SF to LA Bike Ride. March 25-30, 2018
SF-LA Bike Ride: 490 Miles, 6 Days, 2 Crazy Guys, 1 Audacious Goal
Training
Gear Selection
Rest of the packing list including links to specific items I bought can be seen here: MY PACKING LIST. Note there are two tabs in the spreadsheet.
Route
The Uncertainties
We were complete novices and didn't know what to expect. Big thanks to Rich Blanco and Paul Ries who are both experienced riders and took time to answer a lot of my questions. Their guidance was instrumental in the success of this trip.
Day 1. Mar 25, 2018. San Francisco to Santa Cruz. 82 miles
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Presidio, San Francisco, CA |
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Although sunny, the weather was quite cold specially while biking. I am layered up in five thin layers |
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Miles and miles of riding along the ocean in perfect riding conditions |
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Pigeon Point light house in Pescadero. You can see the bed of flowers in the foreground |
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Mustard bloom. They look really pretty but is one of the top invasive plants in California |
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Approaching Davenport which is 12 miles from Santa Cruz, our destination for the day. The red bag has all the luggage I am carrying for six days! |
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Para Surfing |
Day 2. Mar 26, 2018. Santa Cruz to King City. 100 miles
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Fields of Watsonville |
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Riding on a bike gives you a very different perspective. Instead of zooming by, you get to see everything in greater detail and get time to appreciate and enjoy every little detail |
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Giant green fields with the Pacific ocean in the background |
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Moss Landing. It is a marshy area with a lot of wetlands. It is a great spot for bird watching and wildlife in general |
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Met Tim who was walking from LA to SF. I am layered up while he was happily sporting just one short sleeve T-shirt |
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Panoramic view of the valley between Soledad and Greenfield. There are several vineyards here |
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Arroyo Seco River |
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After a long day in the saddle just as we were nearing King City, our destination for the day, we encountered a mountain pass and had to navigate the ups and downs on tired legs |
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A Century Day !! |
Day 3. Mar 27, 2018. King City to Atascadero. 74 miles
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The first few miles were on a flat road with beautiful greenery on either side |
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Long stretch with no services |
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We passed the Fort Hunter Liggett US army base. It was HUGE - went on for miles and miles |
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We met Nico who was also riding alone from SF to LA. He was really fast and completed the ride in just 5 days. He also shared his Strava routes with us which we used at times |
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The hills were beautiful but never ending. We were hungry, thirsty and tired. Lake San Antonio in the distance. |
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This is just one of the many climbs we did today |
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Long climbs were rewarded with gorgeous views. Lake Nacimeinto in San Luis Obispo county near Paso Robles. It is 18-mile long |
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Lake Nacimiento |
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We finally found a place to eat at around 3:30pm. It was the most delicious pizza I have had. We decided to take the leftover for dinner :) |
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We finally reached Atascadero at 5:30pm. Beaten up but excited to have completed half the journey. |
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Here's the elevation profile for the day. Look at all the climbs |
Day 4. Mar 28, 2018. Atascadero to Lompoc. 75 miles
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We rode on highway 101 |
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Pismo Beach |
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Enjoying a short break at the beautiful beach |
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Picture perfect day |
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We both ate huge burritos for lunch then realized it was a mistake. Carrying that burrito up the steep slopes was not easy :) |
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Strawberry fields |
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Hills between Orcutt and Lompoc. About 10 miles before Lompoc |
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Lompoc Valley. The destination is in sight |
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Day 4 done. A long soak in jacuzzi, using the jets for massaging our tired quads brought some relief :) |
Day 5. Mar 29, 2018. Lompoc to Carpenteria. 80 miles
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Leaving Lompoc |
There are Ostrich and Emu farms near Solvang. We even saw an ostrich dance (see video above). It was simply fascinating to see such a big bird dancing so gracefully.
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Ostrich farm |
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acres and acres of lush green grassy lands greeted us as we neared Solvang |
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Solvang |
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Danish style architecture in Solvang, CA |
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We stopped at the Solvang Bakery to sample a variety of yummies :) |
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How can you be tired riding on such roads? |
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Met Laurena and Fernando on highway 101. They were riding from SF to Tijuana, Mexico. And we thought we had a long ride :) |
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Fog started rolling in late morning around 12 noon |
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Fixing a flat on highway 101 just after Gaviota State Park |
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Who says fixing flats can't be fun :) |
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Fascinating bit of trivia (Arroyo Hondo Vista Point) |
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Getting close to the coast again |
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Marked bike lanes even in construction zones |
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Dedicated bike path in Goleta |
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Stearns Wharf in Santa Barbara. We stopped there to enjoy the views and also indulged in an ice cream :) |
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Time to leave Santa Barbara and be on our way to Carpenteria |
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It's beginning to get dark and we still have an hour's ride left. Gotta stop taking pictures.. |
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..ok just one more picture. How can you not? |
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Made it to our hotel at 7:30pm, before it got dark |
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Here's everything I carried for the trip. Makes you realize how little you need in life! |
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Stats for the day |
Day 6. Mar 30, 2018. Carpenteria to Santa Monica. 78 miles
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Starting early at 7:15am |
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Foggy morning. Hoping it will clear up soon so we can enjoy the views |
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Dedicated bike lane on highway 101 !! |
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My trusted companion! Any suggestions for naming the bike? |
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Sufer's Point at Seaside Park in Ventura |
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The bikes needed some time off to enjoy the view as well :) |
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Oxnard, CA |
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Channel Islands in Oxnard, CA |
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Channel Islands in Oxnard, CA |
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Missile Park at Point Mugu. This is an F4 plane. US Navy has a huge air force ! |
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Stunning views of Zuma Beach, Malibu |
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...and the rich and famous living in houses overlooking the beautiful views :) |
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Final stretch - on a bike path on Santa Monica Beach. It is a 3 mile long beach ! |
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YAY !! Almost there |
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Mission Impossible completed successfully :) We Did it !! |
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22,000 ft of climbing, 490 miles of riding over 6 days. This was a trip of a lifetime |
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The signature headstand :) My bike has joined me in the headstand this time ! |
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Stats for the final day |
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The ride back was swift. We reached home in just 5 hours ! |
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Grand Welcome by the kids - it was great to be with the family again :) |
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Close friends and family came over to visit us and joined in the celebrations. It was wonderful to have such support. |
Here's a short poem summarizing the trip :)
This was an audacious thought
But into the idea I bought
I was joined by another crazy soul
And together we set out for our goal
From Golden Gate Bridge to Santa Monica Beach
Riding our bikes for over 80 miles a day each
We braved cold, foggy days and we braved the scorching Sun
We were famished, parched and exhausted, yet it was really fun
It may not be doable and one wondered if we should
But we knew we'd do it simply because we thought we could!
And if you have made it this far, please do leave a comment ! :)
17 comments
nice blog
ReplyDeleteGreat ride and a well written blog.
ReplyDeleteVery inspiring. Breathtakingly beautiful pictures with equally beautiful captions. You also make references about support from the family which is very touching. Keep up this zeal to take up new challenges and convert them into fun on the way - Ashutosh
ReplyDeleteGreat to see you both doing this! Can't even imagine how much fun it must have been! and does Dhanno count as a bike name? :) thanks for sharing...
ReplyDeleteYes, it was indeed a lot of fun. As for the bike name, Dhanno was the first name that came to my mind as well :)
DeleteNice Picture !! Must be a lot of fun!
ReplyDeleteIncredible ride and memories of lifetime!! Pictures are awesome. How about kitt for bike name? Trusty sidekick who helps you complete almost impossible things ����
ReplyDeleteVery impressive and truly inspiring. Great blog to share your adventure!!!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations Jai and Samir for completing this adventure as planned. And a wonderful blog that chronicles the journey without being too verbose. As an addendum, more details on the equipment used including the choice of the bikes would be nice. Well done indeed and looking forward to the next one...
ReplyDelete--Ravi from NYC area.
Thanks Ravi and good suggestion about adding the equipment information. I will add a link to my equipment spreadsheet
DeleteCongratulations Jai and Samir! I am a Team ASHA biker (did the 100KM in 2015 - Healdsburg ride). Well-written blog and very inspiring. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThanks Jayashree. Glad to meet a fellow bay area biker :)
DeleteCongratulations! We're all so proud of you
ReplyDeleteCONGRATS, Job well done Jai and Samir! Thanks for sharing your entire SF-LA Bikeride details and I felt like I was biking alongwith you. Great pictures and short descriptions so I could read the blog through the very end.
ReplyDeleteGreat achievement Jay! If you decide to plan a ride in North-east let me know. Abhinav Rawat
ReplyDeleteAwesome job. Especially carrying all your belonging. We did a similar thing few years ago, 6 of us, 3 guys 3 gals, we didn't even know each other until the ride, rode from San Francisco Golden Gate park to San Diego. We took train from Oxnard to skip riding thru Los Angeles. We've had 1 pick up truck to haul our camping gears but it had no room for 6 of us and bikes, so always had to have ppl riding the bikes. We've stayed in a motel in Lompoc as there was no camp ground available. It was fun and made great memories with newly met friends. Our spouses and significant others were waiting for us in San Diego with sighs of relief we made it safely.
ReplyDeleteNice post! I loved all the pictures.
ReplyDelete