End of West Coast Bike Ride, 2023

After 33 days of cycling 1,666.48 miles, one flat tire, three ferry rides, and over 90,000 cumulative feet of hill climbing, the 2023 West Coast Bike Ride came to an end. As with any great adventure, flexibility is key when facing the many unknowns that are part of such an endeavor.  For example, the long-

planned end point of the ride was Friendship Park south of San Diego. The metal border fence of the U.S. – Mexican border frames the southern edge of the park. Helen, driving the Prius ahead of Jay, arrived at Friendship Park and sent a text message to Jay, “Park closed. Sewer line break.” It was a mess.

We made a quick adjustment to meet three miles up the road at Southwest High School. Little did we know that Jay would be arriving when the high school and a nearby elementary school were discharging their students at the end of the school day. 

Helen still had hope for great “end of ride fanfare.” She purchased a strand of purple crape paper that she envisioned as finish line tape Jay would then triumphally ride through, hands raised in victory. But it was not to be. So many cars were leaving the parking lot there was no way to put the crepe paper ribbon across the driveway. Despite the lack of theatrical drama, this epic bike ride finished with a sense of accomplishment and joy.

Support and Gear (SAG) Support

This adventure was also a huge logistical challenge. As Jay cycled, Helen drove the Prius loaded with our luggage and camping equipment. She also shopped for food, did laundry, and, most importantly, found a campsite or hotel for our evening stay. This last effort proved to be quite difficult in the initial phase of our trip since we were traveling during high vacation season. More than once Helen secured the last available campsite or found a hotel room among a sea of “no vacancy” signs. 

Arriving first at the day’s end location, she set up the tent and other camp equipment or got our luggage out of the car into our hotel room. Helen really made this adventure possible.

The Home Stretch

After leaving the LA area and our old Atlanta friends Mark and Mary, only 200 miles and four days remained on our epic West Coast ride. 

Torrance

Jay was now out the mountains riding mostly beach bikeways past notable sites like Muscle Beach in Venice, CA. Our next stop was Torrance where Jay lived for four years during one of his consulting gigs. His hotel was attached to the Chart House, an upscale beach front restaurant, where Helen and Jay dined during their courtship 20 years ago. We returned to the Chart House and had a wonderful dinner at a table overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

Laguna Beach

Continuing south, Jay had to navigate around the busy Long Beach port on obscure bike paths and well-appointed marina promenades. In Laguna Beach, we had lunch at Zinc Café, recommended by Bryn, Jay’s old college friend who grew up in Laguna Beach. We also found ourselves for the first time being stumped on where to spend the evening. The nearby Hyatt would have been nice, but we were looking for something under $500. We drove eight miles inland and found a reasonably priced Marriott property.

Encinitas

Today’s ride was an odd mixture. Jay rode over rolling hills on the back streets of San Clemente, over long deserted stretches on the “old” Pacific Coast Highway and navigated an overgrown bike path on the Camp Pendelton Marine Corps base. The next eight miles was a scary stretch of Interstate 5. Local cyclists confirmed I-5 was the only and allowable option to Oceanside. With a steady stream of traffic zipping by at 65 – 70 mph, the ride on the shoulder of I-5 was LOUD. Fortunately, it was a quick ride and ended safely.

San Diego, Last Day

It was hard to believe the last ride day had arrived. This was another day of mixed riding. After passing the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Jay bounced along on the rutted roads of La Jolla before picking up a beach bike path that he rode down to Mission Beach to a promenade-like bike path past the San Diego airport. The San Diego Bay was crossed by a 25-minute ferry from the downtown Convention Center to Coronado Ferry Center. Ten miles later this bike ride ended.

After checking into our hotel, we drove to the home of our old Atlanta friend Brandon who lives with his partner Kim, their daughter Zoey and Brandon’s mom Jewel. We popped a bottle of champaign to celebrate this great effort.  

Last Thoughts

An effort as arduous as this ride does not end with the last pedal stroke. Time is needed to decompress. Staying on your “A” game every day requires full concentration. Since our “home” moves every night, each night we were required to search for a “new” home. The same effort went into finding food and other supplies. Fortunately, this time of year is pretty dry, but weather and wind direction checks were still required. 

Whenever Jay mounted his bike, he switched into full alert mode whether on high-speed highways, back roads or bike paths. Oddly, coasting downhill required the greatest concentration. Downhill speeds that could easily reach 25 – 35 mph required Jay to continually tap his brakes and remain hyper vigilant to avoid road debris or large road cracks. Riding up tens of thousands of feet also meant riding down tens of thousands of feet. 

Sharing roads with cars, pickup trucks, RVs, and semi-rigs has its own risks. Most gave Jay a wide berth, but some simply scared the “spokes” out of him. Bike paths have their own growing menace with the increasing presence of irresponsible e-bike riders zooming along full throttle at 20+ mph.  

We are now driving back to our home in the Atlanta area. After three to four days of unhurried driving, we have decompressed and are beginning to reflect on just what an epic adventure we had.

A great deal of riding was down on the Pacific Coast Highway.

Beach bike path near Santa Monica, CA

Toward the end of the ride, Jay was riding on beach front bike paths.

Riding down Interstate 5 in California.

Jay at the end of the bike ride.

Oh yeah, we had one flat tire on the Prius. Fortunately, we were parked at a motel and there was a tire store right next to the motel. Jay walked over, talked to the guys who took care of us, and we were off for $19 in less than an hour.

We stopped in Tombstone, AZ to watch a reenactment of the gun fight at the OK Corral. What fun! Audience participation (cheer for the heroes and boo for the bad guys) added to the enjoyment. 

In keeping with visiting "The World's Largest, Biggest Whatever," we stopped in PistachioLand near Alamogordo, NM to see the World's Largest Statue of a Pistachio, which is 30 feet high. We took a guided tour of their nut orchards and vineyards. Highly recommended.

We stopped briefly at White Sands National Monument Visitor Center near Alamogordo, NM but didn't take the time to go way back into the area that contains the shifting white sands. 

We spent a night in Roswell, NM. Of course, you can't go to Roswell, NM and not go to the International UFO Museum and Research Center. (Jay said it should be the Intergalactic UFO Museum). It was very well done and gave a lot of credence to the argument that it's true.

We decided to take Route 40 East to go home. The old Route 66 is the current Route 40. 

Another stop was Amarillo, Texas. We visited Cadillac Ranch, a place in the middle of a field where 10 Cadillacs are half-buried front-side down. People are encouraged to bring paint and add a layer. Of course, Jay needed to participate in the ritual! 

We drove 15 miles out of our way to visit the Museum of Osteology, and boy, are we glad we did! It is unique (the only bone museum in the US) and fascinating! There are skeletons large and small; hanging in the main hall is a 40-foot skeleton of a whale and the standing 19-foot tall skeleton of a giraffe. In the bird section, there is the skeleton of a hummingbird that appears to be the smallest skeleton there; less than one inch long. There is a fabulous video showing the process of how the bones are cleaned, bleached white then wired together. This is a must-see if you're ever in Oklahoma City, OK! The large snake skeleton above is from an anaconda. 

Display of human skulls and skeletons.