Goleta to Ventura, California

January 14, 2013

Now that we are in a more densely populated area, there are more roads and also bike paths generally headed our way. Our sources, the ACA maps, the Spring and Kirkendahl book, and the Pacific Bike Path and other signs not only do not always agree on the way to go, but even when they do agree it can be hard to tell due to different mapping styles and level of detail.

This morning Dodie was lured by references to a coastal bike path in the ACA materials, starting on the UC Santa Barbara campus. So we backtracked 5 km to the campus, and promptly got lost in a maze of bike paths there. Finally, down by the beach, we stopped a student to ask for help. She was gamely trying to get a handle on where we were and where we wanted to go, but was not being too successful. So we were all glad when a bicycle mounted police officer spun up and offered to help.

It turned out to be too complicated to just describe, so we set off on a bike ride with the fellow as he guided us out of the maze. On our ride,we learned that he was working overtime, from his usual night shift. His beat is the student housing area, which he said has a lot of violence among the tightly packed, stressed, and partying inmates. Together we reminisced about the times when students came to university to actually learn. It was strange to be reminiscing with a maybe 30 year old.

The officer even reminisced to further back, when the campus was a hot spot of protest in the Vietnam era. More so, he said, than the Berkeley campus. Unless I am way wrong about his age, this was possibly before this officer was born!

We were eventually set on the right path, but in all it cost 15 km and an hour and a half. It was worth it, though, because there was truly a bike path that we followed for a good part of the day.

It was never quite easy, though, because the bike paths had various names that had no meaning for us, like Cross Town Route or Coastal Route, or others. Also, when it was a question not of bike path but bike laned back roads off hwy 101, the twists and turns were a bit challenging.

When we popped out on the beach front at Santa Barbara, the scene was quite stunning. It was palm lined, with lots of other "tropical" plants, expensive looking motels, and lots of sand. Out of town on the other side, upscale suburbs occupied the slopes, with the dramatic higher mountains in the background.

Small resort towns - Montecito, Summerland, and Carpinteria followed, before we arrived at the Rincon Beach/Faria area. Here there is a broad sweep of bay, closely traced by hwy 101. Though there is a wide bike lane on this, the traffic is fast and noisy. Still, it held a bit of special meaning for us because this is one of the areas we had chosen last year for testing out the Bike Fridays. It waqs fun remembering the little twists and details of the route.

This included the area along the highway/beach where huge parking spots were set out for RVs. People set up beside the roaring highway and sit watching the sea. It's kind of an analog to Quartzite, Arizona where the RVs are set up in the desert, to sit watching the ... desert. This is, we remembered, the nesting ground where those giant RVs that side swiped us on the northern highway were heading to.

Last year we had snuck our little van in among them, and yes, did enjoy our one night by the sea.Looking at that sea this time, we were thrilled to see dolphins frolicing in the surf. I guess there is something to be said for parking here.

This time, of course, we needed to carry on, into Ventura. We had sort of targeted Oxnard, but it was not to be. We "like" Oxnard because of the reference it got in one episode of the Big Bang Theory. In that one, the boys consult Professor Crawley about the identification of a cricket. The professor has lost his research grant and will have to go live with his daughter in Oxnard. Not Oxnard by the beach, he laments, but Oxnard in the onion fields. Tomorrow, unless we get lost, it will be the beach for us!

suburban Santa Barbara housing in the hills

Last year just a couple of weeks later in the season the Rincon beach was covered with surfers. This time all we found was this fellow, playing his drums for the ocean.

These cherry like fruits were on a grape like vine covering a chain link fence

We are not really obsessed with Amtrak, since this tour is all sunshine and easy cruising now

Strelitsia Reginae - the Bird of Paradise!

This giant fig tree was planted in Ventura in 1874!

Today's ride: 78 km (48 miles)
Total: 2,057 km (1,277 miles)

Rate this entry's writing	Heart	3
Comment on this entry	Comment	0