Westport to Long Beach- 82miles

To draw back the curtains this morning and see a flying peloton of pelicans was a really nice way to start the day, as you can imagine.

I'm already losing track of what day it is which is a good sign :-) And the legs are coping nicely.

The fog had rolled in last night, unbelievably fast (sending the sun-drenched beer drinkers scuttling indoors) but had luckily fogged off this morning!

A cloudy day but a nice temperature for cycling.

We cycled in a happy line for most of the first half of the ride, skirting the shoreline then ducking in amongst the pines.

I'm not, as a rule, keen on cycling behind people but I must admit Steve is a most effective windbreaker.

A diner stop at 35miles, which was compulsory really as there was nothing else en route til Long Beach. As usual the food was as large as the locals and Mike heartily embraced the challenge of his omelette.

The second half of the ride was a bit more undulating but the tarmac stayed silky smooth! 

Colin formed a solo breakaway (as he'd bypassed the diner with awful coffee- no wonder it's unlimited,ugh) and so embraced the headwind, powered on haribo cola bottles.

Me and my frenchie chopped along together, spotting herons and later an eagle overhead. We also saw a quartet of Sheriffs which led to yet more grins.

We'd had a nearly oh dear moment this morning when there was a deer in our path. My voice went up about 5 octaves in excitement at the close encounter!

We're now at Long Beach, which has....a very long beach! And luckily yet another very welcome bath :-)

My favourite bike mechanic in the world added cobbler to his repertoire of skills last night. My foot was sore yesterday so the shoe got it! A neat little slit and it's a much happier lump!

Two years ago today our worlds became aligned and so today is a special day. What better way to end it than by sampling a local supersize clam or two!