Bob on BAC Santa Barbara to San Diego 2010

Deborah and a Sand Dune

When I took out my earplugs this morning, I realized that the wind had died down. When I got up, I saw that the sky was clear. These were good omens despite the crummy breakfast buffet at the hotel (coffee, juice and tiny store-bought muffins).

I left the hotel around 8:30 with Deborah Chamitoff. We wandered south and eventually reached the bicycle path in Venice Beach. The beachfront stores that were bustling the day before were all closed and none of the characters were out to distract us. I was disappointed because I wanted to get some "only in Venice" photos. Our route followed the bicycle path all the way to Palos Verdes. We thought that the ride would go very quickly and that we would reach our rendezvous with the ferry in San Pedro way early. We were wrong. Here’s why. The very strong winds from the day and night before blew sand across the bicycle path. There were segments where it was 3-4 inches deep. Each time we reached one of them, we had to dismount and walk our bikes. This happened all morning. We would ride only for 1/4 mile or so before we would have to do it again. So the tour of the Southern California beaches became a tour of the sand dunes.

Manhattan Beach Pier

We had fun, though. We stopped in Manhattan Beach for a nature call and an apple and Hermosa Beach for a cinnamon roll and coffee. We got to ride through a parking garage in Redondo Beach on the bike path – a first for me. We got to watch all of the beach volleyball players and surfers along the way.

Whale Watching at Pt Vicente Interpretive Center

When we reach the end of the bicycle path, we climbed into Palos Verdes where we got terrific views of the ocean and Catalina Island. We stopped at Pt Vicente Interpretive Center where I watched the whale watchers while Deborah rode laps around the building trying to find the women’s bathroom. The watchers had been there for six hours (I was worried that Deb might exceed their time) and had not spotted any whales or dolphins. It must be a social thing.

We arrived in San Pedro before 1:00 and stopped at Rex's Cafe for lunch. I had a California sandwich which was turkey with avocado, etc. and some rice soup. It was good and filling.

Our Ferry - San Pedro to Long Beach

We met the rest of the group in front of the Los Angeles Maritime Museum and boarded our ferry to Long Beach. The ride across the harbor maintained our laid back pace of the day. We saw lots of boats, two APL container ships and some harbor seals.

The rest of the ride was along Long Beach bicycle paths and Seal Beach city streets. we reached the Pacific Inn at 4:00.

I had dinner with Marcia Brown and Deborah at an Italian restaurant. I pigged out with fettuccini carbonara.

Here is today's route. Click on "View Path In Full" to get a better look at it.