Zack had wanted to do this social ride which is why we had to start the Old Coast Rd. ride so early. Traffic on the way back was so frustratingly slow. I feel like the speed limit should be the minimum speed traffic moves at when there aren't any mitigating circumstances. Since I didn't know where to go and I was following Zack back, I couldn't pass these slow cars. It was putting me to sleep. We did get back with time to spare but not enough time for me to eat anything or have lunch. And finding my away around Sea Otter was nuts. The maps don't have a "You are here" on them so it's really hard to know where you are. I totally lucked into meeting Zack at the entrance bridge and we made it over to the Giro tent where the ride was starting from. Beck, Matt, and Nehemiah were there. It was great getting to catch up with them. It was a mix of gravel bikes and MTBs. The start of the ride was on Laguna Seca before turning off onto singletrack and eventually into Fort Ord on the Sea Otter race course. At first it was kind of sketchy with the mix of skills and traction. The pace was also quite high so there wasn't alot of moments where it was safe to take photos even though there were some beautiful vistas. There were a decent amount of regroups and on the regroup before entering Fort Ord, I kind of wanted to go to the back of the group because I didn't want to be near some people. Instead, I ended up following Matt's wheel and took us right to the front. That's when I started having fun. Chasing him though started to cook my legs and it also reminded me that I hadn't eaten since 6:30a when I had breakfast at McDonald's. After that I followed the ride leader's (Scott) wheel. I was working hard but it was the best place to be. At one point on Trail 41 in the open meadow, the biggest bobcat I've ever seen ran across the trail. Once we got to the ice cream stop, just before the climb up Pilarcitos Canyon, I ate two ice cream bars, a slice of watermelon and a Kind bar. I that fueled me to get back to Sea Otter. We got back and visited with Randall and Craig at the Skratch booth to see the new wheels. On the way out I stopped at the Continental booth and managed to snag some 700x28c GP 5000S TR Transparent (gum wall) tires! I actually went passed and then came back. So glad I did! Not sure I'd want to go back to Sea Otter. It was way too crowded and hectic and the wind was kicking up so much dust. To be fair, I was on my bike and I suppose walking it wouldn't have been as bad but I wouldn't want to walk all the way back to where the general parking is located. For that, I was really glad I was riding my bike.