“Observe the wonders as they occur around you...feel the artistry moving through and be silent.”
-Rumi
Another splendid biking trip recommended by my good friend and long-time biking enthusiast James (Jimi) Hunter to Bill Rothenberg and I that began in Sand City where we parked and off-loaded our bikes. We stopped at Recreation Road in Marina Beach, where I used to hang glide over the sand dunes, then continued on along the pristine Pacific Coastline through the jagged rocks and sandy beaches of Pacific Grove and Asilomar on the Monterrey Peninsula and finally part of the 17-Mile Drive at Pebble Beach.
It was here that we entered an enchanting world full of dramatic coastal cliffs, snow-white breaches, the Lone Cypress, the Restless Sea at Point Joe and the inn at Spanish Bay. This area has a long history dating back to 1602 when Spanish explorers mapped out the area. After a number of ownership changes, Pebble Beach was purchased at auction for 12 cents an acre by David Jacks many decades later was acquired by an investment group led by Clint Eastwood, Arnold Palmer, and Peter Ueberroth.
I mentioned above that we covered “part” of the 17-mile drive. The reason: the pedal on my left side broke off the crank. It was the equivalent of trying to row your boat up a creek without a paddle. Thanks to a good Samaritan cyclist vacationing from Utah whom Jimi flagged down, we were referred to the folks at Winning Wheels Bicycle Shop back in Pacific Grove where an emergency replacement of both the pedal and the crank whose threads were stripped beyond repair. The other saving grace was the fact that my electric assist bike had plenty of battery power left to get me to the repair shop. All I had to do was push the button and I was off to the races.
Just before we found the bicycle shop I encountered a white-tailed doe and her fawn eating grass from a residents’ lawn (photo). As many deer as I have seen in the area where we live and around the world during my travels, I always find myself in awe of them. We stared intently at one another. I am a student of symbolism, especially in animal sightings. The deer prompts you to be yourself and continue along the path. A fawn, in particular, is symbolic of moving beyond unexpected situations and crises. I found myself at peace.
After biking 27 miles off and on for five hours, Bill recommended we have a late lunch at Phil’s Fish Market & Eatery in Moss Landing. After burning off a slew of calories, food never tasted so good.
Postscript: The Red caboose is a nod to the biking trail’s railway history of Monterrey and Pacific Grove.
