guest log and left satisfied.

We checked into a motel in Santa Cruz with 80 miles for the day, since there wasn't much happening for us camping wise. We cleaned up and took off on our bikes unloaded, and made an effortless tour around the city to the boardwalk for dinner.