I'm fat, 57, and I smoke. I probably didn't have any business making this trip. I had no idea how strenuous it would be! But it was fun; by this time, almost a month later, I've forgotten how high the "hills" were. Those were hills, not mountains, right?
First, let's take the day-by-day log. Don't take any of this mileage as authentic. I got lost several times, and took several side trips too:
August, 1997:
Wednesday, 6th: Circular route, 57 miles to Daly City motel
Average speed: 8.0 MPH, Pedaling Time 7:15
Includes the trip to O'Hare Field in Chicago
Thursday, 7th: 33 miles, to Pigeon Point Hostel
Left at 7:45 AM, stopped at 5:00 PM
Avg Spd: 8.7 MPH, Pedal Time 3:45
Friday, 8th: 48 miles to Sunset Beach State Park Campground
Left at 8:00 AM, stopped at 5:30 PM
Avg Spd: 8.1 MPH, Pedal Time 6:00
Saturday, 9th: 51 miles to Vet's Memorial Park Campground, Monterey
Left at 7:30 PM, stopped at 5 PM
Avg Spd: 7.5 MPH, Pedal Time 7:00
Sunday, 10th: 38 miles to Pfeiffer-Big Sur Campground
Left at 7:15 AM, stopped at 7:00 PM
Avg Spd: 7.0 MPH, Pedal Time 5:30
Monday, 11th: 38 miles to south of Plaskett Creek Campground
Left at 8 AM, stopped at 5:30 PM
Avg Spd: 7.3 MPH, Pedal Time 5 Hrs
Tuesday, 12th: 64 miles to Morro Beach State Park Campground
Left at 7:30 AM, stopped at 8:00 PM
Avg Spd: 9.0 MPH, Pedal Time 7:00
Wednesday, 13th: 81 miles to Lompac, motel
Left at 7:00 AM, stopped at 8:00 PM
Avg Spd: 9.4 MPH, Pedal Time 8:30
Thursday, 14th: 74 miles to Carpinteria, motel
Left at 10 AM, stopped at 8:00 PM
Avg Spd: 9.6 MPH, Pedal Time 7:30
Friday, 15th: 57 miles to Sycamore Canyon Campground
Left at 9:00 PM, stopped at 5:30 PM
Avg Spd: 9.9 MPH, Pedal Time 5:45
Saturday, 16th: 105 miles to Newport Beach, camped out
Left at 7:30 AM, stopped at 7:30 PM
Avg Spd: 9.3 MPH, Pedal Time ???
Looking at the Average Speed, you can tell where the hills were.
Let me start by recommending the book "Bicycling The Pacific Coast" by Tom Kirkendall and Vicky Spring. This book was highly recommended to me, so I bought a copy long before the trip. I made copies of the maps (10 maps covered the distance) and also copies of the prose, including their Mileage Log. This information was invaluable, and I followed their directions.
Following a 13-mile trip to O'Hare Field in Chicago, I packed the bike in United Airline's box, and it arrived unscathed at San Francisco around 10:30 AM Pacific Time. Getting out of the San Francisco airport was relatively easy (there's a side road that leads to the shipping area). However, once out and away from the airport (about 20 miles south of the city) I had one heck of a time finding my way. I stopped a cyclist, and he told me "You can't get there from here; take a bus." I asked a couple of truckers, but they admitted to only knowing the expressways. So I wandered around quite a bit, trying to keep the bay on my right and going north. I doubt if I could ever recount the trip, but I wound up on the shoulder of the 101 northbound (entering from a path I know not where) and exited at 3rd Avenue, going north, which led me down to the wharf and the Embarcadero. Lunch, of course, followed by a trip up, and across, the Golden Gate Bridge. It wouldn't count if I didn't take a pictures of me and my bicycle on the Golden Gate Bridge, would it?
Crossing under the tollbooth on the San Francisco side, I followed the sign for the Pacific Coast Bicentennial Bike Route and also for Route 1 heading south. Near dusk, I found myself near Daly City, and couldn't find a place to stake out the tent. I was meeting a friend the next day, so I went to (what I thought was) a cheap motel. $70 for one night! That made camping seem even more attractive.
We met the next day, Thursday, in Belmont and had lunch. He had business in Half Moon Bay, and suggested driving me back across the peninsula. We crossed two big mountain ranges (I was glad he suggested this) and he pointed out the change in foliage along the San Andreas Fault.
Someplace south of Half Moon Bay we parted, and I continued south on Route 1. I stumbled blindly into another bonanza: The Hostel at Pigeon Point Lighthouse -- and they had one bunk open! (Pigeon Point Lighthouse is on the cover of the book Bicycling The Pacific Coast.)
I'd heard of hosteling, but never experienced it. I'm glad I had the chance, and I'd recommend this to anyone. There are several hostels in the area, and along the coast. They're all marked on the maps in the book. For more information, call the Hostel International in San Francisco, (415) 788-2525. I got lucky getting a bunk; reservations are highly recommended.
We had a tour of the lighthouse, including a climb to the top! There were four houses, each with a bunkroom for six guys, and a bunkroom for six gals. There was a private bedroom, a large kitchen area (I bought a can of chili and made supper for myself) as well as a living area, complete with a piano (but nobody played.) There was an outdoor patio, and this was all on a peninsula jutting out into the Pacific. There's a list of chores to be done, and I signed up for those that I could do, taking into account my anticipated early departure.
In the morning, everybody was running around in their underwear trying to get started (fortunately, I took a shower the night before), making breakfast. More surprisingly to me: English was not the primary language. These people were from all over the planet. What a blast, what an experience! How come I never discovered this before?
I left reasonably early on Friday morning, and continued down the coast. It was cloudy, cool, and somewhat misting. Actually, there was a south wind, which is very unusual. The normal wind is from the north; that's why it's most common to make this jaunt from north to south.
One of the features of the maps in the book is that the elevations are noted. This northern section of the trip, the first half, is very hilly. Fortunately, I just bought a Trek 720 hybrid; love that granny gear! I don't think I would have made it on my 10- speed Schwynn road bike. Note the low "Average Speed" in the mileage log above. I spent a lot of time going uphill, at about 4 MPH!
The road is narrow, the shoulder is variable. There are plenty of cutouts and scenic overlooks. There isn't a lot of habitation along the coast, so I got in the habit of carrying extra food, just in case I found myself stranded and camping without sustenance.
There were 10 maps covering the terrain I wanted to cover, and each map is approximately one-day ride. Somehow, I got out of sync, and spent the night in the middle of the map. On the third night, I stayed at Sunset State Beach - and discovered another nice little feature of the ride:
The national and state campgrounds in California and very busy, and reservations are required. However, many of the campground have what's called a "Hiker-Biker Area." This is a section set aside for self-contained campers, such as hikers and bikers. This picture is from the Sunset Beach Hiker-Biker area They won't turn you away, no matter how crowded it is. Most have hot showers. Usually the area is isolated and quiet. These campground are also annotated in the book. There may be some limitations: your stay may be limited to one or two nights. There's a $3 charge, and the honor system, so make sure you have a few singles with you when you arrive. Few of them, however, have any campstore or restaurants nearby. At the Sunset State Campground, they had an outdoor auditorium area, and I enjoyed a very nice slide show and lecture on marine life along the Pacific Coast.
One reason I arrived late was I got lost in Santa Cruz. Route 1 turns into a freeway, there's a "No Bicycle" sign but no signs redirecting bicycle traffic. It's a pleasant ride through town, and a bike-friendly place, but not much in the way of directions.
At several places along the route, you are directed to ride the shoulder of the freeway. At first this can be enervating, but there really isn't much alternative. You may only ride a short distance, several miles, and then come across another sign: "Bicycles must exit here." When this happens, there is usually a sign atop the exit ramp directing you along a bike route.
Saturday night I stayed in Vet's Memorial Park, a fairly decent climb just outside of Monterey. This hiker-biker sight was crowded, and I met several other bikers. We swapped stories, complained about flats, and extolled the virtues of our own bicycles, debated the merits of road versus hybrid bikes. The usual stuff you might expect.
Carmel is another interesting town, and the maps suggest a route through the town, although you can stay on Route 1 if you like. I went to church in an old, restored Spanish mission church, the San Carlos Mission, built in the 1700's.
Sunday night I stayed in Pfeiffer-Big Sur State Park. This park had a very nice, isolated, hiker-biker area, a short distance from the showers. It also had a store, and a restaurant. Breakfast was a little expensive, but an enjoyable experience eating on an outdoor patio set amongst the tall Redwood trees.
So far, most of the trip has been directly adjacent to the coast, and since it is southbound you're riding along the cliff or ocean side of the road. It's very scenic, but you do need to stop to enjoy the scenery, rather than take it in while you're riding.
The maps from the cycling book lists cities and signposts along the way, but doesn't make clear the size of the various towns. Several of the towns listed (Lucia, Gorda, Ragged Point) weren't much more than a single tavern, grocery store, or gas station. I passed through Lucia in the later part of the day, and found a small ham sandwich on a croissant was $5! And the next opportunity may be 40 or more miles down the road. One of the "towns" on the map is Pacific Valley. This was a single grocery store, except that it burned down! I had heard about this earlier in the trip, and was amazed that a whole town had burned down, until I got there and saw what "the whole town" was composed of.
Later on in the trip, the route takes you considerably inland, away from the coast, skirting Vandenberg Air Force Base. You travel through Guadalupe (small), Orcutt (small) and Lompoc (a large urban center, about 40,000 people). I stayed in a motel in Lompoc, since it was only $22.95 single. Nice motel, too, (The Flagwaver Motel, right on Route 1) and did the laundry (after a week) right across the street in a shopping center.
About one-half way down the coast, at about Ragged Point, the terrain flattens out. It's amazing how much easier it is to ride when it's flat. In my mileage log above, note how the average speed increases, along with the number of miles per day.
South of here too, the cities seem closer together, and there's lots to visit and see. I stopped at the Hearst Castle near San Simeon; I didn't take the tour, but did walk around the visitors center. Morro Bay was a thriving metropolis, and has several good restaurants. Santa Barbara was interesting (I got away from the map here, and got lost, so I saw a lot of Santa Barbara.) Ventura was a nice visit too.
My destination was Newport Beach (south of Los Angeles) and I was warned about nowhere-to-stay in Los Angeles County. There is a campground at the northern boundary, Leo Carrillo State Beach -- and this is near the end of the Los Angeles bus line. I didn't try this, but I think you could take a bus from here, along with your bike, into the metropolitan Los Angeles area. Public transportation frequently accomodates bicycles very easily.
However, the Sycamore Canyon campground, about five miles north of Los Angeles County was more highly recommended, so I stayed there. After setting up camp, I rode a couple of miles down the coast to a restuarant/store with an outdoor patio right on the ocean, the Whale's Net, something like that. The next day, I rode completely through Los Angeles County. It's flat, there are bike paths too. I even had time to stop in Malibu, Santa Monica, and Venice. Venice is a must-stop, especially if it's a weekend. Don't worry about what to see - you'll ride right by everything! Get up early, and allow enough time for dawdling around.
Around Santa Monica, there is an off-road path along the ocean that's flat and goes right by the urban area. You pass the back side of the airport, and ride through to Redondo Beach. Plenty of good places to eat and shop here.
Last year, I rode from the Los Angeles airport, and rode through the Palos Verdes peninsula. This is hilly. But there is a youth hostel up there someplace, if you're hosteling. This trip, I got off the path at Redondo Beach and returned to Pacific Coast Highway, bypassing the peninsula. This I took all the way to Huntington Beach, where another oceanside path runs down the coast, all the way to Balboa. I always thought the Chicago lakefront bike path is the World's Greatest, but this stretch is a very close second. I took this path all the way to the end of the peninsula, then boarded the Balboa Island Ferry (50-cents, for you and your bike) to Balboa Island. There's a small bridge connecting this to the mainland, and a steep hill (Jamboree) right back up to PCH ("Pee-See-Aitch", as the locals call it) or Route 1.
Very early in the trip, while still in the hills, I called my sister in Newport Beach (my destination) and said "I ain't gonna make it, so if you have plans for next weekend, go ahead, because I'm travelling slow! She did, but I arrived on time.
I wouldn't recommend this for everybody, but I camped out along Back Bay Road, right inside Newport Beach. I fully expected to get busted by the local gendarmes, but I didn't. I spent a peaceful night, and saw the tide turn this vast bay into a little stream. I got up on Sunday morning, went to church, and waited on my sister's doorstep until she arrived home.
Along the way, I took several rolls of film. As I finished each roll, I popped it into an envelope and mailed it to Seattle Filmworks. When I arrived at my sisters', I had two rolls of film waiting for me, to be download from the internet. Two more rolls arrived that way while I was staying there. When I got back to Chicago, the hard-copy prints of the trip started to arrive. So this method of handling film on the trip has some advantages. This is something you might want to consider for your next trip, if you can get internet access along the way, perhaps in a public library, school, or something. I'm posting this to alt.bicycles.rides, and I'll make this tome available on my homepage and maybe include a couple of the pictures there too.
The scariest part of the trip? Not during the trip, but when I arrived at my destination, I began sorting through the stuff I was carrying. I thought I had a spare tube - but found it wasn't for my bike, but for another bike! Yikes! I didn't have a single flat the whole trip, but if I had one and it wasn't patchable, I would have been in very serious trouble. I was very meticulous in packing (I even made a layout of the bags, and which pocket contain what, and carried this mini-map on the trip, to make things easier to find) but I didn't check which tube very carefully.
The Tip of the Trip? I enjoy sending postcards along the way on a trip like this. But sometimes the stamps get wet, stick together, and make a real mess. I went on a long trip one time, and had to stop at about three post offices along the way, trading in stuck stamps, for new ones. Now I carry a little booklet of these self- adhesive stamps. They work great! Minimal protections against the rain is needed; even if they get damp, they work fine and don't stick to the book, or each other, and they work well on the cards and letters to home.
I lost about 6 pounds on the trip, and I ate pretty good too. So if anybody's interested in losing weight, there's something to be said for this no-diet plan. However, after the trip my appetite stayed up -- so I'll probably regain the weight.
It was a great trip. Along the way, in the north, I said "Never again!" but now I'm not so sure. Time dulls the memory of the hills. (Those were hills, not mountains, right?) Maybe next year I'll fly further north someplace, ride south, hop a train to someplace else, and ride south from there. I'm not sure.
But I am looking forward to doing something like this again.
Soon.
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