Beaches, beaches, beaches all day long. Malibu, Santa Monica, Venice, El Segundo, Redondo, Long, Seal, Sunset, Huntington, Newport. Almost 100 out of 135 kms were right on the beach. Like right on it.
About 30 minutes into the day I stopped at a chichi plaza in Malibu for a breakfast burrito at Lily’s. It was outstanding and one of the few in my life that I couldn’t finish. (I had another burrito for dinner so must have had one per day on the trip.) I’m going to consider it the 130 km burrito because I didn’t eat again until dinner. Couldn’t even think about food, actually.
And then the beach path started. Really nice riding in pretty much perfect weather. Venice beach was like a bike highway, so many people of so many types all over the place. Other than that the beaches were pretty quiet and empty. A few huge perks of the beach riding other than the views were very regular outdoor showers (I had many) and water fountains.
There was an hour and a half section where I had to ride through parts of LA. Not interesting parts, mind you, pretty uninspiring parts. There were also a few kms on canal side trails where many people had set up ramshackle dwellings of tents, scraps of wood, tarps and various other things.
The campsite I booked for tonight, this last night, was a walk in/up site. The very thankful CA parks operator I booked it with on the phone said a bike is possible. I looked it up and saw that it was going to be a fairly short but very steep ride/push to my site. When I arrived at the gate, a ranger flagged me down and suggested I follow her to an unused hiker/biker spot that required no Sisyphean hike. She was very sweet and I did not complain! Obviously anyone who rides a bike for 10 days over what could be driven in 1 is looking for the easy way.
I took the spare hour I had and did what I had, unbelievably, not yet done. Went for a swim.
Last 3/4 day tomorrow.
The water looks so inviting. I’m sure you enjoyed your swim. You won’t know what to do with yourself if you only ride 3/4 day tomorrow! Hopefully you’ll have those beautiful bike paths to ride on and you’ll get to Oceanside sooner than you think. The family will be ready, cheering your arrival. Safe travels tomorrow and we’ll see you soon.
Nicely done Chad. I know the family is happy you’ll be there today, Saturday to begin the delayed 50th Celebration! Wonderful you will all be together.
🙂
Thank you for sharing your journey! I have enjoyed reading your posts, all the gorgeous photos and your daily burrito critiques. Way to go! Have a fantastic family reunion.
Enjoyed your awesome ride and photos in California. A nice way to share.
On to today and a wonderful family week ahead.