Day 39
There was a low cloud bank hanging over the San Joaquin Hills in the morning. Fine by us. We wouldn't turn down a cooler day. We were packed shortly with our Baja-specific supplies which we had sent down with Bailey 3 weeks ago: an extra tire, an extra bike lock, satelline communication device, and a surfer's guide to Baja (for some beta on places to camp and things to avoid, etc...). We said farewell to the Supers (including dog and cat), and rolled out with new steam down the cauldesac, following a Suburban out of the gate (we noticed it pulled out of a house with two other Suburbans in the driveway).
A downhill to start the day is always a plus, and we flew down Newport Coast drive back to the trusty PCH to make our way south. We passed by some beaches I knew at Crystal Cove, the shake shack, and then the boardwalk along Cliff drive into Laguna Beach. When these beach communities are so much alike, I start to notice and take extra care to pick out things that I like about them (and try to ignore all that I don't). The downtown of Laguna beach was confortable, with streets that were actually sized for people (not a motorcade), and homes that seemed livable, though one might assume that all anyone needed to buy down here was "beachware" and "fine art". Nonetheless, I liked the feel of the place, even on a grey day.
We rested in Dana point, but on the way Lluc scored another piece of road-booty: a reversable bucket hat perfect for when we need to go undercover in Mexico: stylish Burberry plaid on one side and camo on the other. Nice. We paused just off the Ritz-Carlton Rd. Oooh. Aaaah.
Errands always slow us down the most. Even though you think it'll be quick to grab something while on the road, it always takes a moment to get off the rig, look presentable, and find what you're looking for (in a small enough size), and at a reasonable price (knowing that there are countless stores of the same kind just waiting down the road...). But, we managed to get extra bottle cages and electrolyte mix for the Baja desert, some spare bolts at the hardware store, and near expiry bread at the grocery. Carbs!
After San Clemente, the development faded quickly and we noticed we were entering the Camp Pendleton Army base. The barren hills were covered by a vast array of transmition lines. There was a narrow strip of land between the beach and I-5 (which has finally joined us from its inland course) which was state park, that went on for a surprisingly long time. 15 minutes of riding and we were still going past picnic tables. A bit later, we saw where all the power infrastructure was going to: The San Onofre nuclear plant.
Although their shape was comical (some very high voltage tits...) it was scary to think about just how many people (and animals) live in the blast radius of this thing. Glad to learn this thing is decommisioned and on its way out. Nuclear sucks.
We rode some stretches of the old coast highway that had been abandoned, it seemed, and turned into bike path, which was pretty fun, but a little eerie as we worked our way closer to the military base.
The road ended by a railrowd bridge and we followed a bike route sign that lead us to the gate of the base. 'Looks like we're going in' I thought. It said so on our map, so we approached the check point where two armed guards stoop. I smiled (they did not) and waved (the did not) thinking that perhaps they were used to cyclists passing through and we didn't need to stop. "Stop right there, Sir! You think you can just roll right through here?" I stopped quickly and tried to be apologetic and compliant. A young guy with a large shotgun across his chest pulled us aside and checked our IDs, asked us where we were going, and all. Somehow he didn't recognize the name Cabo San Lucas (you live like 50 miles from Baja!) and looked at us like we were crazy when we said we just wanted to pass through. "You know this is a military base? You need base permission to enter." He told us we could get a permit to cross, but had to do that 10 miles south of there in Oceanside. Thanks, that really helps... So he turned us away and there was no other option but to ride the 10 miles to Oceanside on I-5. As we reapplied our sunscreen, two soldiers watched us from afar behind barbed wire.
A downhill to start the day is always a plus, and we flew down Newport Coast drive back to the trusty PCH to make our way south. We passed by some beaches I knew at Crystal Cove, the shake shack, and then the boardwalk along Cliff drive into Laguna Beach. When these beach communities are so much alike, I start to notice and take extra care to pick out things that I like about them (and try to ignore all that I don't). The downtown of Laguna beach was confortable, with streets that were actually sized for people (not a motorcade), and homes that seemed livable, though one might assume that all anyone needed to buy down here was "beachware" and "fine art". Nonetheless, I liked the feel of the place, even on a grey day.
We rested in Dana point, but on the way Lluc scored another piece of road-booty: a reversable bucket hat perfect for when we need to go undercover in Mexico: stylish Burberry plaid on one side and camo on the other. Nice. We paused just off the Ritz-Carlton Rd. Oooh. Aaaah.
Errands always slow us down the most. Even though you think it'll be quick to grab something while on the road, it always takes a moment to get off the rig, look presentable, and find what you're looking for (in a small enough size), and at a reasonable price (knowing that there are countless stores of the same kind just waiting down the road...). But, we managed to get extra bottle cages and electrolyte mix for the Baja desert, some spare bolts at the hardware store, and near expiry bread at the grocery. Carbs!
After San Clemente, the development faded quickly and we noticed we were entering the Camp Pendleton Army base. The barren hills were covered by a vast array of transmition lines. There was a narrow strip of land between the beach and I-5 (which has finally joined us from its inland course) which was state park, that went on for a surprisingly long time. 15 minutes of riding and we were still going past picnic tables. A bit later, we saw where all the power infrastructure was going to: The San Onofre nuclear plant.
Although their shape was comical (some very high voltage tits...) it was scary to think about just how many people (and animals) live in the blast radius of this thing. Glad to learn this thing is decommisioned and on its way out. Nuclear sucks.
We rode some stretches of the old coast highway that had been abandoned, it seemed, and turned into bike path, which was pretty fun, but a little eerie as we worked our way closer to the military base.
The road ended by a railrowd bridge and we followed a bike route sign that lead us to the gate of the base. 'Looks like we're going in' I thought. It said so on our map, so we approached the check point where two armed guards stoop. I smiled (they did not) and waved (the did not) thinking that perhaps they were used to cyclists passing through and we didn't need to stop. "Stop right there, Sir! You think you can just roll right through here?" I stopped quickly and tried to be apologetic and compliant. A young guy with a large shotgun across his chest pulled us aside and checked our IDs, asked us where we were going, and all. Somehow he didn't recognize the name Cabo San Lucas (you live like 50 miles from Baja!) and looked at us like we were crazy when we said we just wanted to pass through. "You know this is a military base? You need base permission to enter." He told us we could get a permit to cross, but had to do that 10 miles south of there in Oceanside. Thanks, that really helps... So he turned us away and there was no other option but to ride the 10 miles to Oceanside on I-5. As we reapplied our sunscreen, two soldiers watched us from afar behind barbed wire.
Riding on the interstate is a bummer but we've done it before, and we kicked out 10 miles pretty quick alongside the tractor-trailers, rumble strips and blown-out tires.
Oceanside, as the generic name might imply, was the same recipe of beach town we're been seeing for weeks. Flat sand beach, lifeguard booths, long pier, little houses by the water, commercial-lined highway. The palms were nice though.
In Carlsbad we met a group of 5 bikers from LA heading down to Tijuana for some kind of progressive DIY bike conference. If we're lucky, we might even hit it when we pass through on Friday. There was another rider we chatted with on our way through Encinitas. The fella had ridden up and down the East coast ("a real bore"), across from Portland to Boston ("pretty fun") and was currently on his way to San Diego to meet his wife at a hotel who was there on business. Fun.
We're lucky enough to be making the most of the network of friends and family here in Southern California (mostly thanks to Bailey). Tonight we stay at an Aunt's place in Del Mar. Some first-cousins once removed are playing in the backyard when we arrived, and we got right into a game of backyard soccer with them. Uncle Steve emphatically provided all we needed and fed us some of his special chilli. An easy night, and it's starting to feel like everyone is family.
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