Days 35/36 - Lompoc to Carpinteria and Layover Day - Riding the California Dream

October 14, 2022 to October 15, 2022

Days 35/36 - Lompoc to Carpinteria and Layover Day

On my own

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I was totally on my own — 40 miles away from the tour group and needing to ride approximately 70 miles in order to catch up with them at the Motel 6 in Carpinteria, where we had a layover day planned. There was no sag vehicle available if I needed one. So I was betting on both my bike and my body to remain in working order for the day.

As I looked out my window at the light rain, I was glad (again) that I had chosen to stay indoors the rest of the tour. Alone or not.

A wetish view from my motel window in the morning.

The first 20 miles of the rides was a gentle uphill climb of between 1-4%, that hardly felt like a climb. This part of the ride was wet, but otherwise unremarkable. There were no towns and very little of interest to see — partly because I couldn't see much past the moisture on my glasses — until the route joined up with Hwy 101.

At about the time I needed a restroom, I came upon a closed rest stop that had a portable toilet, so I maneuvered around a concrete barrier to check it out. Lucky me, it had recently been cleaned and even included a sink with water, soap, and paper towels. Ah, what a difference the small conveniences make.

Climbing out of Lompoc and back toward the ocean.

There were times I could hardly see due to moisture on my (prescription) lenses, and I had to stop frequently to wipe them off. Someone really should invent little eyeglass windshield wipers!

Hwy 101 led me back out to the ocean. By this time, the rain had stopped, and and I was able to pack up my rain gear. I rolled through Gaviota and toward Refugio, where the group had stayed the night before.

According to the route, I needed to enter the park and then follow a trail along the water before rejoining Hwy 101 further south.

I was intrigued by this convergence of bridges for cars, rail, and pedestrians.

At the exit to Refugio Park, I stopped and consulted RideWithGPS to confirm that I was supposed to go into the park. The entrance was down a rather steep driveway, and I really didn't want to have to climb back up it. Route confirmed, I headed on down.

Refugio seemed like a pretty nice campground, right on the beach, and I hoped that the group had had a good night and didn't get too wet. I stopped here to eat a snack and enjoy the ocean and beach views.

I turned left and followed the Refugio bike and pedestrian trail along the water's edge. It enjoyed being off the main highway. The ride was peaceful, and the views lovely.

The further along I went, the less maintained the trail seemed to be, with cracks and grass sprouting through the pavement and bushes encroaching along the edges. I wondered how much longer Adventure Cycling would be able to use this trail as part of their route.

The trail kept narrowing until, suddenly, I was at a dead end. The trail was fenced off with a big CLOSED sign. However, there was an opening big enough for pedestrians on one side, and I wondered if maybe it was only closed to bicyclists.

I really didn't want to have to go back the way I'd come and climb that driveway to 101, so I decided to push my bike around the fence and see what was on the other side.

The view, following the ocean trail in the park.

On the other side of the barrier, the path was very narrow, but walkable.

I was standing there, considering whether or not I should continue, when a jogger came my way. He told me there was a broken section of path ahead, but that it was walkable, and beyond that broken section, the trail was fine and would take me back to the highway as my route indicated.

They don't call it "Adventure Cycling" for nothing. So forward I went.

At the narrowest point, the trail was seriously undercut in some places and there was a pretty steep drop-off. I hugged the rock side as I pushed my bike forward and hoped for the best.

The Refugio trail, eroding into the sea.

This was steeper and the drop farther down than it looks in the picture.

Whew! ACA is definitely going to have to change their route. That's all I have to say.

Once I passed this washed-out part of the trail, it opened up again and I was able to rejoin 101, but even that was a bit confusing, as I had to go through the bushes to get around the fence on the other end of the trail and navigate my way through another campground and to the 101 onramp.

Coming into Goleta, I was once again on "civilized" roads with defined bike paths and traffic signals. The green carpet of a golf course stretched between me and the ocean.

View of the Sandpiper Golf Course as I entered Goleta.

By this time, I was beginning to "smell the barn," as they say — my destination was only 20 miles away, and I was anxious to arrive. Knowing that I would have the next day off and time to explore, I passed through Santa Barbara, riding along the waterfront and enjoying the views, only stopping to snap a few photos, and then continuing on to Carpinteria.

After eight straight days of riding, it had seemed like an especially long day: 71 miles, over 5 and a half hours of riding, plus stops, and I was really looking forward to a rest.

View of Sterns Pier in Santa Barbara from the waterfront bicycle/pedestrian trail.

Rest Day - Carpinteria and Santa Barbara Waterfront

A Day in Pictures...

In the morning, it was raining lightly, so I put on my rain jacket and walked down Carpinteria's Linden Ave toward the beach.

Well, there's the beach. Not much to do, since it was still misting, and there was no place dry to sit, so I snapped this pic and then turned around and walked back up the street.

Along the way, I stopped at a cafe for a cup of coffee. Couldn't resist the cinnamon roll, though. Yep, I ate the whole thing!

I walked back to the motel, sat in the room, and read for a while. But I was getting restless. I found out that there was a bus stop just across the street and the bus would take me into Santa Barbara for only 85 cents (senior rate). Such a deal. The bus was scheduled to arrive within the next 15 minutes, the sun had come out and the day was turning warm, so of course I went.

Looking toward Sterns Pier on the waterfront from the south, 72 degrees, and the water sparkling in the sun.

Picture of the waterfront from the end of the pier.

I ate a late lunch/early dinner at Longboard's Grill, a restaurant at the far end of the pier. They had a nice, wind-sheltered deck where I could watch the sailboats and the pelicans diving for fish while drinking a glass of white wine and enjoying my meal.

Getting ready to walk into town and catch the bus back to Carpinteria.

Today's ride: 71 miles (114 km)
Total: 1,484 miles (2,388 km)

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Rachael AndersonWow! Congratulations on making it safely. What a challenging ride!
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2 years ago