Yeah, I know this was a couple weeks ago, but we've been busy living life. We got back from our bike trip worked 6 days and then went to Bend, OR for a week to get away from the Rim Fire smoke.
I did this ride a couple years ago to return a bike to a friend in Huntington. I rode the bike down instead of shipping it. Way more fun! Ryan and I have been itching to go on a big bike trip this year, but with the new jobs and move we did a shorter version than what we pictured last fall. In the short version we only carried the basics in a backpack and stayed with friends, family, and a couple hotels along the way. We each brought one bike kit, one change of clothes and shoes, toothbrush, sunscreen, rain jacket, and arm warmers.
We dropped the fur kid off at the grandparents and bummed a ride to the train station in Auburn. Took the train from Auburn to Oakland and then the ferry to San Francisco. From there we rode around the north part of the peninsula and headed south down the coast to Santa Cruz. Day 1 100 miles.
waiting for the ferry
almost to SF
Day 2 was from Santa Cruz to Ragged Point. It was a bit of a frustrating start as you can't ride on Hwy 1 from Santa Cruz to Monterey. We weaved back and forth on rutted farm roads before finally hitting the bike path just north of Monterey. From there on the riding was amazing! We took the scenic route around 17 mile drive which added some miles, but they were beautiful. South of Carmel the coastline is rugged and hilly. We underestimated the ride or overestimated our legs and we finished up the day in the dark. Good thing we brought out MTB lights. We overnighted at the hotel at Ragged Point. Wish we could have spent a little more time there, but we had places to go. Day 2 130 hilly miles.
Somewhere on Hwy 1...
bonking in Big Sur
Day 3 we rode to Solvang. More scenic coastline and then some more farmland and finally some climbs through vineyards. We were both tired this day and struggled on and off. 130 miles
Somewhere near San Simeon
Don't remember what town this was, but they had the best cookies!
Day 4 we rode to Santa Monica. One big climb to get over the mountain into Santa Barbara and the rest of the day was flat with a lot of route finding. Back on the coastline it was like we had landed back in civilization. After 2 days with low traffic and no big towns it felt weird to be riding on city streets with lights and lots of cars. We had bike maps from adventure cycling to help with the sections where you can't stay on Hwy 1. It was still scenic, but much more tame coastline. The traffic got worse the further south we got and the last section from Malibu to Santa Monica was a mess of cars trying to get back on a Sunday afternoon. Bumper to bumper with cars pulling out and car doors opening. I don't think I've ever been more ready to be off my bike. Another 130 mile day. Apparently we were tired and I didn't take any photos.
Day 5 was a short 50 miles to Huntington. We were broken and slowly limped our way south. Venice Beach was entertaining as always. We got slightly lost through the ship yard in Long Beach which was sketchy and scary but eventually we made it to my friend Keevin's house in time for the BBQ! Thanks Keevin for hosting us. We spent 2 days in Huntington and took the bus to the beach (we were done with bikes). We napped on the beach, ate beach stand food, and played in the waves. Bikes were packed up and shipped home while we caught a flight home.
It was a fun time and I was so glad to get to share this adventure with Ryan. We're apparently both into the same time of fun!
