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.