Day 184 Sycamore Canyon State Beach

An easy relaxing start to the day that lasted until 5.30pm.

First it was eggs benedict followed by coffee at French Press and then on to the Santa Barbara Art Gallery, which was free to enter (most probably because many of the galleries were closed!).

Then it was coffee (Handlebar Coffee Roasters (the fact that they have a photograph of Fausto Coppi on the wall is a sign of good taste!) and ice cream (McConall's) before departing at 2pm for what I anticipated would be an easy relaxed ride to Ventura (McGrath State Beach Campground), which it was.

However, at 5.30pm, to my displeasure, when I arrived at the campground, I discovered that it was closed due to flooding!

So I had a choice, find a hotel in Ventura (more unnecessary expense) or cycle the next 20 miles or so to the next hiker / biker site (cheap, but as I was to discover infested with evil mosquitoes that have an unrequited love of me; at least my blood!).

So it was a time trial to the campground where, to my suprise, the hiker / bike site cost $10 rather than the usual $5. However, the campground host did offer me a beer, which I thought would be churlish to refuse! It was shortly thereafter, when the camp host saw me scratching, that I was informed of the mosquitoes!

Apologising for my hasty departure and thanking her for the beer, I made a dash for the showers where I could wash and cover myself from head to toe ........ to late, I already had 4 new bites!