Day 17: Cruising Los Angeles

With lots of urban sprawl ahead of us, Bryan and I drove out of Ventura this morning to check out the route we would use. After breakfast, he set out on his bike while I relaxed in our room. The traffic was light and he had no trouble finding his way on the #1 to our meeting point at Leo Carillo State Beach. The Santa Monica mountains gave him a bit of a gradual climb and enough time to wonder about a fairly recent forest fire. I couldn't use the navigation because it kept suggesting that I go on the #405. With a  written list of directions and a bit of backtracking, I caught up with Bryan, none too worse for wear. We had a relaxing lunch, then packed the bike in the car. Trying to find each other in a city is tough and Santa Monica was just 5 miles away. Bryan was a bit annoyed that he could ride only 56 km today If he had been alone, as he was in 2009, he would have just powered on. He still likes my support though!

For the next four hours, we covered only 120 km, going from one urban area to another in quick succession with increasingly solid traffic. We did take time to stop on a beach near Malibu, but didn't feel much like Malibu Barbie and Ken in the cool breeze. We cruised Sunset Boulevard in Santa Monica and tried to find a place to park without  luck so we just kept cruising. The LA airport was along the way, which made us think of how easy it is to fly into a big city and just explore a small part without trying to get through it. Our goal was to just get out of town asap!

We continued on through one beach community/city after another, with names like Manhattan, Hermosa, Redondo, Long and Seal.  I saw the offshore drilling rigs that I hadn't noticed earlier. Bryan sees a lot more cycling than I do when I drive. I did some navigation for him though, since the onboard system insists on taking us to highway 405.

We finally arrived in Huntington Beach, ready to stop for the night. After negotiations with the motel owner for a reduced rate and a walk to stretch out/check out the mall, we bought our groceries and headed back to the inn. Since it proved useful this morning, we checked out the route for tomorrow again. This time, however, we parked downtown and walked the wharf. We seem to do this often in California. When in Rome.... And these Romans like to come out en masse. They were swimming and surfing even thought we had put on jackets. Although the sun was shining, it felt a bit chilly. Perhaps they are just used to the cool, but so many girls in bikinis? We were the wusses I guess. Then again, they can't imagine our winters.

Perhaps it is the stress of traffic and commuting that makes the ocean shores and beaches so appealing. I can understand the lure of playing in the waves, even fishing off the pier, after a day at work which includes a long commute. There is a constant interplay between the natural and man-made environments. We are both just as happy to be past the sprawl that is Los Angeles County.
In fact, we celebrated with a glass of wine after a supper at Denny's. Never leave home without a Swiss Army knife/corkscrew. Here's to tomorrow and San Diego!