Mini Touring – Day 4

We’ve got a 7:30am train to catch in Guadalupe, so we’re up early, rolling out of the Santa Maria Inn at 6am.

We know the route – half of the 9-mile route we rode on our way into town. There’s a wide bike lane next to high speed traffic, but what we didn’t know is that we’d be in rush hour traffic – farmworkers were clogging the roads, driving to the fields.

Guadalupe is quiet. We arrive early. The southbound AMTRAK Surfliner to Santa Barbara is the last leg of this mini-tour – we select ocean view seats this time. Friends at the Bici Centro Grand Opening last night insisted we might see whales.

Bikes and trains go together so easily – just add the bike to your AMTRAK reservation, no extra charge.

This entire trip was low on stress and high on simple pleasures, great wine and bike-friendly hotels.

This little 4-day getaway paid off large.