SF to Mexico via Pedal-power
Folks, a great ride! Safe passage, 650 miles in 7 days, a gorgeous route with terrain
that ran the gamut and was stunning in its beauty. Very cool to see just how far one
can comfortably travel under one's own power.
Look for this ride report to be updated almost daily with highlights and anecdotes
of the distinct stages.
Highlights
* Beginning of the ride crossing Golden Gate Bridge with post-card perfect day,
blue skies and temps in the 80s.
* 8 mile stretch from rt. 84 to Pescadero; road winds on the edge of small cliffs
just above the ocean. Gorgeous!
* Big Sur; 90 mile stretch from Carmel to Hearst Castle; dramatic climbs and descents
along huge cliffs that plummet straight down to the crashing surf below. Breathtaking.
* Elephant seals doing their head-slamming thing just off of the road in
Cambria.
* Riding alongside groups of dolphins as I approached Santa Barbara.
* Point Mugu - Malibu; the stuff car commercials are made of...blue ocean
surfers, kite-surfers, movie-star mansions, another world. Passed on lunch with
Pamela Anderson as I was in a really good rhythm.
* Fine dining every night on an empty stomach!
* $4.95 breakfast on a deck overlooking a surfing beach and skating path. Eggs, french
toast, home fries, bacon, english muffin, and friendly service. Check it out
at end of Garnet Street in the Mission Beach area of San Diego.
Lowlights
* only had 3 car incidents in 650 miles, two of which involved people throwing objects/trash
at me and the other simply people literally hanging out of a car to give two-arm middle finger
salutes....something about me being on a bike in a bike lane I guess.
A pretty clean ride though I must say given the distance and so few incidents. On the
other hand, despite having ridden thousands of miles in foreign lands, the US
remains the only place where I have had bottles, cans, trash, cigarettes, etc. thrown
at me.
* Flatting on 4-lane Interstate 5 and realizing I forgot my pump. Prior to 9/11 riders were able
to ride through the enormous coastal military area, Camp Pendleton, as they made their
way between San Diego and LA---not anymore. Another one of those freedoms that
has been removed to help keep us free.
Ended up walking several miles to 1st exit.
You Know You're In Califoria When.......
* A senior citizen passes you on a bike path with high-speed wheel-chair equipped
with Rock-Shocs suspension, and his wife is standing on a special made platform on
the back.
* Ohhh, those roller-bladers on the bike path in Santa Monica.
* You share space with Kite skate-boarders cruising the same bike paths
* You see a home-less dude with a motorized skateboard, connected to a wider platform
skate-board which carries his belongings.....connected to a 3rd skateboard on which
rides the dude's dog.
* The Terminator offers Arianna Huffington a role in Terminator 4.
* You don't have to pack any rain gear because it NEVER rains in August or
September!
Stage 1
Mill Valley > Santa Cruz
Distance 105 miles
Fuel 4 water bottles Champion Nutrition Revenge, 2 banana breads
Route: Golden Gate Bridge > Hwy. 1
Terrain: rolling
Stage 2
Santa Cruz > Monterey > Gorda (Big Sur)
Distance 100-104 miles
Fuel 5 water bottles, bagel, 1/2 bag of Power Bites
Terrain: extreme rolling, Big Sur Hwy. in particular
Stage 3
Gorda > Pismo Beach
Distance 88 miles
Fuel 2 water bottles, 1/2 bag of Power Bites
Route Hwy. 1 > Morro Beach > back roads to San Luis Obispo > Pismo
Terrain: medium rolling mixed with flats
Stage 4
Pismo Beach > Santa Barbara
Distance 100 miles
Fuel 3 water bottles + 1 Red Bull, 1/2 bag of Power Bites
Route: Hwy. 1 > Lompoc > Santa Barbara
Terrain; flat mixed with modest climbs of 2-3 miles, to modest rolling
Stage 5
Santa Barbara > Redondo Beach (Los Angeles)
Distance 105 miles
Fuel 3 water bottles + 1 Red Bull, 1/2 bag of Power bites
Route: mixed back roads with Hwy. 1 & 101
Terrain: gentle rolling
Stage 6
Los Angeles > Del Mar
Distance 100-105m
Route: (m2 opted out of the first 20 miles, 15 of which were an urban LA nightmare
through the Port area of Long Beach. Tough neighborhoods with no bike lanes, heavy
truck traffic, stoplights, etc. No redeeming aspect to this section other than
to have survived it, so went sightseeing with my wife and son and rode from Huntington
Beach.
Terrain; flat to gently rolling
Stage 7
Del Mar > Tijuana
Distance about 50 miles
Fuel 1 water bottle, one coffee, one bagel on the ferry
Route: complicated mix of secondary roads, bike paths, ferry ride, and more of
the same
Terrain: mostly flat
"Ohh Mexico, never really been, but sure'd like to go..."
Well, that's how the song goes anyway. Truth is I have been to Mexico, but I've
never gotten there via pedal power.
Riding from Mill Valley to the border this week. Leaving Monday morning the
22nd and should arrive sometime Saturday some 650 miles later. September weather
in CA is typically gorgeous and road tourists are fewer.
Mill Valley > Golden Gate Bridge > Santa Cruz > Carmel > Big Sur >
Santa Barbara > Newport Beach > San Diego > Mexico! Oh yeah!
M2 thinks this might provide a blueprint for future training trips. Stay tuned
for photos and observations. Limited e-mail access during this trip.
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