California Day 15 - Leo Carrillo State Park to Hermosa Beach

 It was a short day today. The best option to stay in Los Angeles, balancing fun and economy, looks like the Hermosa Beach Hostel. Which is only 40 miles down the road, but that leaves two 60 miles days to wrap up the trip and that's fine. Besides, I need to do laundry.

The first half of the day was riding through 21 Miles of Scenic Beauty, as the sign describes Malibu. Here is a picture of the misty Malibu morning.

Here is a Malibu in Malibu!

I spent all morning looking to take a picture of a Malibu in Malibu. I rode through about 20 of the 21 scenic miles before I spotted one.

Here are other cars that are at least as likely to be seen in Malibu as a Malibu, based on my personal observation:
* Rolls Royce
* Aston Martin
* VW iD Buzz
* VW Microbus
* Lucid Air

Rivians and Cybertrucks are common. Porsches are abundant.

I suspect the Malibu Malibu belonged to the landscaper working on the yard across the street.

The southern part of the Pacific Coast Highway has mile after mile of vacant waterfront lots where the homes had been demolished. This was quite a puzzler. That's a lot of valuable home sites where there were obviously lots of houses, which are gone. Later on, the Internet explained to me that all burned down in the Pacific Palisades wildfire.

Here is a picture of a tree.

And here is a view looking back up the road from the start of Santa Monica.

The hostel doesn't have guest laundry, so Google Maps says the closest laundromat to the route is on Lincoln Ave. in Santa Monica. Lincoln Ave. is a major urban thoroughfare. So I left the scenic bike paths and went into the big city. 

It was a nice laundromat. Clean and efficient. Washing and drying a load was less than $5.

I got a spicy Italian sandwich and a Mexican Coke at the LoKal sandwich shop a few blocks down. It was excellent.

And the laundry side trip didn't actually add much mileage, because the route has to go around Marina Del Rey anyway. 

It was 10 miles of riding along the beach from Marina Del Rey to hostel.

Which is the second and third floor of this building on the main drag of Hermosa Beach.

I had to lug my bike and gear up a long flight of stairs.

Hermosa Beach is a big hotspot.

I had dinner at Hennessey's Irish Tavern, the green building in front on the right. The hostel is the white building behind it. There are so many walkable options here!

Electrolytes are replenished.

And I had a huge, hearty bowl of Shepherds' Pie. I am all fueled up for tomorrow.

Tomorrow's lodging is not locked down yet. This may become an adventure. I want to camp, but there are reports on The Internet that the state park halfway between here and San Diego may not actually have a hiker biker campsite as advertised. We shall see. Motel rooms are very expensive.

Here is the Strava track for today: https://www.strava.com/activities/17870485637

California Day 14 - Santa Barbara to Leo Carrillo State Park

 I am camped in the lovely, secluded hiker-biker site at Leo Carillo State Park. 

It's tucked away behind (and thankfully downwind from) the RV Dump Loop. 

The way the hiker-biker sites work is you don't need a reservation, you just show up on foot or on a bike. They are $10. They have picnic tables and fire rings. That's it. Regular campsites are very expensive and booked months to years in advance for parks near the beach like this one is.

I am the only hiker-biker. I feel like the last of a dying breed. This is the perfect time of year to be bike touring along the California coast., the weather is totally pleasant, and no rain. And yet, I am the only bike tourist. I haven't seen another one.

I'm very happy to be here.

This was a really nice day of touring. The temperature topped out at 70 degrees, there was a tailwind, no hills to speak of, and I happily cruised along for 60 miles of mostly beautiful scenery, with mountains to my left and the ocean to my right.

I just had a cup of coffee to start the day at the hostel in Santa Barbara. I stopped for a scone in Summerland at a very fancy housewares store with an attached cafe called "Field and Fort". I suspect rich people live around here.

A few miles farther along in Carpinteria, I found the meadery, Apiary Brewing, that I heard about back in New Cayuma. It was only 10 AM, and unfortunately, they don't open until two. So I could only gaze on it longingly as I rode by.

After Carpinteria,it's lots of bike lane along the 101. Which is scenic, but pretty loud. 

After about 10 miles of this, the bike route goes into the shoulder of the Pacific Coast Highway aka PCH, aka California State Route 1, which is two lane and very nice. This must be the Ventura Highway of the song. Here is what Ventura looks like:

When I was a kid there were all these soft rock songs like "Ventura Highway" and "California Dreaming" and on and on where California was an idyllic promised land of limitless potential. I suspect that's not true now, and all that opportunity has been hoarded up by the people who moved out in the 1960s. Maybe it was never that way.  Consider "Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay".

But when you ride along the ocean and go through all these towns that are in the songs you grew up with, it feels like it could be true, and you want it to be true. 

But after Ventura, which is lovely, you get to gritty and grimy Port Hueneme. Which starts out nice by a big marina with lots of new condos. I had a bite to eat at a dumpling shop in a shopping strip there.



But Port Hueneme declines pretty rapidly. I don't think anyone ever wrote a song about Port Hueneme.

I actually attempted to book an AirBnb at the last minute 20 miles in Port Hueneme, because there was a room in a house with nice-looking shared common areas, and laundry, and I need to do laundry one more time. It was $84. Which is actually only $60 more than I'm probably going to spend camping here and going to the laundromat tomorrow in Los Angeles. But the host didn't respond by the time I reached my last opportunity to buy groceries before leaving town. So I cancelled.

This is a pretty beat-down Mexican grocery store. But it got the job done. I have a Frappachino and a nut bar for breakfast tomorrow, and a couple nice apples for the snack bag.

Port Hueneme is generally beat down. It's a military town next to the Point Mugu navy base. Look at all the vintage weaponry on display!

After Port Hueneme, it's back to the beautiful Pacific Coast Highway along the beach. 

Sometimes there are tiny clusters of homes between the highway and the beach. Other times, there are RVs parked along the side of the road where people drive the RV out and spend the day. There is no overnight parking except in state parks.

There one and only one restaurant anywhere nearby the campground, Neptune's Net.

It's not very good, but it got the job done.

This looks like a ton of calamari, but it's actually a small bit of calamari on top of a bunch of soggy fries.

But I'm fed, showered, camped, and all set for tomorrow.

Here's the Strava track: https://www.strava.com/activities/17859911849

California Day 13 - Lompoc to Santa Barbara

 It was another beautiful morning in California.

All the climbing today was in the cool, comfortable morning. I had to clear an 1100 foot ridge to get back to the ocean, but it was a long, easy grade, and no big deal.

As soon as you clear the top, the temperature drops, it gets foggy, and much more humid.

Then there is a white knuckle plunge down a steep, twisty highway (101) from Gaviota Pass. Here is a picture looking back at it.

Next thing you know, the road is running along the ocean, pretty much for the rest of the day.

That railroad on the trestle is active. All the Amtrak trains up and down the west coast go on that track.

The only real challenge today was the complete lack of food for the first 46 miles. Despite having a big piece of German chocolate cake before I left, and hitting the snack bag heavily and consistently, I was pretty weak and lightheaded by the time I got to the outskirts of Santa Barbara, where services resumed.

Lunch as at Pollofino's, a Mexican BBQ chicken place in Goleta. Which is just a storefront with styrofoam plates and plastic utensils.

But it was sure good and it totally hit the spot.

I got the chicken and tri-tip combo. Because I will eat as much tri-tip as possible before I get home and it turns back into pit beef.

The Pacific Coast Bike route includes nearly 10 miles of really nice bike trail coming into Santa Barbara. The trail goes right through the UC Santa Barbara campus, then loops around the airport.

I am determined not to waste another day of my bike ride at Motel 6. I think I can do hostels and camping the rest of the way to San Diego. Tonight it is a hostel.

The hostel is in a super prime location, it's right by the "Funk Zone". The Funk Zone is a neighborhood where there is a huge concentration of brewpubs, wine bars, and restaurants. They even have a meadery!

Which was closed for a private party, dammit. But that didn't stop me from going in, chatting up the owner, and wheedling myself some samples. This is more mead that is sparkling, light, crisp, and dry.  They had an interesting attempt at watermelon mead, which did in fact have some watermelon flavor.

I wound up at the Validation brewery taproom.

Where I had an excellent Irish Porter, a smoked Hefeweisen, and these wings.

We sure are far from Buffalo. I told the bartender they were really hot, and he said they make them with Jalapenos (mistake) which vary widely in how hot they are. 

Santa Barbara is a fun place. This is a great overnight town.

Here is the Strava track.  https://www.strava.com/activities/17847079212/overview

California Day 12 - San Luis Obispo to Lompoc

 Now we're talking!

I got to ride by the ocean for awhile this morning. This is Shell Beach. It's next to Pismo Beach, which I passed through yesterday and today. Here are the same houses on a hilltop I took a picture of yesterday, but this time from closer to the ocean.

The route turned inland for the rest of the day, to go around Vandenberg Space Force Base. Donald Trump made us have a "Space Force". So that means we have Space Force Bases.

Inland, south of Santa Maria, where I stayed two nights ago, it's very agricultural. I saw people picking massive quantities (truckloads) of cauliflower and strawberries.

I'm not sure what that yellow stuff is on the left. Maybe it's rape? Maybe it's radishes planted as a cover crop gone to seed?

To get out of this farmland, you have to go over a big hill. It's not as big as the hills before today, only 1000 feet of climb, but it's 90 degrees out. There was a tailwind at least. but it was pretty gruesome.

I stopped for lunch at Jacks in Orcutt for a club sandwich, and as much electrolyte-packed lemonade as I could drink right before the big, hot climb.

I got to the top about 2:30, at peak afternoon heat. That's Lompoc way down below. No more pedaling was required.

I think Lompoc residents are mostly people who work at Vandenberg. There are plenty of hotels, but only one of them is cheap, near restaurants, and possibly OK.

I mean, California is the home of Motel 6. There are Motel 6's everywhere. And they are so cheap.

I've been staying at Motel 6's for decades, because they always allow dogs. Since when they had Tom Bodett doing their radio commercials with the cheesy music where he says they'll leave the light on for ya.

And they have a really simple formula.  Basic place to sleep, nothing you don't need, for cheap.

So is this Motel 6 here in California, the Motel 6 Heartland, going to be like they were in the good old days?

Nope.

It boggles my mind about how no Motel 6 can execute such a simple formula anymore.

In addition to the missing smoke detector,
* The sink faucet is not actually attached to the vanity top.
* The reading lights next to the bed don't work.
* The first room they gave me had not been cleaned from the last guest (unmade bed!)
* The room keys cannot be programmed for the lock on my door. So every time I go out, I have to have the desk clerk come back and open my room with the master key.

The desk clerk, by the way, is the nicest person ever. Despite the chaos surrounding her, she is sweet, charming, and friendly. If anyone from Lompoc who owns a motel ever reads this, you should go by the Motel 6 and offer her a better job at a decent place.

She recommended this awesome pho spot for dinner, too.

So much food! I couldn't finish it.

I have to climb another big hill first thing tomorrow morning to get back by the ocean, and there is not supposed to be any more crazy heat. I spent the afternoon locking down the stopping points for the rest of the trip, and I am very excited.  

Here is the Strava track: https://www.strava.com/activities/17833384143

California Day 11 - Santa Maria to San Luis Obispo

I've made it to San Luis Obispo. Here I am in front of what I am pretty sure is the exact same hostel I stayed at 20 years ago.

Twenty years ago, my friend Jim and I decided to ride from San Francisco to San Diego. I only made it to San Luis Obispo, when I had to abandon the ride because I came down with with the flu. That trip report is here: https://viciouscircle.us/spring2006/Day04SanLuisObispo/index.htm

So now, 20 years later, I am going to finish the ride.

It was a pretty easy day today, just 30 miles from Santa Maria to here. It's very beautiful here. I got my first glimpse of the ocean at Pismo Beach.

From there, I headed inland to SLO, which was a nice ride up a canyon. Check out these hilltop houses at Pismo beach! 

I bet the people live in these houses don't ride bikes much. I hope the view is worth it.

I had lunch a few miles before here, which constituted a huge lifetime bucket list accomplishment.

I had an In-N-Out burger.

This is generally considered to be the best fast food hamburger. It's pretty good. Fixings are super fresh and crisp. It is not a greasy gloopy mess. (I'm talking about you Whopper and Baconator.) But it's not as good as a Culver's Butterburger, or Five Guys. The fries are nowhere close to Five Guys. If I never have another In-N-Out Burger, I won't care.

The hostel won't check you in before 4:30, and it's only 30 miles, so even though I slept in, and took my time getting going, I had a couple hours to kill.

Good thing I'm out of clean clothes.

And I still had another hour to kill. They would let me drop my bags at the hostel, so I did, and rode a couple miles to the REI and replenished my supply of electrolyte powders.

I am back in affluent, civilized areas. There is an REI.

The hostel is about six blocks from the main commercial strip in town. I walked over for dinner, to a BBQ place, which happily has a special Sunday special on Electrolyte Replenishment.

I so replenished my electrolytes. I had the "Tri-Tip Sandwich" for dinner, with a side of ranch beans.

                                            

What are Tri-Tips? This is a new one for me. I asked the bartender. She helpfully informed me that it was a part of a cow. OK.

Is it pit beef? Nobody here has ever heard of pit beef. "Well, we do slow roast it in a pit..." I think it's pit beef.

San Luis Obispo is really nice. The people at the hostel think it is really expensive and really boring. I asked them what people do here. "Nothing. It's all retirees."

I get a vibe that is very much like our the neighborhood of Wyndhurst, where our second home in Baltimore was. The houses are all from the 19-noughts. Everybody plants flowers and landscapes their yards. Except here, the landscaping can include giant agave plants. Which are cool.

I'm now relaxing at the hostel, watching this evenings film entertainment, which is "Wall-E", projected onto a bedsheet hung over the fireplace. This is great.

Here's the Strava track: https://www.strava.com/activities/17822490776