June–July 2021
In June of 2021 I took a trip down the California coast. As expected, it didn’t go as expected — just like life. I kept a journal over the course of the trip, and here it is.
6/29/2021 — Honolulu to San Francisco
Chieko got me to the airport around 8pm. The flight was uneventful — I slept the whole way despite being jammed into economy. I assembled my bike at SFO, minus my CO2 cartridges (thanks, TSA). I hopped on the BART and a bus to Pacifica. Everyone in SF has been so pleasant — they’ve got their own version of aloha out here.
The ride has been tough. First off, my racks are cheap and already screwing up — I should have bought better ones. I made my distance goal for the day, but it was much harder than I anticipated. At the end of the day I stopped at Pescadero looking for food and water and happened to meet a cool guy named Ben. He invited me up to his place and we chatted about life — he works on a dairy farm. Super nice guy, inviting a total stranger into his house just to fill up some water bottles. The world is still full of good people. In fact, there are far more good people out there than bad — I need to never lose sight of that.
Mileage: 40 · Food: doughnut, fish burrito, Snickers, plum, chips, horchata · Slept: boondocked on Pescadero Beach
6/30/2021
No entry.
Miles: 65 · Food: pizza, coffee, fruit · Slept: boondocked at Moss Landing
7/1/2021
Miles: 60 · Food: chicken, ice cream, 2 Burger King egg sandwiches, bananas, fruit, nuts · Slept: hotel
7/2/2021
Part of having a plan is staying flexible within it — and trusting in God’s will. The good old EGBOK theory: Everything’s Gonna Be OK. I was coming into Monterey and having trouble with my derailleur. The mechanics fixed up my bike and gave me some info on a shortcut around Pebble Beach. It was a lot of climbing, and once I finally got there I realized I wasn’t really ready to tackle Big Sur. Fifty to sixty miles unsupported is advanced, and I’m intermediate at best.
At that point I decided to head back to Monterey, get a hotel, and regroup — about a 15-mile trip in the wrong direction. I got totally lost heading back. My GPS tried routing me through private property I couldn’t cross, and I ended up on a very busy Highway 1. By that point I honestly didn’t care if I got hit by a car — I’d pedaled over 60 miles two days in a row and my legs were completely cooked.
I eventually made it to my hotel, went to Whole Foods, bought a chicken and some ice cream, and passed out. That was yesterday. Today I changed the plan and decided to camp at Veterans Memorial and just relax. I’ve met a couple other bikepackers, one of whom also has a YouTube channel — it was nice to talk with them and work through some of my uncertainty and fear about cycling Big Sur. Tomorrow I’ll pedal to Salinas and take the Amtrak to SLO, get a hotel there, and start heading south.
Miles: 5 (rested in Monterey overnight) · Food: sandwich, chicken, yogurt, nuts, croissant, coffee, bananas
7/3/2021
What a night — cold and rural. I was between Arroyo Grande and Guadalupe as it started getting dark. I asked a local where I could pitch a tent, and he pointed me to a local park. Not having much choice, I went and checked it out. It was far more exposed than I imagined, and there were still quite a few people around, so I scoped out the other areas too. Nothing looked good, so I just threw my mat down and slept where I was. In total I probably got three hours of sleep.
Before that, I ran into a really interesting woman. I was asking her for directions, and she got really close to me — I offhandedly said, “Don’t worry, I’m vaccinated.” She replied, “I’m not!” and launched into the virtues of urine therapy and fake news. Anyway, she was fun. I should have asked if she’d gotten her Q-drops.
Miles: 45 · Food: sandwich, fruit, PB pretzels · Slept: a park in Guadalupe
7/4/2021
After about 3–4 hours of sleep, I woke up and packed my stuff — I’d hardly slept because of the cold, and it sucked. I rode the 166 east to Santa Maria, where I popped into a Starbucks, drank some coffee, charged my devices, and took a big dump. I’d felt terrible on the ride there, but after hot coffee and a good poop I was good to go.
The second leg was Santa Maria to Lompoc. Some steep climbs, but overall I felt good. I pedaled around Lompoc and had an amazing juice from the sweetest shop owner. After that I grabbed a carne asada burrito to bring along to Gaviota. That ride was much harder than expected — just climbing, climbing, and more climbing, with the sun out in full force. I really thought the final leg would never end. Had to stop once for a break, but otherwise it was fine.
I didn’t expect Gaviota Beach to have hiker/biker sites, but they did. I paid the fee, headed down to the beach for a bodysurf, and ate my burrito. Life is good — after so much cold, it was great to finally get some sun.
Miles: 55 · Food: Del Taco breakfast burrito, hash browns, OJ, carne asada burrito, banana, PB pretzels, juice, gels, lollipop · Slept: Gaviota Campground
7/5/2021
Had a fantastic night’s sleep, but my bivy doesn’t breathe well, so I woke up wet from condensation. I got a later start than usual, hitting the road around 8:30 with the sun already blazing. Like an idiot, I lost my sunblock. The ride was partly on the 101, which was stressful, but the other half ran through bike trails in Goleta and Santa Barbara, which was really nice.
The bike infrastructure through Goleta and Santa Barbara was absolutely amazing — buttery smooth roads and no cars. I had a nitro espresso in Goleta and some mediocre Italian food on State Street in Santa Barbara. On the way out I stopped at Trader Joe’s for burritos and a salad — the first vegetables I’d eaten in a week. Met a few cool people today: a really nice family car camping who gave me some senbei, and a Santa Barbara local named Mike who rode with me for about 15 miles.
After fueling up, I rode an easy 10 miles down to Carpinteria Campground and set up for the night.
Miles: 45 · Food: banana, trail mix, tortillas, mac and cheese, Coke, protein shake, salad, nuts · Slept: Carpinteria State Beach
7/6/2021
Woke up in Carpinteria after a good sleep. I was keenly aware that as I got closer to LA I’d need to keep a much closer eye on my stuff. I started pedaling while eating breakfast from my Trader Joe’s stash. Great weather, fantastic bike paths, and great views of the Pacific the whole way. I arrived in Ventura, grabbed a coffee and a muffin, and continued south with the idea of stopping in Pt. Mugu. After a long slog through Oxnard and around the air force base, I saw a sign for the Santa Monica Mountains.
At that point I had a really good tailwind and didn’t feel like stopping at Pt. Mugu. I was told the next chance to stop would be about 15 miles south at Leo Carrillo, so I kept pedaling south along a beautiful stretch of coastline. I decided I really wanted to push all the way to Santa Monica and get a hotel. I slammed some gels and pedaled like the wind — my legs were pretty smoked, but the thought of a hot shower kept me going.
After some hills in Malibu and some terrifying riding with cars inches away from me, I started seeing signs for Santa Monica. I finally hit a protected bike lane and cruised in. After several miles on the beach path, I arrived at the Santa Monica Pier — packed with people, which was almost a shock after days without seeing a soul. After booking a hotel in nearby Culver City, I pedaled through Venice and was shocked at the condition of the place. It looked like Skid Row on the beach — a genuinely disappointing sight.
Miles: 110 · Food: muffin, coffee, breakfast burrito, Panda Express, fruit · Slept: Super 8, Culver City
7/7/2021
Woke up late, pretty sore from the previous day. I was anticipating an easy day into Orange County, but Google had other plans. If there’s one thing I learned from this whole trip, it’s to carry a dedicated mapping device — Google Maps just can’t be relied on. It routed me through the back side of Long Beach, which turned out to be the port freight area — an absolute hellscape on a bicycle. It made for a very long, slow trudge through some of South LA’s less scenic neighborhoods.
I eventually made it back to PCH, which dumped me into coastal Long Beach — busy, but also really nice. I stuck to bike paths along the coast until the road opened up in Seal Beach, then cruised through Huntington Beach and into Newport, admiring all the opulent cars and boats. That’s one nice thing about traveling by bike — it gives you time to notice small details you’d miss from a car.
I decided to stop at Crystal Cove for the night. It’s a rare stretch of open, undeveloped beach in Orange County — no houses, just nature, a Trader Joe’s, a Starbucks, and an Alfa Romeo dealership (this is OC, after all). All in all, a good night, and I slept well.
Miles: 61 · Food: burrito, fruit, pasta, salad, gels · Slept: Crystal Cove
7/8/2021
Woke up to pounding surf at Crystal Cove around 5am, packed my bike, and pushed it up the hill to the highway. Stopped at Starbucks for coffee and to charge my phone, and was on the road by 7:30 with my bike already hurting. Today was the final day, with Encinitas as the goal — with a small pit stop in Oceanside for lunch with a friend before getting a room in Encinitas and taking the train back to LA.
The ride through Laguna Beach and Dana Point was tougher than it should have been — lots of rollers, and every part of my body was feeling it. I couldn’t hold the handlebars in the same spot for long, and I couldn’t sit in the saddle without pain. I rolled into San Clemente around 9:30 and had an It’s-It, which I’d forgotten about until I spotted it in a market — basically an ice cream sandwich dipped in chocolate. A little fuel for the next stretch.
I wasn’t sure how passing through USMC property would go but quickly learned I couldn’t get access to the base, meaning about 8 terrifying miles riding on Interstate 5. The shoulder was wider, but I was more worried about all the road debris that could puncture a tire. I have never been so happy to see the Oceanside harbor exit sign in my life. Oceanside has definitely gone upscale, and it was great seeing Chris, even if only for a minute.
After lunch I suffered through another 11 miles to Encinitas, where I checked into my hotel. All in all, it was a great bike trip, and for a first long-distance ride, I’m really proud of how well I did.
Miles: 55 · Food: fruit, trail mix, Reuben sandwich with fries, tikka masala · Slept: Days Inn, Encinitas
