Sunday April 8, 2012
65 miles (105 km) – Total so far: 146 miles (235 km)
A night in a fancy hotel with Nancy. What a nice way to start the tour!
I had locked the bike in the hotel employee parking lot right next to the security office. In retrospect, this was probably a mistake. The trike was fine, but I worried about it all night. “What if something happens to it — the whole tour will be ruined.” I kept waking up and thinking about it. Definitely did not get enough sleep.
Lesson learned – I need to keep the trike in my sight if I am going to depend on it so completely.
After breakfast, I got the trike and loaded up. Nancy and I said our goodbyes, and I was off. I won’t see her again for a week – a bittersweet result of deciding to do this trip. Nancy – I love you, thank you so much for not making this trip more difficult than it already is for me.
The first day’s ride takes me west from Long Beach through Carson and Torrance out to Redondo Beach. I have thought it would be fun to ride to Santa Monica for a long time, but I have always been deterred because I could not figure out a good route west from Long Beach. After a lot of research, I picked the best route I could find, and then rode early on Easter Sunday morning to try to decrease the traffic. The first part of the ride from the LA River west to Torrance Boulevard was OK, but I was glad the traffic was low. Wardlaw Street is wide, but there is no shoulder and no sidewalk – it would have been ugly with traffic. Torrance Boulevard was a pleasant surprise, a nice bike lane through very nice neighborhoods with big, old well maintained houses and wide lawns.
Still ,I was relieved to reach Redondo Beach and return to the beach trail. It being a holiday weekend, the beach trail was very crowded – lots of people walking dogs, roller skating, skateboarding and just plain walking.
The beach trail continues north through Manhattan Beach, past the LA Airport and into Marina Del Rey. I had ridden this stretch of trail once before, when Nancy and I came to ride with our friend Joel. I was glad I could remember that ride, because the stretch around the Marina is a little complicated.
Next up was Santa Monica and Venice. When I was in Venice once before, I saw a guy who juggles a bowling ball, a chain saw and a watermelon. He cut up the watermelon with the chainsaw and ate it while he juggled. It was a memory that stuck with me many years. I looked for him again today, but didn’t see him. It was 20 years ago when I saw him, so he has probably long since cut his arm off or something else that keeps him from performing anymore. Disappointing.
Still, Venice is a kick! Throngs of people selling all kinds of junk, muscle builders working out on the beach, characters all. It was really fun to finally realize my long-held dream of biking to Santa Monica.
The beach trail ends in Malibu, and I got my first taste of riding on the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH). Traffic was pretty heavy, but the shoulder is OK in most places. The road north of Malibu is a series of rolling hills. Slow climb up, and a great flying downhill with sweeping views of the ocean. I have to say – this part of the ride was pretty great! I can understand why so many cyclists ride this stretch of road, despite the traffic.
Near the bottom of the 7th or 8th hill is the entrance to the Leo Carrillo State park. Pull in, pay $7, and set up camp in a lovely isolated camp site with a picnic table. The beautiful beach is a 5 minute walk away.
This was an altogether great day to start the tour out with.