San Diego, CA

The ride was over, but I had one last morning in San Diego, so I took a long walk towards Point Loma. I missed Camille. This was a house that I saw along the way that I really liked. Classic.

Beautiful flowers...

the bird of paradise flower, or strelitzia.

very round cactus!

This is how I feel whenever I think about the trip and the wonderful friends I found. Bill and Don were better riding partners than I could have ever imagined. They inspired me to keep riding up those killer hills when all I wanted to do was lay down on the side of the road and never move again. Eating pie, taking photos, sitting by the campfire, talking touring and changing tires with them was a big privilege! Thank you!!! :)

Day 7

In the middle of the night I awoke to a downpour of rain and a slow drip from the top of the tent. I was worried, but unpacked my towel to catch the drip and curled up at the bottom of the tent to sleep the rest of the night. Thankfully there were no additional leaks, but it was still very windy and rainy when I got up for breakfast. Taking the wet, muddy, sandy tent down proved challenging in the fierce wind, but with some help it was stuffed away. Many of the bikers chose not to ride this final day, but my intrepid partners and I were not to be deterred. The ride was cold, windy and very very VERY wet, but we enjoyed every last minute of it. An extra breakfast stop at Harry's in La Jolla was off-route, but oh, so worth it. The most wonderful bacon waffle and mocha ever tasted. We were greeted with some amusement and disbelief as seven of us walked in completely dripping wet. Apparently locals don't ride in that kind of weather!

Gerda and I wave goodbye...

end of the trip, we grab a quick lunch and disperse...

Ray was a fantastic friend and I look forward to seeing him again this summer! Thanks for all those blankets!!! :)

We rode to the bike shop and marveled at the amazing varieties crammed in this tiny shop. Camille was left to be sent home in a box--poor Camille--a very boring way to spend a week after such an exciting one. 

 
I stayed at the Ocean Beach Motel which was pretty much right on the beach by the pier, the longest on the West Coast. 

It was an outrageously beautiful sunset and I enjoyed its breathtaking splendor while watching the waves crash on the rocks.

The bike-shop owner told us that "Hodad's Burger Joint" was the place to go, so we enjoyed some enormous burgers for dinner. Their chocolate milkshake is massively good as well. They advertise themselves as having served under 99 billion! The fascinating atmosphere is definitely a large part of their charm. :) 

Day 6

It was another grey and drizzly day to start. The fog had lifted by the time we departed camp, to reveal a lush green rural landscape dotted with surprisingly rocky hills. 

We saw many different animals along our morning journey--buffalo included. We stopped by a van of bird-watchers to find out that they had spotted a ferruginous hawk. Apparently it migrates through California and is only in this area for one week out of the year.

Today's ride was full of gently rolling hills, and we followed their path through sweetly-scented orange groves and avocado farms. It was interesting to see the stumps of the trees which will soon have the avocado branches grafted onto them. 

cloudy but beautiful views...at least we can see them today!

At the water stop, sunscreen and waterproof socks were applied. Some were more creative than others in the waterproof sock category...Bill proudly shows off his very expensive grocery bag solution. Anne won the category, though, with her orange newspaper bag-duct tape creations. High fashion is needed with this crowd! :) Good times!

Lots of off-the-bike botanizing was enjoyed along the 10-mile bike path to the ocean. On-the-bike botanizing was quickly found to be somewhat hazardous to the rider and promptly discontinued! I have absolutely no idea what kind of flower this is, but it was pretty. :)

The Dawdlers stop for a long-anticipated pizza and beer at Pizza Port in Solana Beach. I enjoyed a couple glasses of a wonderful pear cider with a piping-hot spinach-bacon pizza. Lovely. 

Then it was onto our next dinner at camp and our final map meeting! One last campfire at which I somehow managed to melt just the heels of my riding shoes...still a mystery. Watching the flames to the accompaniment of the roar of the ocean surf was a perfect moment of absolute stillness and peace. 

Day 5

Upon awakening and opening my tent flap, I was greeted by a cold, thick mist-fog-drizzle with gusts of wind. Nice. Sometimes it's harder than others to be a glass half-full kind of optimist, but as I ate my first breakfast, I reflected that really, things could be much worse. I tried out my first wet-tent takedown which proved interesting. I can actually take the inner tent down inside while the rainfly and poles are still up with the footprint. Keeps the tent quite a bit drier, but slightly awkward! Some of the group declined to ride due to the wind and rain, but we persevered.

Bill had yet another flat--so we waited for the fog to clear a little and then set off for our last pie in Julian. Lovely apple pie with a hot chai. :) We enjoyed the descent, but bemoaned the fog which completely cut off any chance of a good view of anything but the road. Our water-stop was at a bakery, and after wringing the water from our gloves and socks, we enjoyed their hot drinks, turnovers and rocking chairs from which we began to drip-dry. 

Bill M. enjoying the respite from the rain.

We cycled to to the "large" town of Ramona (population 15,000 and proud owner of a Super K-mart) and our first stop was a laundromat. Gerda had gone in before us but we amazed the locals by squelching in and then taking layer after layer of our wet clothes off. We removed everything we decently could and then cozied up to the warm machines as our outer layers spun dry. 

the Laundromat Loiterers in their element...me, Don, Bill M. and Gerda

happy beyond words to be warm and dry!

After yet another coffee and snack stop (afternoon tea), we headed to Dos Picos County Park. Wouldn't you know it, as we got close to the camp, the clouds finally broke and we were treated to a few wonderful rays of sunshine! I even got to set up my tent before the map meeting and dinner--a truly unusual occurrence! Despite the miserable weather, we came through it all smiling and enjoying (almost) every moment! :)

Day 4

I think I have become a hobbit. A large breakfast complete with trimmings, second breakfast down the road, elevenses (also referred to as a water stop), lunch, afternoon tea and then a very large dinner have become essential requirements to the day--between which I feel as if I'm starving. It's become completely ridiculous the amount of food I'm eating, but I suppose it only equals what I'm burning up these hills. At breakfast the ladies decided to form the "Bacon Appreciation Society" and judging from our plates, we fulfilled our obligation to the name most thoroughly! :)

Today is another big mountain climbing venture. It's not only hard to leave the beautiful desert vistas, but the initial gentle climb into the hills reminds my already exhausted climbing muscles that up is their only option today.

I love this place.

As we rode through the desert landscape, we noticed the cacti all in bud and wished we could stay to see them in bloom. 

barrel cactus

don't get stuck in one of these!!!

the mountains we must climb over today...a beautiful agony! :)

all that was left of the Vallecito-Butterfield station along the old stage line trail that started in St. Louis. The first stagecoach carrying mail and passengers to travel this trail left September 15, 1858. talk about a long, bumpy ride...

battling the wind, pedaling downhill and then toiling back up again...what a day, but still going strong I am determined to reach the lunch stop! :)

just before reaching our campsite, we stopped back in Julian for some more pie and coffee...after all, we must do a comparison test...and the apple-boysenberry pie was sure tasty! we reached our campsite high in the mountains just in time for the map meeting and another dinner! a large number of us discovered that the lobby outside the shower rooms was nice and warm, so we enjoyed some wild conversation, and general hilarity over the SET game that I had brought before wandering back through the thick fog to our tents for the night.

Day 3

Today, all that I could think about was the word "downhill". After the previous day's numbing effort, it was imperative that "descent" be the main theme for this day. And it was a beautiful one. The weather was perfect and after our first breakfast at camp, Don, Bill, Bill* and I biked to Julian and stopped to sample some of their famous apple pie with coffee. Fame-worthy it was! After our leisurely "second breakfast", we took the steep, winding downhill to Banner with soaring spirits. The views were incredible, but the downhill was so addictive that it was hard to stop and enjoy the view. The thrill of the 40 mph screaming downhill is not to be underestimated! :D



After our first big mountain descent, we travelled along San Felipe Rd. with more RV's than I have ever imagined passing us slowly. At one brief lull in the traffic, I caught this picture of our road stretching before us as we ride towards the Tegfiolo Summit. Alongside us on the right is the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail. It's a beautiful ride despite the noise and dust of the "poor mileage club" grinding along beside us.



At the town of Ranchita, just across from the Abominable Snowman, Bill had his second flat tire of the day. You might wonder how many cyclists it takes to change a tire...but we'll never tell! We tried the "dollar-bill" method of tire patching, and it held up for a while.


lots of time to make friends with my buddy the A.S.


Don and Bill relaxing by the roadside...

Finally on our way again, we began our descent into the Anza Borrego Desert. Extraordinary views all the way made riding slightly hazardous, as we sped 30 mph down the steep switchbacks while trying to watch all the changes in the awesome landscape all around us.


Anza Borrego Desert Valley



Although the day was a pretty easy one on the whole, 46 miles and only 3207 ft of climbing, we enjoyed the journey enough that we were again the last ones into camp...just in time for dinner and map meeting. At the end of the day, back at the camp, we enjoyed the sounds of the desert around a campfire. An almost perfect day.



*there were 4-5 "Bill's" on our trip... but only two are featured here!

Day 2

The steady "whoosh" of the coffee maker woke me early and the packing of the gear commenced. After breakfast, there was nothing to do but set off on the grand adventure ahead of us. This was it. One by one, we touched tire to pavement and were off, noticing nothing but the beautiful morning rays of sun and the open road ahead.



As we climbed up the first hills, one couldn't help but notice the stark contrast between the burned areas and those that were untouched by the raging fires of last fall. It was intriguing to see the erratic paths of the burns. In some ways it was much easier to see the landscape because the greenery was gone.



The morning passed slowly as we climbed endlessly. The uphill was unending and relentless. More steep, less steep, but always up as we toiled along the mountain switchbacks. 49.7 miles, 7283 feet of climbing. 4pm map meeting at camp. Would Bill and I make it in time???



The end was in sight and feeling awe, relief and some really sore muscles, we paused to enjoy the view at Lake Cuyamaca. There was still snow on the ground in places, and we laughed with absolute disbelief as we were passed by cars with small snowmen on their hoods, noticed ditches used as tiny sledding areas and saw people actually shoveling snow into their vehicles.



We made it to the Pinezanita Campground just as the sun was setting and just in time for the map meeting. :) Dinner never looked so good! It's truly amazing how good food tastes when you're really REALLY hungry! The whole camp was dark by 7pm and other than the midnight zipper parade, there was some serious sleeping happening!

Day 1

Well, I awoke early after a night of little sleep to the roaring of motorcycle engines as the group of very enthusiastic motor-bikers started their day. I checked out of the Chula Vista Best Western and explored the area. It was full of used car dealerships and auto shops with the usual sprinkling of restaurants and dry-cleaners. As I passed a Mexican restaurant, I was surprised to see the mariachi band in full dress uniform practicing out front so early in the morning. They were having a grand time! What really cracked me up, though, was the van sitting outside a "home-style buffet" restaurant that had four sofas and two mattresses hanging off its top. Quite the sight to behold! I stopped for some lunch at IHOP and amazed my waiter as I wolfed down a very large breakfast. After pulling my luggage to the Palomar Inn, I enjoyed the sunshine while waiting outside for the Adventure Cycling van.




Our camp was at the Salt Creek Community Center on Otay Lakes Rd. just outside of Chula Vista. Camille was already waiting for me there and I set up my tent, a bit nervous about what was to come. We had our first map meeting and general introduction before we got on to the main event--dinner. :) While downing our hamburgers, we all discussed the next day's killer climbs and how long it had been since we'd last ridden, etc. I was relieved to know that I wasn't the only one who was more than a bit intimidated by the statistics of our riding. As the sun set, it quickly cooled off and we headed to our tents for the night. As I was still in a state of nervous excitement, sleep proved elusive.

California Winter Warmer

I can't believe that I leave tomorrow! Final packing and organizing have been the order of the day today... my first real day off in a looong while... These past few days have been marvelous as I've gotten 12 hours of sleep every night. Much needed! I feel full of energy and enthusiasm for all that lies ahead this next week. We'll see just how many up-hills that lasts! The mileage isn't much, just 231 miles in 6 days, but it's that 19,700 ft of climbing that sounds a bit more daunting.

Quoted here is the blurb from the ACA website describing the trip...

http://www.adventurecycling.org/

"A spring ride along the sunny byways of Southern California may be just what you need to clean out a winter’s worth of cobwebs. And we’re definitely not talking Hollywood Boulevard here.

Starting adjacent to San Diego in nearby Chula Vista, we’ll quickly ride past Otay Reservoir, home of a U.S. Olympic Training Center, where resident cyclists, kayakers and other athletes practice their crafts. Next, we’ll bear east toward the Jamul Mountains, no doubt witnessing evidence of the wildfires that ripped through the area in fall 2007. Driven by fierce Santa Ana winds, the fires ignited the largest evacuation in California history, but did not appreciably impact our riding route.

From Jamul, we’ll ride through the rolling, high desert before climbing into the Laguna Mountains and passing through a portion of the Cleveland National Forest and the Cuyamaca Rancho State Park, with its surprising mix of oak woodlands, pepperings of pine, and meandering creeks. The day ends in Julian, an historic gold-mining town now better known for its bounty of apple orchards…and its homemade pies—not only of apple, but of banana cream and other lip-smacking fillings.

The next morning we’ll zip down to the desert floor and ride through Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, where you may momentarily wish you were aboard a mountain bike. The largest state park in California, the Anza-Borrego encompasses some 500 miles of dirt roads. It also boasts plenty of hiking trails passing through dry washes, palm groves, and wildflower-studded open lands. After a night’s stay in the desert, we’ll return to the mountains and Julian via a different route – expect some stiff climbs – to spend another night there. Then we’ll begin a long descent back to the Pacific Coast. Setting up our last evening’s camp at San Elijo State Beach, we’ll be lulled to sleep by the sounds of crashing surf. The next day we’ll make a final dash down the coast, passing through Cardiff-by-the-Sea, Del Mar, Torrey Pines, La Jolla, and Mission Beach.

Sammamish River Trail

It was a beautiful day as I biked from Sammamish up through Redmond. After my morning Aikido class, I picked up a picnic lunch from the nearby QFC and made my way back to the Sammamish River Trail. Biking along the river with a crisp breeze blowing at my back was invigorating. I watched the brightly colored kayakers head downstream as I pedaled in the opposite direction. 

The fake train station park in Woodinville is one of my favorite picnic spots, but I had a long way to go yet, so I pedaled past.

There are really some lovely bridges along the river...so much variety!

And don't forget the lively hens and noisy roosters who rule the forest! Lots of "crossing the road" for them!

another interesting bridge...

and further along, a view of Lake Washington. My hope had been to take the Burke-Gilman trail to the Sound, but as I reached U. Village, I ran out of time and had to turn back.

Very interesting flowering bush spotted along the way.

returning to Redmond, there was a Thomas Kincade moment by yet another bridge.

The sun was reflecting on the trees in the background in a flaming riot of color. Not to be missed.

and a beautiful end to the long training ride...