Saturday May 2, 2015

What a great day of riding. The first 30 ks were on Highway 101 and was typical of highway riding. It was pretty, but when you have to concentrate on the traffic, it doesn’t give you much time to appreciate the scenery.  However, we did spot these llamas.

We had to go through another tunnel. However, this tunnel had flashing lights to indicate to the vehicles that there were cyclists in the tunnel. I was peddling like crazy. I could hear transports behind me in the tunnel, they passed me as soon as I got out the other side and onto the shoulder. I think they were straddling the centre line in the tunnel so that no one could go around them, thereby keeping it safe for me. Although hearing them behind me made me nervous. So noisy in the tunnel.

A mile after going through the tunnel we exited Highway 101 and joined Highway 1. We had a 4 km climb up to 1,053 feet, sounds so much more impressive than 321 metres.

It was a beautiful route all the way into Lompoc, rolling hills, farmland and valleys, just lovely.

It was a cool, windy ride and when we got into Lompoc we opted to stay in a motel rather than putting the tent up. Washing needed to get done and blog and research can be done for the next week of cycling. Good excuse anyway.

We will have to start sticking to the budget soon.

Friday May 1. 2015

Not a good start leaving the State Park to Santa Barbara, we missed the turn as we left Carpenteria and had to do a U-turn, only added about a kilometer but this should have given us an indication on what the day was going to be like.

The signage on the route today was not very good. We would often get to an intersection and have no idea which way to go. We found this lovely old church because we took another wrong turn.

As we followed the road we spotted this sign, it is quite interesting as the company I worked for had a similar issue in the Township of Tiny.  Public space!!

We eventually found the beach road into Santa Barbara.

We decided to pop up to the REI – oops budget hit! We changed our cot/mat system to a single thicker REI mattress which saved us 3lbs in weight. After we had spent about an hour and a half in REI we decided to see if we could find the hostel in Santa Barbara and stay the night. We eventually found it $85.00 per person in a dorm room – Say What?!!

Forget that, we headed out to El Capitano State Park 32 ks to go.

Then another problem a new name for the book Four Flats – yep I got a flat. We got it fixed and once again headed out to El Capitano.

We had to go through California University Campus, once again no signage and we got misplaced again.

By the time we got to Goleta it was 4:30, we decided to bite the bullet and stay in a motel. It was helpful, as we were able to check the route and send out a few requests for warmshowers over the next few days. Fortunately we do have alternatives if they don’t come back positive. There are state parks along the coast and they are reasonably priced. Of course they have limitations – no power and no internet.

It was one of those days, we cycled 50 ks and didn’t seem to get anywhere. Ah well, the sun was out and it wasn’t windy.

Thursday April 30, 2015

Another great ride today. We had a little climb out of Mugu on Highway 1 and passed Mugu Point Rock.

Then we joined the coastal route, it was lovely. Hills on one side and ocean on the other all on a dedicated cycle lane. We passed a naval base and saw these missiles.

We came into an area where we could smell strawberries, acres upon acres of strawberries.

Then lettuce and cabbage, and more strawberries – Driscoll and Dole have farms in the this area.

A \’poor\’ neighbourhood where every house had a boat dock, some with little boats but most with big boats moored alongside.

We passed two kilometres of parked RV’s. This was a state park area – a small strip of beach on one side, the highway on the other and a trail line next to that – very scenic.

A great new bike path running parallel to Highway 101.

The bike path was obviously needed, as we spotted another ghost bike.

We ate up the miles chatting to a few people along the way. Some suggested we go through Santa Barbara to one of the other State Parks the other side of Santa Barbara, but we decided to stay in Carpenteria and visit Santa Barbara then continue to one of the other parks tomorrow.

We chatted to a lovely lady when we came into Carpenteria, We had lunch at the local grocery store, which had wi-fi. No responses to our warmshowers requests, so we settled into the camp site. Another biker/hiker site.

We went back to the grocery store to pick up something for dinner and more provisions for the next couple of nights.

While we were having dinner, I noticed a couple of trailers that looked really neat. I decided to go over and chat to the owners of these really cool looking vehicles.

This was a mistake! Not because they were not nice people, but because we didn’t tidy up our picnic table. We had left our groceries on the table along with our dirty dishes. The seagull really enjoyed the package of tuna and package of salmon that we had bought and left on the table. Fortunately they didn’t get into the bread or the pasta. I called Ralf over and we tidied up the mess and put everything away.

We have a neighbor who is travelling from north to south with his 80 lb Labrador – in a trailer. Sally (the dog) was more interested in the ground squirrels than being sociable with us, she is very well trained and very gentle.

Another good day.

Wednesday April 29, 2015

A lovely ride today. We left the hostel bright and early after perfectly cooked poached eggs and avocado on toast. Lovely. We quickly got back on the beach path and stopped to chat to a fella, he was Canadian and had lived in Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver. He is now living out of his jeep in California. We continued cycling along the beach path where there were a lot of people sleeping rough, a lot of people! Some of them looked like young people on holiday – others looked like homeless people and this is all they had.

We stopped at this building to take some photos and again we got chatting to a lovely couple from Texas. His thoughts on the folks sleeping rough were, if you have to sleep rough a California beach is not a bad place to do it. His wife was giving us ideas on getting sponsors for the next trip.

At the one-hour mark when we usually stop to have a snack, we had only travelled 5 kms! Ralf jokingly said at this rate it will take us all summer to get to Vancouver.

We cycled through Santa Monica but didn’t stop or go into the main city area, just stayed on the beach cycle path.

When we got to the end of the beach path we spotted a loaded bike, the tent was on the beach surrounded by solar panels. We joined the Pacific Coast Highway again where the shoulder was intermittent, and the cars whizzed by us very quickly, a little unnerving but we got used to it.

We stopped for lunch at Trancas – Malibu Beach area. As we were parking the bikes a couple of roadies came to chat to us. They had just taken part in the opening of a 1.5 mile dedicated bike path. Scott and Chris were an integral part of getting this bike path built and open. They said they had to jump through hoops and there was a lot of opposition, but eventually they got it done. Good on them, 1.5 miles is not very long, but at least it is a start. Now if they can only get a dedicated shoulder/bike lane all the way through their area – that would be awesome.

They asked us if we were going to write a book and if we had any problems with the bikes. We told them we might write a book and no, just the regular wear and tear, and proudly told them only 3 flats in 12,000+ miles. They were astonished “12,000 miles and 3 flats, really 12,000 miles and 3 flats”. Ralf said, what a great name for a book.

We have often been told we are fit or strong but this is the first time that we were told we looked healthy. That’s good because there are times when I am concerned about our eating habits. Pasta seems to be the main stay when we are camping, it is the easiest and quickest to cook. We try and have our veges and fruit, but often it boils down to bananas and nuts. If we are in a hostel we will add more veges to our diet. I think over time our body tells us what we need to eat. Our bodies start to “crave” a particular food – cheese or yogurt, so we add that to our diet. If we start to really look forward to eating an apple, we know we need more fruit, so we try to find a variety of fruits to eat.

One of the problems we encountered today was the large garbage bins that were in the shoulder. They were set at such a position that we had to go into the main lane to go around them.

We arrived at the campground at 2:00 pm, we checked out the facilities. The other campground about 2 miles down the road does not have hiker/biker sites. Hiker/biker sites are for people who arrive by bike or on-foot. You pay less for the site because you could be sharing the area with other bikers or hikers.

The choice was hiker/biker site here, with proper toilets and showers and a picnic table for $20.00, or beach camp site, “long drop” toilets, and only outdoor beach showers for $35.00. No brainer. I think the camp-site is lovely, very quiet in a wooded area, it is a bit sandy but that is because of the drought.

Ralf thinks it could be better, could have some grass, but the showers were good even if we had to pay an extra $1.50 per shower.

After setting up the tent, we went for a walk to the beach. Ralf found a lovely heart-shape stone and gave it to me.

He is still giving me his heart, after all these years. I wrote a message in the sand for him, but it got washed away.

I did it again, and held the waves back so that he could see it.

We love spotting faces in rocks, on this outcropping we could see face and a lizard.

Then we met a family having fun on the beach.

Tuesday April 28, 2015

A lovely ride today. We had to find our way back on to the ACA route which took us through a few subdivisions and on to a busier stretch of road with no bike lane. We spotted a cyclist ahead and passed him. As we passed him we noticed a little girl on a home-made seat (similar to the ones we had seen in Cuba) sitting in the front. We greeted them with a friendly hello and carried on. The Dad picked up speed and we could hear the little girl laughing. As we moved ahead she was urging her Dad to go faster, “Faster Daddy, faster, they are going faster” He managed to stay with us for about a kilometer and the little girl was giggling and urging her Dad to go faster all the way. It was so cute.

We joined the ocean path in Hermosa Beach and once again we followed a lovely off-road cycle path along the ocean all the way into Venice Beach.

We chatted to a guy Cody, who had recently bought a touring bike. Unfortunately his wife is not a cyclist so he is planning on week-long or two week long trips.

We arrived in Venice Beach and found the hostel. It is not as nice as the one in San Diego, but it is cheaper than the hotels around here. We got here at around 12:30 which gave us plenty of time to do some laundry and for Ralf to take his bike to the local bike shop to get his brakes fixed. They did the work for half the price.

When we went out to get some provisions, we stopped in to another bike shop and after chatting to the owners, they gave us some drive train cleaner and some oil for free. How nice is that.

We had a lovely dinner and I managed to update the blog.

Monday April 27, 2015

We were awake early again, the sun was coming through the window. It is a lovely way to wake up.  Solomon had to leave for work at 8:00 but told us where we could leave the key and we were able to leave at our leisure. Solomon had his breakfast on the deck and then spotted the whales. A mom and calf were going up the coast, we could see them spouting and diving, it was awesome.

We headed out of Laguna Beach, the road was busy again. We had a slight deter which took us along the beach path for a short while.

We passed a few high-end car dealerships – Ferrari, followed by a BMW dealership with another consignment dealership.

I asked if we could trade the bikes in on this nice little number.

It was a short ride to Long Beach, and not very exciting. Although as we came along the bike path into Long Beach, we spotted these islands. We asked an older couple what they were and they surprised us by telling us that they are oil rigs. The City of Long Beach told the oil companies that they could put oil rigs out in the bay, but they had to disguise them as islands.

Long Beach is also where the Queen Mary is moored.

We headed up to our cheap hotel room. It is in a bit of a sketchy neighbourhood. We went out for lunch and got some provisions for dinner and decided we would not explore the neighbourhood.

Sunday April 26, 2015

We had a lovely breakfast with Steve and Erin – French Toast, and Canadian maple syrup, strawberries and blueberries, bacon and good coffee. I think I might move in with them. We left at 9:30, it was a little late, but we knew we couldn’t meet our warmshowers host in Laguna Beach until 6:00, so there was no rush.

Most of the route was along the coast, until we detoured through the Pendleton Marine Base.

It was an interesting route, through the base and Ralf took photos while we were going through.  It is a popular route for cyclists, we must have seen 50 or more cyclists.

We were on the highway from Dana Point to Laguna Beach and it was really busy, no cycle path and cars not giving us very much room.

Some of  the houses that have been built along the coast look very precarious.

We arrived in Laguna at about 4:00 and found our warmshowers host’s house. Solomon was not home yet and Sean and Becky (his neighbours) invited us to relax on the deck. They gave us beer and bruschetta and we chatted to them for a while.

There is a great view from the deck.

Solomon arrived home, he had been free-diving. That sounds crazy to me.   You dive down, holding your breath and then come back up again!

Ralf and I decided that we really enjoy staying with young people. They have such a positive attitude. Solomon had so many interesting things to talk about, he has travelled by bike through Eastern Europe and has worked in New Zealand. He is a rocket scientist, very intelligent. It was very similar to when we stayed with Christine, a very intelligent young woman, great to talk to.

Solomon made us a lovely dinner with BBQ chicken, asparagus and brussell sprouts.

Saturday April 25, 2015

We were awake early due to the planes taking off from San Diego airport. The hostel is on the direct take off path and take off every 30 seconds.

We were showered and had breakfast by 7:30. We were loading our bikes and chatted to a guy who wanted to record an “interview” with us. Three attempts later and Nick was a happy guy. Nick wants to do a big tour, but like so many people is not quite ready to give everything up to do it.

We eventually left the hostel and 9:30 am. We are following the Pacific Coast Route to Vancouver. After meandering through the streets a little, we were on the beach path. Lots of people as it was Saturday and it seemed as if everyone was interested in the bikes and us.

Every time we stopped either to check the map, check the garmin or just take photos – someone would stop and ask us questions, even at traffic lights we would be questioned. Where are you going? How many miles? How long have you been out? It took us six and a half hours to get to our warmshowers host at Carlsbad!

We passed numerous beach rental homes, multi-million dollar homes in Oceanside and some nice communities. We chatted to one fellow Canadian, Marie had left Canada a few years ago.

They like their piers along this coast.

When we arrived in Encinitas there was a street market, we slowly strolled down the street and enjoyed the atmosphere. We had a lovely lunch and chatted to an older guy who had travelled in Europe by bike 50 years ago. His budget was $1.75 per day.

We stopped in at a bike shop and I treated myself to a new heart rate monitor, mine had finally given up the ghost coming down the big drop in Arizona.

As we headed towards Carlsbad it started to rain – of course – I had cleaned the bikes. We arrived at the warmshowers host at about 4:30pm, he wasn’t home yet, but arrived 15 minutes later.

Erin put together a wonderful cheese plate – triple cream brie, smoked gouda and fig goats cheese – it was heavenly.

Dinner was Mexican tacos with home-made salsas and wine. We had ice-cream and Steve’s homemade chocolate fudge. We have stayed with some amazing hosts.

Thursday and Friday April 23 and 24

We have decided to spend a couple of days in San Diego. We had ordered the maps for the Pacific Coast Route, hopefully they arrive before we leave on Saturday.

As usual we have things to do before we can enjoy ourselves. I cleaned the bikes and Ralf did the laundry and took care of resupply. The maps arrived today (Thursday) so we were able to plan the route and send out some emails for warmshowers. We got positive responses so we know we have somewhere to stay for the next few nights.

The Pacific Coast route has more opportunity to camp as we go up the coast we should be able to stick to our budget.

On Friday we had a good breakfast of pancakes and yogurt. We headed downtown on the bus.

San Diego has the rent a bike system like many other cities we have been in throughout the world.

The downtown has some lovely architecture.

We spotted a busker, who played really well.

Busking must be good, he just got out of this red Mercedes.

After doing a bit of shopping in Horton Plaza, we headed to Balboa Park.

Balboa Park is a 1,200-acre urban cultural park adjacent to the San Diego Zoo.

We really enjoyed walking around Balbao Park.

The Park and buildings were built at the turn of the 1900’s for a “Worlds Fair” The 1915-16 Panama-California Exposition commemorated the opening of the Panama Canal and provided a major impetus for the creation of the Park as it appears today—the first of two Expositions that created many of the cultural institutions as well as the stunning architecture in the Park.

It has a distinct Spanish influence.

I loved going into the Botanical buildings.

The Orchid\’s were beautiful.

Although the San Diego zoo is world famous it is very expensive ($46.00 per adult). We were more than happy to wander around Bilbao Park, as a lot of the museums and exhibition areas were free.

We ate pasta at the hostel, and bought some \”grape\” juice. Ralf put it in an apple juice container, so that no one knew we were drinking in the hostel!

We chatted to some more people. Leslie came back from her day out and had free passes to the zoo. She offered them to me, but we were leaving the next day. We had chatted to a young woman from NZ who said she was going to the zoo. Leslie handed them out, what a really nice person. We have to be in San Francisco before May 15^th as her daughter will be visiting on May 19^th and she will not have a room for us.

A relatively early night, although tomorrow\’s ride is not very far, we can have a relaxing breakfast and head out later.