jeremygrant.com

day 1
Los Angeles to Rincon

not really much to report on the first day. met up with Johnny at the first waypoint. los angeles to dulah is boring except for curious or crazy drivers, other cyclists and any bike malfunction that may occur. we stopped for lunch at the seabee base and met another bike tourist, Florian from Germany. I was impressed how lax his schedule was (a month to get down to baja from sf) and how little time we americans are given for vacation travel.

no match for this very aggressive urban squirrel lady!
if you notice: the lawn is for golfing only.

the ride into Rincon was awesome. here we are heading through Gorda Punta, the fake tropical island fueling station. we camped somewhere in the middle of the mountain range at the horizon:

fog is rolling in

day 1
Rincon Pt to Lake Cachuma

woke up and coasted down Casitas Pass Rd / Rincon Rd. when we got into Carpinteria we saw more and more club cyclists until at some point we encountered a peloton of about 50-75 heading south across a bicycle bridge. we broke in Santa Barbara, then made our way to top San Marcos Pass (+Elev. 2,225 ft) and finally Lake Cachuma. a little exploration in the area turned up the $5 hiker biker site with loud frat boys was more convenient than the no trespass signs and unfriendly locals privatizing the national wilderness.

casitas pass is on my list of passes to hunt.
some beautiful yucca.

almost to the top of san marcos pass.

almost. sign says 7% for 4 miles.
and… finally.

“Lake” Cachuma in the far distance. its actually a man made reservoir.

day 3
Lake Cachuma to Carpinteria

woke up to rain on the fly. slept in for an hour to wait out the rain and ready for the climb ahead. breakfast in the tent. after an hour of riding the rain faded to a fog and just a little sprinkle in Santa Ynez. we made it up the fresh mud road of Refugio and made Refugio Pass (+Elev. 2,200 ft). after a crazy fog filled decent to the beach we broke for lunch along the great Pacific Coast and watched the end of the storm pass. after that we headed south through Goleta, Santa Barbara and beyond, finally ending in Carpinteria.

Refugio Road was a popular route when people traveled by foot and horseback.
at some point the pavement ends and epic begins.

just miles and miles of uphill, hairpins and mud.

if this ride is about anything its about this pelican who most likely died as a result of global warming.
oil rig in the distance.

day 4
Carpinteria to Los Angeles

after some solid snoozing (and midnight snacking) i woke up to a clear sunrise (no rain!). the riding was great with the wide shoulders, view of the coastline and lots of club cyclists out for a spin. the tacos at La Capirucha were great. Johnny peeped a nude sunbather at one point in Malibu. we made good time and got to LA County by sunset — just in time to hit rush hour home.

13mph is the target for a loaded bike on the flats.
channel islands from ventura.

beautiful sunset from las tunas beach.