11-07-2026 Ride

Well, this ride was harder than expected. I'd looked at the route the previous evening and saw that it was going to be a 60-mile day for me, which wasn't what I had been hoping for. I had gotten up in the night, had some food, and watched TV for about an hour before getting back to bed and getting some more sleep. Woke up around 5:15 and got up around 5:50. Cleaned the kitchen, did a little blogging, then got ready for the bike ride, which included unpacking my large saddle bag, putting my SPD-SL pedals on my Canyon, and outfitting it as usual. I headed over to the 4S Target through the neighborhood and then took the fast way there, avoiding riding through 4S Ranch. Perse was already there, and we talked a little bit about the trip. Ray showed up, then Cam, Jed A., and Fritz. So we were six fast riders for this route, which also got me a little worried about how hard it would be. I hung out in the back of the pack at the beginning of the ride, and thankfully (at least initially) nobody attacked hard and pulled the group along with them. This was a standard route for us, down CdS to San Dieguito Rd, down Three Witches, then a pace line over to ECR. We took VdlV down to the coast and headed north. No real stopping needed to wait for others, we were all hanging together. On the ride north I was struggling at times to keep up with the others as they begin picking up the pace. As happens fairly frequently, I got dropped on the flat stretch heading into Cardiff and was only able to reconnect with the group because they slowed down for a couple of lights. I generally hung with them into and through Encinitas, then they gapped me again as we rode through Leucadia. Around this point Jed pulled over, had a flat. It was a slow leak, so he pumped up his.tire and we continued on. I was able to basically hang on as we headed toward Carlsbad. On this longer stretch there was a younger couple who were riding faster than us but kept hitting lights, so we basically stayed together all the way into Carlsbad. My legs were starting to loosen up a little bit, so I would occasionally get out in front and lead for a bit. On the way into Carlsbad, Romeo joined us coming from the other direction. But he wasn't riding as fast as he normally does. We got into Carlsbad, there was some discussion about where to stop for coffee, and we ended up going to Shorehouse Kitchen (?), next to Handel's Ice Cream. Perse bought me coffee, and Ray bought some little bread cakes to share. I ended up eating a couple of pieces of cake, a banana, and a chocolate gel along with my coffee. The break was longer than expected because Jed ended up replacing his leaking inner tube after we finished eating. That food perked me up, and my legs felt better on the return trip. It also helped that we had a favoring wind that was starting to pick up. I was able to get out in the lead a couple of times, and we had a good pace. We retraced our route back, with the usual little side trip through Encinitas. We were riding with a loose pack of other riders, including a couple of guys who were a little too free-wheeling with not holding their lines. There was a female rider who was a little edgy about it, and she was commenting to a couple of us. I didn't intend to race up the hill into Solana Beach, but I was around the middle of the pack when we started, and when Perse took off I followed him and was able, with a big effort, to pass him before the top. Then I slowed down, chatted a little bit with the female rider about her expectations for fellow riders she doesn't know, and rode to the turn on VdlV. That's when we heard the Jed had had another flat and had stopped at a bike shop to get a tube and, apparently, another tire. So the four of us - Ray, Cam, Fritz, and I - decided to keep going. We rode together on the flats back to the base of Three Witches. Fritz was nice enough at the start to ask the others to slow down, as they started off pushing the pace harder than I could sustain. Took a break at the gas station, Fritz was cramping and needed electrolytes. Ray and Cam decided to wait for Perse, who was riding solo after Jed headed home to Mira Mesa. Fritz was late for meeting friends, so we rode ahead, he was slow on the return from here, his legs were more cooked than mine. I was glad for the easy pace and had no problems getting back to Target. Didn't stay long there before heading home the new normal way, thankful for the offshore tailwind giving me a push. Home around 12:20, was glad to be done. I did ride to the end of Cora on Pl and back to Duenda Rd at the end to get to 60 miles for the day.

Avg speed = 17.1 mph. Total mileage = 60.3 mi

Avg power = 128 W. Weighted avg power = 155 W

Total elevation gain = 2120'

Avg heartrate = 120 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 73

Training Load = 196

Intensity = 70

https://www.strava.com/activities/20900119783

I had some cheese and bread, chips and salsa for lunch, was also pretty thirsty throughout the afternoon. Watched a little football, fell asleep briefly, but I wouldn't call it a nap. I also worked on catching up with blogging from the trip and beyond. I made egg salad for us to take down to Shelter Island for a little night picnic prior to seeing Dana Carvey at Humphrey's. His opening act was forgettable, his show had a lot of impressions, including all the presidents back to Reagan. I thought those bits weren't as funny as his other impressions. There was a lady in the front row who kept suggesting stuff for him to do until it became comical. Not my favorite show of the fall, but I had a couple of good laughs. Ann enjoyed him more. I drove us home, and after sitting in traffic around the venue we got home a little after 10:00. I went right to sleep.

11-06-2026 Bikepacking Trip Day 5

Final day of the bikepacking trip! We had agreed to get an early start, so I'd gotten some stuff to eat from the motel breakfast area the previous night. Had a chocolate milk, took a shower, began packing up my stuff, then I poured the milk on my cereal. Milk was sour, ugh! So I went down and got another one. Also sour! I ate my cereal dry, along with a banana and a string cheese. Then I finished packing up and loading out my bike. I'd forgotten to charge my phone, so it wasn't fully charged when we checked out of the room and went down to the parking garage on the ground floor. I had it connected to my little power bank to continue charging. All were there except Hugo, who didn't understand the text messages about being ready to ride at 6:30. Charlie needed some Gatorade for the ride, so he went across the street to 7-Eleven, and Hugo showed up shortly afterwards. We all gathered for the starting pic and the start of the ride in that store's parking lot, then headed south on PCH toward Huntington Beach. I don't think I've ever ridden this stretch of road. The sun was still low in the sky, and it was really difficult for me to see because of the glare, so I rode at the back. We were on the highway for the first three miles, then we switched to the Huntington Beach Trail, which was quite nice but also busy with runners, walkers, and a few cyclists. This path took us by Huntington Beach, along with outskirts of Costa Mesa, and into Newport Beach. The path eventually dumped us back on to PCH. We were all riding pretty fast until we got to the wavy part of PCH, with its little downhills and climbs past Irvine, Corona del Mar, and Laguna Beach. I gapped the others when the waviness began, would maintain the gap and then let the others catch up, until I finally got to the top of a climb south of Laguna Beach, near the Ritz Carlton. Charlie wasn't too far behind, and he rode up to meet me. We got a text saying that Hugo had a flat, so the two of us waited at this point for the others to catch up. We weren't too far from Dana Point by then, so we all rode into this little city, turning off PCH and, led by Charlie and Andy, riding over to the marina, which was buried in construction. Andy tried to find a coffee shop he remembered by the marina, but all the shops were apparently closed, and we had to go a roundabout way just to get there. So we tried to get back through a parking lot to Dana Point Harbor Dr, and Charlie had a little spill when he slowed down to avoid running into an older couple on the sidewalk. No injuries, and we were able to get his bike adjusted back pretty quickly. We ended up having a big breakfast at RJ's Cafe, which wasn't in the original plan. Hugo and Nel were okay with the plan, so we did it. The food and service there were very good, and I was happy with the choice. We were behind schedule after breakfast, and the day was warming up, so we took Dana Point Harbor Dr over to the entrance to Doheny SB, rode through it to the parking lot by the actual beach, then got on the protected bike path running along PCH. I kicked in the jets on this stretch, gapping the others and moving pretty quickly past San Juan Capistrano and into San Clemente. Here is where the frustration for me started. Charlie knows this area very well, so he took over and led us through neighborhoods. My route had us riding on ECR, and in hindsight I believe this would have been the better choice. Charlie, Nel, and Hugo were out in front, and I was hanging back with Andy, listening to music. We got separated from the others, but Andy said he knew the way. On one little climb I got out in front of Andy, and he passed me without me noticing it. I waited for five minutes or so, then he called and asked me where I was. I got off the bike route when I tried to catch up to him, was minorly pissed off, and, after chatting with him and Charlie, worked my way back to ECR and followed my original route to the point where I was able to reconnect with the others, on the bike path leading to San Onofre SB, not too far past San Clemente SB. All good after that. We got on the Pacific Coast Bikeway, which is a really nice stretch of roads and paths heading into San Onofre SB. It followed the Old Pacific Hwy for a bit, then went into the park, which is quite long. Much of the park area was closed off to campers, but we were able to get through okay. Past the park, by Las Flores Viewpoint, we rode under the freeway and were again on decent, wide roads and paths as we headed generally southeast. I should mention that we once again had a generally favorable tailwind pushing us along. Charlie and I got out in front on this section, moving pretty quickly down to the Las Pulgas Rd exit, where we had to get on the freeway and ride along the emergency lane. We all gathered up there and then gave each other lots of space, so we could pay attention to road debris to be avoided. I initially stayed with the others, then saw that the road conditions weren't too terrible, so with a fairly strong tailwind I kicked it into high gear and led out. After a couple of miles we had to exit the freeway and go through the rest area, then get back on. Once I was back on the freeway, I really hit the gas pedal and put in a pretty big effort, averaging well over 20 mph all the way to the Harbor Dr exit. There were indeed some stretches of the emergency lane that had a fair amount of debris, but in general it was cleaner than I had expected. All of us got across with no flats, which was a little surprising. We all gathered up at the exit and then took Harbor Dr over to Pacific St and familiar surroundings for most of us. Hugo had run out of water along the freeway, and he was really suffering, so he and I pulled off the main route and went looking for a place where he could find some Gatorade. He took a lot longer at the store than I would have thought, but luckily the others were waiting for us by Jed's house. Hugo and I rode down to meet them, we took a picture with the Bisikleta banner in front of his place, then we continued on. While we had a short break there, we decided to power on to Solana Beach and skip the originally planned lunch break. It was around here that Andy said he planned to ride home instead of catching a ride with me and Ann. He and Nel slowed their pace after that decision, so Charlie, Hugo and I formed the other group that rode faster and, generally, together. We stayed as a fully integrated group following the normal way back from Jed's house to PCH. then we started to separate. Over to Carlsbad, and I was generally leading our small group. We stayed together through this city, then I gapped the others on one of the little climbs. Hugo and I got back together, loosely, and continued on until we stopped to wait for the others at the 7-Eleven just past La Costa Ave. Charlie showed up, then we got a text saying that Andy and Nel were stopping for a soda at a restaurant north of us and that we should continue on to Solana Beach. So that's what the three of us did, following PCH through Leucadia, Encinitas, and Cardiff on the way. I pushed the pace a little bit, was mentally ready to be done, and my legs were feeling fine. Hugo and I separated a little bit from Charlie, then the three of us rode over to Chief's Bar by the train station to stop for a little celebration.

Avg speed = 15.7 mph. Total mileage = 75.3 mi

Avg power = 116 W. Weighted avg power = 143 W

Total elevation gain = 2520'

Avg heartrate = 112 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 70

Training Load = 237

Intensity = 65%

https://www.strava.com/activities/20887430662

It was here that I noticed my jacket and flip flops were gone from the top of my saddle bag. I'm guessing they must have flown off during that last part of the ride. Alas! Leslie was already in the parking lot, on the phone, so while Charlie put his bike in the car and changed clothes Hugo and I went in and got a beer. His wife Christine showed up soon after, and we chatted for a bit before Charlie and Leslie came in. Ann wasn't too far behind them. We all talked a little bit about the trip, a couple of friends of Charlie and Leslie showed up and joined in the conversation, then not too long after that Ann and I left, and she drove us home through surface streets to avoid afternoon rush hour. We got home around 3:30 or so. Was good to relax and eat a little bit, although I wasn't super hungry. I watched a little TV, took a shower (that felt good!), and avoided taking a nap. Ann was really sweet and avoided making pasta for dinner (her original plan). Instead she made a tasty barley soup. I was pretty hungry by that time. Had an easy evening, not much done other than shaving off my 6-day beard. Lights off early, after a long day (<>).

11-05-2026 Bikepacking Trip Day 4

A longer day in the saddle. Woke up around 5:00, not a great night's sleep. Charlie's snoring kept me up for an hour in the night and woke me up in early morning. Ah well. Got up and started organizing my stuff. Had a shower and made coffee for myself and the others. Sunrise was pretty, I took some pics before we left the VRBO, including the interior. We left a little before 7:00, that little climb up to Ensenal was surprisingly tough. Then I took care on the descent to Hwy 1. The group had agreed to ride into Malibu and eat a sit-down breakfast. I would have preferred a quicker option to buy us some time for the long ride. We had a couple of little climbs not too long after we started. On the first one I pushed the pace and gapped the others, then waited for a while at the top. Not sure what the holdup was, itight have had something to do with uncertainty about our chosen breakfast spot. Andy did find us a very good little breakfast place, Marmalade Cafe. Took my jacket off after the first climb, there was another little climb to negotiate, then we descended back toward the coast. We were on Hwy 1 in an area with only an emergency lane, no bike lane, and lots of cars parked in it. At one of these places I hit a crack by the white stripe and got a rear tire flat. Fixed it pretty quickly, with help from the others, and we were on our way. I stayed with them as we all rode to the restaurant at about 13.5 miles. I ate fairly light, steel cut oatmeal and a cut-up banana, with multiple cups of coffee. Another good server, Jason, took care of us. The others ate big breakfasts, especially Hugo. They probably didn't get enough food for dinner the previous evening. We were pretty leisurely with time during breakfast. After the meal we stopped at a convenience store for Hugo to buy some Gatorade. I had noticed that my rear brake pad was rubbing after the tire repair, so I quickly pushed the brake pistons out, with Nel's help, and that appeared to work. Andy left early to get a head start, and the ret of us took our time getting rolling again. This next stretch along Hwy 1 was pretty to the west, somber at times to the east, where I noticed a number of big homes on the hillside completely burned down. We were generally riding right along the coast, which was gorgeous, but riding in the highway emergency lane was a little stressful. At mile 23 we moved over to a beautiful bike path, separate from the highway, on the northern outskirts of Santa Monica. Andy was still ahead of us. I stopped soon after that to pee, the breakfast coffee was catching up with me. Rode past Will Roger's SB. Once we got in sight of the Santa Monica pier I called him and asked him to stop and wait for us. We rode past the pier, got some pics there, and it was a couple of minutes more before we caught up to him. Shortly after that we got into Venice Beach, stopping by Muscle Beach to read the plaques of former bodybuilders (Lou Ferigno, Jack Lalanne). Not too long after that (and another bio break) we turned inland to ride around Marina del Rey, eventually getting back to a bike path on the beach around mile 33. Around this point, Hugo and I gapped the others. I was riding at a pretty high pace, and he was doing everything he could to hang with me. He was actually pretty strong here. We rode past LAX, then got on a surface street and continued riding. Past Manhattan Beach, turning back onto a beach path just as we entered Hermosa Beach. We stopped there and waited for the others to catch up, then rode a short distance before I picked a lunch spot, Sonny's. Food was decent, I had a cheese pizza, a big meal for me, catching up from a light breakfast. Spent a longer time at lunch than I wanted, service and food delivery were slow. Eventually we got rolling, headed south until mile 43, when we turned inland to ride around Palos Verdes, as originally planned. We had a pretty stiff tailwind on this stretch, and Hugo and I were out front, again gapping the others. At one point we stopped to wait for them, since Charlie's Google Maps directions to the hotel were trying to take him off my Strava route. On the short stretch where we were all riding together Andy wore out, so when we stopped in Lomita (a city with a Hispanic flavor, which I'd never heard of) for me to buy some Gatorade (others got some stuff too) we agreed to slow down and let Charlie navigate the ride using Google Maps. This turned out to be frustrating and inefficient, since Charlie doesn't have a head unit, so he had to stop frequently and check his phone about where to turn. With that said, it did cut some distance off the ride. I think it also might have taken us by the old Unocal refinery on Anaheim St. This part of the ride was really gritty, lots of big trucks on the roads, which were not friendly for cyclists. Eventually we found out way to a ramp leading to a bridge across the exist of the Los Angeles River into the ocean. Across that to a better part of Long Beach, riding by the Aquarium and seeing the Queen Mary in the distance. We rode along the coast for a while, by the old THUMS islands and into Seal Beach. Our Best Western motel was along PCH, and we got there around 3:40 after a pretty long day in the saddle.

Avg speed = 14.8 mph. Total mileage = 67.6 mi

Avg power = 106 W. Weighted avg power = 135 W

Total elevation gain = 1730'

Avg heartrate = 117 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 74

Training Load = 204

Intensity = 61%

https://www.strava.com/activities/20876565664

The motel was near an area where folks had houses on the water with generally large boats at their docks. This motel location was okay, closer to Surfside than Huntington Beach, as I had expected, but not too far away. The motel itself was the worst of the trip. Beds and rooms were okay, but the amenities were poor, no pool or hot tub. We checked in, and it felt great just to lay back and relax for a while. I watched a little NCAA basketball, eventually took a shower. Charlie went off to meet with his nephew and his family, so the rest of us later on walked to an Italian restaurant in Surfside for dinner. I had pasta again, it was filling, but the pesto sauce wasn't the best. Still, calories were sufficient. After dinner we walked back to the motel and sat in the breakfast area for a while planning out our strategy for the following day's ride. Nel and Hugo were thinking about riding home from our original Solana Beach target destination, so we agreed on an early start. When I got back to the room Charlie was on the phone helping out an old friend who had gotten herself into a bad contract situation. I did some blogging before calling it a night.

11-04-2026 Bikepacking Trip Day 3

Slept okay, a little better than previous nights (less beer consumed). I woke up and got absorbed in reading about the Blue Wave, then Charlie woke up, and I noticed it was 6:15. I had to hustle to grab a shower, change into my riding gear, and pack my bike up. Down to the lobby before 6:45, Nel was already there, and James came out as well. Charlie, Hugo, and Andy came to the lobby, and we rode a short distance to Jack's Bistro & Bagels for breakfast. Sat outside on a really fine morning, I had some decaf coffee and a couple of bagels. I'd drunk a cup of motel coffee to get some caffeine, and I ate an apple there as well while waiting for the others. We left the motel at 6:54, a little late but not too bad. Got to the restaurant, had our breakfast, and did our morning constitutionals before we headed out. We were rolling again by about 7:50, again within reason. Headed through Carpinteria on surface streets until we had to get on the 101, which was a section I'd worried about. Turns out there is a completely separate bike lane for us, and the views were just spectacular. We followed good bike paths and safe roads for a while until we got to Emma Woods SB, which is closed. It looked like there was a way for bikes to still get through and avoid riding on the 101, so we rode on these old roads. Went past a couple of games and at one point had to walk our bikes across a dirt patch. We made it all the way to the end of the road and we're lucky enough to see some riders on a bike path above us, on the other side of the railroad tracks. We found a very rough, kinda steep dirt path that we were able to use to get up to the true bike path, whose entrance we had somehow missed. This path was in good maintenance and led us all the way into the outskirts of Ventura, eventually dropping us onto the Ventura seaside boardwalk. This section of the ride was a little dicey, having to share the path with lots of walkers, but we made it through. Then we rode by the marina and past it, stopping at a liquor store so Hugo could get some Gatorade. We had tried to stop at a bike shop in Ventura, but we were early (it didn't open until 10:00). So we rode by the dunes along Oxnard Shores until turning inland around the Channel Islands Marina. It was time for our mid-morning break, so I pulled us into a shopping center, hoping to find a coffee or pastry shop. No luck, but we needed a bio break spot, so we ended up stopping at Carl's Jr. Several of us had sodas, some got a snack too. Andy looked up the directions to our VRBO and saw it was in west Malibu, much closer than my originally mapped endpoint for the ride. So we were going to have a shorter ride on this day (and a longer one on the following day). We took our time at this stop, then continued on into Oxnard. I stopped shortly after to tighten the screws on my head unit bracket, then we continued. We rode east aided by a tailwind, then turned south to get to Port Hueneme, turning east again there. This road took us through some farmland until we got to the frontage road along Hwy 1,heqding southeast there along Naval Air Station Point Mugu. The group spread out a bit on this stretch, but we stopped at Point Mugu Missile Park for some photos. This was a cool little stop. Nel had been attached to an F-18 squadron back in the day, so we rolled out the banner and took some pics in front of one of the planes. Our overall pace was slow (we were stopping more than expected), but we had lots of time on this day due to the shorter distance. We continued on, and here Charlie, Nel, and I got out ahead. We eventually got on Hwy 1 and rode on the shoulder (it was fine) past Mugu Rock and along some really beautiful coastline. Wind wasn't pushing us as hard as the previous day, but it wasn't a headwind either. At some point the three of us pulled over to the side to wait for Andy and Hugo, then we rolled on. In this next stretch a strong female rider passed us, so Nel and I decided to pick up the pace and try to match her. She would slow down a little on the slight ascents, then speed up on the descents and flats. I offered to give her a draft at one point, but she wasn't interested. So we rode on her wheel or (me) in front, trading positions until we got to Neptune's Net, our lunch spot. We pulled off there and waited for the others. This is obviously a seafood spot, with burgers, but I wasn't interested in a $20 Impossible burger. I had Cole slaw, then later a beer and an ice cream bar, while we killed time until we could check in to the VRBO, after 2:15. It wasn't too much further down the coast, 5-6 miles. Others' legs were more tired than mine, so on this last segment I gapped the others and rode fairly hard to the turnoff. After everybody showed up we had to climb about 300' to the VRBO. It wasn't very steep, I just put my bike in its lowest gear and spun up. I waited for Nel and Charlie at the turn, had them wait there while I rode to the place and met Larry and Nancy, our hosts. The driveway was pretty steep, I needed a headstart to get up it with my loaded bike.

Avg speed = 14.3 mph. Total mileage = 53.2 mi

Avg power = 114 W. Weighted avg power = 137 W

Total elevation gain = 1310'

Avg heartrate = 113 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 60

Training Load = 173

Intensity = 62%

https://www.strava.com/activities/20862903555

The layout of the little apartment was fine, two bedrooms, a small kitchen and living area with a pull-out bed, and a nice outdoor patio. The views of the ocean were also quite nice. We had some time to relax, and I was glad for the break. I proposed making dinner, was originally going to ride to the nearest market, about 2.5 miles away. But it wasn't practical with that last climb to negotiate, so eventually Andy and I took an Uber to the market. We got stuff for chicken stir fry, rice, some beer, and some little bread cakes for dessert. I should have gotten some bread to go with it but didn't. Took another Uber back, then with Andy and Nel's help made dinner. The others liked it, so it was a quified success. We ate everything, and they probably would have eaten more if I'd made more, but it was sufficient. Hugo opened up a little bit during and after dinner/dessert, and he and I traded stories for the others about visiting Baja California. I had had a long day by the end of it. The others on this trip are, for the most part, waiting to be told what to do and where to go. Charlie has been a help in deciding what to do, the others usually wait to be told. I mapped out the plan for an early start to our ride the following day, then Charlie and discussed some high-level logistics for a proposed bie trip in Europe next June. Then it was bedtime for me.

11-03-2026 Bikepacking Trip Day 2

Slept somewhat fitfully again, getting up frequently to pee, probably because of the amount of fluids, including beer, that I drank the previous evening. Got up around 5:00, had a shower and started packing my stuff as soon as Nel was awake. I did some blogging, then went down to breakfast around 6:20. It was really crowded, but I was able to find a table for Nel and me. Eventually Charlie and James showed up too. I ate a big breakfast, knowing we would have a late lunch and an improvised mid-morning food break. After breakfast I went upstairs, changed into my cycling gear, and finished packing my stuff and setting up my bike. Nel and I checked out and we're ready to go by 7:50 or so. The others trickled down, and we ended up leaving the hotel around 8:05, riding to a nearby convenience store for other's to get some Gatorade. Charlie forgot his water bottles, and Nel forgot his bike lock, so they both had to ride back to the hotel. That delayed us some more, but I thought we were still on track. We rode over to the originally projected route starting point for Day 2. It was gently uphill for the first 14 or so miles of the original route. Was chilly enough at the start to warrant wearing my jacket. I was riding out front for much of the climbing segment. Stopped a couple of time to let the others catch up. On one of the times, we peeled off layers and accidentally left Hugo still putting stuff on his bike, so he had to burn some matches to catch up with the others. I was out front with Nel, so I didn't notice. I gradually gapped the others and kept pushing pretty hard all the way to the top. Thought it was going to be steeper near the summit, but it was definitely manageable. I got there minutes before Charlie showed up next, Nel arrived some time after that. We got a text that Hugo was cramping and that they had stopped for a break. Eventually the three of them made it to the top, where we all paused before taking the descent, 2 miles of 7% grade followed by a longer stretch of downhill to the Gaviota rest stop. I hung way back and watched my speed and stability, not interested in setting any records here. There was road construction, which made the descent dicey at times. Got to the rest stop shortly after the others, and we took a break here, deciding to ride to Refugio SB for our mid-morning longer break. We were on Hwy 101 by this time, which has really good shoulders for riding. A favorable tailwind was also a big help, it made it seem like we were riding slightly downhill. Charlie was feeling strong, so he and I rode out ahead of the others, making good time. We might have stopped to wait for the others once (by the old bridge before the campground), but in general we motored there. The bridge by the entrance to the campground was under construction, and I got confused about the detour route, but we got that squared away. No fee to ride into the campground, and we ended up staying there for nearly an hour. I ate some food, had a pee, walked on the beach, and took several pictures. After our break we continued on the 101 for quite a while, passing by El Capitan SB and eventually getting into the outskirts of Goleta. James had recommended a restaurant, Eddie's Grill, in Goleta, which was more on the southern end of the town. I had Google directions to the restaurant, and it seemed like it took forever to get there, another 5 miles from when we had entered Goleta. The restaurant was good, decent food (veggie burger with lots of jalapeños) and great service (Paola). Charlie wanted to stop at a bike shop to buy a local jersey or some socks, so we backtracked a little bit to a shop in Goleta (very small clothing selection). Since that didn't work, we took a detour into Santa Barbara proper to another bike shop. No luck for Charlie there, but Nel did get another Dyna plug kit. This was frustrating, so I wasn't in the best mood after that. We also got trapped in early rush hour traffic, including one young woman who cut Hugo off and cursed at me when I called her out on it. That got my adrenaline pumping. By this time we had found our way back to our original route. Lots of surface streets through south Santa Barbara (including a ride by the harbor and pier that was mi or spectacular), Montecito, and Summerland. This section of the ride was tough for me, for some of the others as well. I was just anxious to be done, and the miles were going by too slowly, even though that tailwind had freshened and was really helping us along. Again, it seemed like we were riding downhill on the last stretch to the motel.

Avg speed = 15.6 mph. Total mileage = 69.2 mi

Avg power = 114 W. Weighted avg power = 137 W

Total elevation gain = 2510'

Avg heartrate = 114 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 66

Training Load = 207

Intensity = 62%

https://www.strava.com/activities/20850360264

We arrived at the Best Western Inn in Carpinteria around 4:20, later than I wanted but still okay. The place is a step down from the Embassy Suites. No breakfast at this one, which is a minor inconvenience. Card keys weren't available when we checked in, and hot tub was unavailable. I stayed in a room with Charlie (he snores), and he washed a couple of items for me, including my bib shorts.. The group was obviously tired from the ride, and it took some time to get a dinner plan together. We ended up walking over to a street with bars and restaurants, had some beers (one for me) at a decent little brewing company, then hit the jackpot for dinner, a cheap pasta shop, Guicho's Eatery, where the food and service were simple but very good. That meal hit the spot for me. Charlie and James wanted another beer, but I was ready to settle down, so the rest of us headed back to the motel, getting faulty directions from Google that took us to a canal area under construction and forcing us to have to backtrack. Walking in my flip flops is awkward and uncomfortable, I need another solution for next time.Got back to the motel and caught up on blogging, was in bed a little after 10:00.

11-02-2026 Bikepacking Trip Day 1

Big day, the start of our bikepacking trip down the coast. I slept okay, got up a lot of times to pee, woke up around 4:30 and didn't get back to sleep after that. Nel got up soon after. I watched some ESPN, first time in a long time watching sports talk shows. Had a shower and a cup of room decaf coffee. I did some ordering and packing of my stuff so that it was basically complete, then Nel and I headed down to breakfast. There was so much food there, but I limited myself to a relatively small breakfast, which was much bigger than I usually eat. The others showed up, and we all ate breakfast together. Then I headed back to the room to brush my teeth, finish loading up my bike, and dressing for the ride. Nel and I were down in the lobby, checked out and waiting for the others well before 7:30, our scheduled departure time. We were rolling before 7:40, and it was a little chaotic at the start because my Wahoo was apparently trying to route us back into SLO (confusion at the first intersection, where my route had us turning north, obviously wrong in hindsight), where the route originated. Thankfully James had ridden up the day before and had a way to get us onto our route, so as soon as we followed him we were good. I won't list the roads on the route, just some general comments. Out of town on Higuera St. It wasn't too long before we got onto a little-traveled side road, Ontario Rd that had a nice bike lane and good road quality. We were on this for a while before turning on Avila Beach Dr and then Shell Beach Rd, which took us through Shell Beach and onto Price St, leading into Pismo Beach. We turned onto Dolliver St (I turned too early but got back on route quickly) and road down by the coast, quite beautiful riding here. This was Hwy 1, and we ended up riding on this road (it changed  for a long way. Past Grover Beach, through Ocean and then down to Guadalupe, where I'd thought we might stop for lunch. But we were riding fast (and had left early), so we were ahead of schedule. The group decided to stop at a convenience store for a quick break and the power on into Lompoc early. At the convenience store, I bought a Dr Pepper and had a pee. We talked to a guy on a cruiser bike who was interested in the road bike technogy, drinking a beer in late morning. Heading out of Guadalupe the road quality was pretty bad as we rode through farm fields. James took us for a brief period on a shady bike path, but it had so much tree debris that I was glad to get back on the highway. Had to be careful here, I was generally trailing the others on this stretch. We passed just by Orcutt, which is where we should have stopped for lunch, in hindsight. On the flats here Charlie got out in front of the others, so I rode up to him, then we kicked up the pace and rode fast for maybe 5-7 miles, gaping the others. We eventually came to a stop sign and waited for the rest to catch up. Then we rode together on the side of the highway until Charlie caught a small thorn in his front tire. He got the tire changed pretty quickly, James appreciated the break, and we were off. Not too long after this we started climbing, fairly gentle at first, with a sharp tester 1.5-mile climb at the top. I gapped the others on this climb, then waited at the top for them to show up. Hugo, Charlie, and Nel were fairly close together, then Andy and James brought up the rear. Nel found a dime at the stop, and just before we headed down the following descent I found a lucky penny. 😊 The descent was thrilling, a little scary, and I was focused on avoiding road debris. We had some waviness until we turned left by Vandenburg SFB to stay on Hwy 1. Right around this turn Nel hit something in the road, and his tubeless tire didn't seal. He put in a couple of Dyna plugs, and after some fiddling around got it to seal okay. Hugo has a frame pump that works really well, and he used it to put some air in the tire. This section of the ride was just a little wavy, with one climb that was noteworthy and two other small ones. The downhills were kinda scary, lots of shadows where I couldn't see the road or any debris clearly. Was glad to be done with the descents. Last one brought us into the outskirts of Lompoc. I stopped and found us a decent Mexican food restaurant, Floriano's, that was nearby, and had a leisurely lunch there.

Avg speed = 14.3 mph. Total mileage = 57.4 mi

Avg power = 111 W. Weighted avg power = 144 W

Total elevation gain = 2670'

Avg heartrate = 115 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 71

Training Load = 203

Intensity = 65%

https://www.strava.com/activities/20835141653

We were early into the town, a little before 2:00. Got to the Embassy Suites, which was close by, a little after 3:00, they were able to check us in early. I had a shower, then some of us - James, Andy, and eventually Hugo - sat in the hot tub, which felt wonderful. We talked about where to go for dinner, James said he didn't want to go to the restaurant by the Embassy Suites. So we ended up walking to another nearby restaurant, which was in the Hilton Garden Inn! 😂 It was forgettable, I had a large salad, the least objectionable vegetarian option for me. Not great but okay, and close by. I was happy to get back to the hotel fairly early, have a little time to unwind before getting to sleep.

11-01-2026 Bikepacking Trip Day 0

Slept okay until I heard the clock chime 4:00, when I started thinking about getting up. Turns out I had another hour because of the time change, but I still got up before 4:00. Had time to eat breakfast, double-check my travel list, pack my bike and bags into the rear of the car, and put the bike rack on the back. We left the house around 6:30 and got to Andy's at 6:40. Loaded his bike on the rack and headed down on surface streets to the Solana Beach train station. The others - Nel and Hugo - were already there. We unloaded our stuff, said our goodbyes, then walked to the train platform. Hugo had a locked up rear brake for some reason, I had to use my multitool to loosen the cable and release the brake so he could fit his rear wheel on. Shortly after he realized he didn't have his helmet, so he called his partner Christine to come back. It all worked out okay. We got on the train at the front, where the baggage car was with tie-downs for the bikes. Stayed on the train and walked to the back where the business class cars were located. There were coffee and pastries there, so pretty plush (😊). The train ride to Union Station was a little less than 2.5 hrs, numerous stops in between. Got off the train in LA and made our way to another, larger train eventually heading to Seattle. This one had a dedicated baggage car where we handed up our bikes, then walked to the coach class cars near the front of the train and got our seat reservations. We got on, no problems, were spread out in a car, although Hugo and Nel were next to each other. The train up to SLO was generally uneventful, but the stretch from Santa Barbara on was extremely slow, apparently there was some problem with the signal system. I ended up talked to Hugo for quite a while, hearing his back story about growing up in Costa Rica and working his way toward an EE degree. We stopped several times to let other trains heading south pass, and there were a lot of slow stretches. Eventually we got into SLO, around 4:50 and nearly two hours late. It was near sunset. No problem getting our bikes off the train, we were just a little slow setting them up for the 2.5-mile ride to the Embassy Suites. We left the station around sunset, but there was enough light to get there safely.

Avg speed = 10.9 mpp. Total mileage = 2.2 mi

Avg power = 59 W. Weighted avg power = 73 W

Training Load = 2

Intensity = 33%

https://www.strava.com/activities/20830428300

No James yet, he had run into a series of flats and headwinds that caused him to get to the hotel well after 5:30. But he made it safely, seemed pretty fresh for having ridden 300+ miles in three days. Charlie and I were in the bar having a beer when he showed up. The others came down as well, and I had several beers (caught a buzz) and some bar snacks. We went to a nearby food court that was close enough to walk to and had some decent Neapolitan pizza (Palo Mesa Napoletan Pizza) just before the food court closed. Walked back to the hotel, and I settled down, was asleep before 9:30.