Pacific Coast Bike Route – Day 33 : Point Mugu State Park > Dana Point Marina Inn, Dana Point, CA

With today being such a big day I wanted to get an early start, but I wasn’t going to set an alarm. I first woke up around 3:00 needing to use the bathroom. The moon was out and boy was it bright, almost didn’t need a light. I was thrilled that I fell back to sleep and woke up for good at 5:00. Once I was awake I started getting ready right away.

For today’s ride I knew I had to ride at least ten miles before my first gas station. With that in mind, yesterday I stopped at a convenience store and picked up a Clif bar and Pop-Tarts. I wanted at least a little something in my stomach to start the day.

After getting back yesterday I asked the girl at the entrance station for a breakfast recommendation. She threw out a place named Marmalade Cafe, and when I looked it up it was going to be about 20 miles. Made me even happier that I had something to start the ride with.

Rolling out of camp this morning I was surprised to be starting without my rain jacket. The skies were clear and no fog or rain to be seen. Of course around the first bend of CA-1 and the skies were solid gray. The fog/rain/mist held off and I stayed dry for the entire day.

The milea flew by and I was in Malibu in no time. Not long after that I was turning to get my second breakfast. Of course I went with the official breakfast of this tour the french toast combo, or as they called it the Cross Creek Breakfast. It was exactly what I wanted and their coffee was damn good too.

After that I was on CA-1 until Will Rogers State Beach. At that point I peeled off to ride the Marvin Braude Bike Trail, aka The Strand. I don’t have a lot of pictures of this stretch because I’ve ridden it before.

While I was riding I did have a cyclist name Eli ride by and then slow up to chat with me for a bit. Pretty typical conversation about the tour. He did seem particularly interested in the Tailfin setup. Gave him the low down and shortly after Santa Monica pier he peeled off.

I came to Redondo and then made a turn east. I honestly had no idea where I was. This was all new territory for me. All the roads were relatively quiet and if they weren’t they had dedicated bike lanes.

I rode over the LA river and thought, “Hey I know this.”. I was quite surprised when after a couple of turns I was on the LA River Trail. I ride this trail all the time when I go to Bogart’s from my in-laws’ house. Now that I was on familiar territory I think I relaxed a little more. I didn’t have to stress traffic or missing a turn. I could just ride.

Of course this is also where I would get a flat, I think. I was riding along the marina and I don’t know why but I looked down at my rear and it looked low. I stopped, gave it a squeeze and it definitely felt soft. Finally hit it with my pressure gauge and it was less than 40 PSI. Must have been a super slow leak. I went ahead and swapped the tube just to be safe. I checked the inside of the tire and never felt anything that would have caused a puncture. Maybe it was something I rolled over but didn’t pick up. The whole ordeal only took me about 30 minutes to square away.

As I crossed the San Gabriel River I knew I was a few blocks from Bogart’s. There ain’t no way I’m going to be this close and not stop in. I took the quick detour over a couple blocks to have a nice cold brew and some pastries. Pulled up one of their nice upholstered chairs. It was so nice to sit and relax for a bit. At this point I was 70 miles in so the timing was dang near perfect.

After this things are kinda a blur. Lots of riding along CA-1, the Huntington Beach Trail, and various side streets. Riding along Huntington Beach was pretty nice. Kinda like The Strand but not nearly as busy.

Now, last year I had planned on staying at the hike/bike sites at Doheny Beach Campground, but California Parks removed them. I couldn’t find another campground that offered hike/bike sites. The alternative was to make a reservation and I would have had to made those months in advance. So a hotel it is.

Once I was checked in I got showered and washed my kit before going out for dinner. I was starved and a quick search on Google Maps led me to Jimmy’s Famous American Tavern. I started with the Jalapeno Bedeviled Eggs (Deviled eggs, pickled jalapeno, bacon, paprika) for an appetizer, the Spicy California Burger (Serrano guacamole, ortega chile, jalapenos, red onion, tomato, romaine lettuce, white cheddar, chipotle aioli) for dinner, and finished it all off with a nice slice of carrot cake. Just enough food to fill me up. Of course now that it’s late I’m hungry for supper.

Another big day tomorrow, but shouldn’t be quite as big as today. Looking at around 95 miles for the route, but may go longer for me to get food and visit the border. That’s right, tomorrow is technically the last day of the Pacific Coast Bike Route!

I was thinking, what do I title my rides starting on Saturday? “Pacific Coast Bike Route” isn’t entirely accurate. “Viva Las Vegas”, “Vegas or Bust”, “Homework Bound”? Maybe I’ll stay with what I’ve been using for consistency sake. We’ll see.

New bike fund: $11.51 (+$0.00)
74.62 new miles
🏘 Completed 50% of Bolsa Chica State Beach
🏘 Completed 25% of Huntington State Beach
— From Wandrer.earth
Mostly sunny-Sunny, 52°F-69°F, Feels like 57°F-76°F, Humidity 95%-74%, Wind NE 1mph-SW 5mph – by Klimat.app
— myWindsock Report —
Weather Impact: 4.2%
Headwind: 68% @ 2.4-11.4mph
Longest Headwind: 02h 58m 59s
Air Speed: 13.8mph
Temp: 58.5-72.8°F
Precip: 0% @ 0 Inch/hr
— END —