Coronado again

December 22, 2019

Today’s ride

Having completed the Big Three Circuit and still finding ourselves with time on our hands in San Diego, we’re starting again at the top with another loop of San Diego Bay. Essentially the same ride as the first time, but with a few differences:

Rachael has her health back so she’s tagging along this time. We’ve got video!
We’re reversing direction, starting with the ferry ride to Coronado.
We’re extending the ride a bit with a short out-and-back up the Sweetwater River.
We’re not stopping for bird photos this time, because.
We’re carrying a load. Our time is up at our apartment in the Gaslamp District. We’re moving on.

We’ve just been here, so there’s no need to stop this time for many photos or say much about it. If you’ve forgotten what this loop is like already, just leaf back a few pages and refresh your memory. And my sympathies - my short-term memory is awful now too.

Yes, you’re right Jacquie. I don’t trust this type of rack either, especially with a load on the bikes.

Much better. What ‘No bicycles’ sign? Do you see a sign?

The ferry hugs the San Diego shoreline until the last minute, giving you a nice look at its moored craft.

Three stern trawlers are tied up along Terminal Street this morning. At least I think this is a stern trawler. Correct? And what would the catch be here?

The Coronado ferry, from the Coronado ferry.

We get a different look at the South Bay Salt Works in today’s calm weather.

Northeast along the Bayshore Bikeway. Just beyond the left fence is the small Otay River, just before it empties into the bay. I think the peak straight on is San Miguel Mountain.

Video sound track: Wintersong, by Gerry Mulligan and Paul Desmond

If you don’t count the birds (and there are too many to count anyway), I think the salt works are the most interesting feature of this ride.

There’s that peak again, and the industrial waterfront just south of the salt works.

Correcting an omission from the first loop, I take a photo of the factory itself this time.

At the salt works. Production began here at least as far back as 1871, when this was known as the La Punta Salt Company. I wonder if we’re looking at original equipment here?

Just past the salt works, this wall art gallery brightens up the bike path.

To lengthen our shortish ride a bit we branch off to follow the Sweetwater Bikeway for a few miles as it parallels the Filipino American highway alongside the Sweetwater River. Not really attractive miles at all, but this pintail pair is very nice.

Moving on, and a new plan

I mentioned a few days back that we were rethinking whether to bike across the mountains to Borrego Springs and back again, given that there was the likelihood of rain and possibly snow in the forecast. We’ve done our rethinking, and are staying on the west side. The weather forecast in the meantime has only worsened, with tomorrow (the day we’d have been biking east to Ramona) now looking very wet, and a forecast of 5-8 inches of snow in Julian on the following evening. Who wants to spend their Christmas biking in the mountains in a freezing mix?

Dropping out the Borrego Springs loop opens up six days. We’re going to spend the next four here in San Diego, and then ride up to Escondido to link up to the original plan. We’ve had it with the Gaslamp District and its grit and craziness though, and are moving on to Little Italy. It looks like a great place to hang for the next four days and wait out the worst of the weather.

Our home in Little Italy for the next four nights: the Urban Boutique Hotel.

Ride stats today: 41 miles, 400’; for the tour: 179 miles, 5,500’

Today's ride: 41 miles (66 km)
Total: 189 miles (304 km)

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Susan CarpenterGlad to hear of your change in plans. I was on an ACA tour a few years ago and we got 8" of snow in Julian. Even though we stayed in town an extra day, the twisting and narrow Hwy 78 down to the desert was covered in black ice. Luckily, one of the other riders was able to get a friend with a pick-up truck to ferry us down to a lower, ice-free elevation. Happy Holidays
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5 years ago

Scott AndersonTo Susan CarpenterThanks, Susan. Another friend who has taken the Christmas ride through Julian warned us of the same thing. Once we saw which way the weather was breaking there really wasn’t any question in our minds. We’re not really big risk takers or masochists.

And happy holidays yourself!
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5 years ago

Jen RahnGlad to hear about this change in plans. No need for a White Christmas when you're on a bike tour!
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5 years ago

Ron SuchanekAhhh, come on. How bad could the freezing mix have been? I mean, what's the worst that could happen? (I said, sitting here in my fully heated living room, drinking a fresh cup of coffee)
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5 years ago

Scott AndersonCould be pretty bad. I heard from two different friends on organized Xmas rides through Julian, and both had problems with black ice. At my age, I injure fast and heal slow.
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5 years ago