We delayed our departure this morning because again we knew that we had a really short day. So we hit the road at 8:45.
ACA did a terrific job of their route out of Redondo Beach, through Torrance, through Carson to Long Beach. To keep it simple this 'is' Los Angles even though technically it is not. We rode through mostly housing subdivisions and then through an industrial area (Carson). There were some large plants which we understand have something to do with the Petro Chemical Industry. The most fun we had was on the bike path along the side of the Los Angles River. This river has obviously been engineered to say the least. It has concrete walls and we rode up high on top of the berm along side it. It is also as straight as an arrow. The real bonus for us was that the river was 'teeming' with birdlife. We spent a lot of time trying to identify the ducks and the shorebirds. Who would have thought that with all the wild coastline we have encountered that the best bird watching would take place in the middle of the biggest 'urban sprawl' in the world. FYI. Los Angles does have the largest 'footprint' of any city in the world if you include all the cities and towns that are attached to it.
As we left the River Bike Path and were entering the harbour area of Long Beach we stopped to look at our maps. We did not have to get them out. A couple on recumbents stopped to talk to us about our journey. They were musicians who have lived here for 14 years. He is originally from New Orleans and she from New Mexico. Maps were not required after that. They led us along a series of bike trails being tourist guides for us and gave us some must do's and must see's while we are here. We said our good byes at the Shoreline Village area, an area of restaurants and shops at the harbour. We probably spent 1 1/2 hours with them.
We had lunch at a Mexican Restaurant overlooking some large yachts. When we started heading toward our destination for the night we were stopped by another cyclist who asked if we were lost. We were...sort of. He directed us to go to the next set of lights and we would find our motel. He is from Long Beach and tour cycles. We must have chatted with him for 30 minutes. Nice People these 'Long Beachers'!
We are booked into the Rodeway Inn for the next 3 nights. Mary Lou (Sue's sister) and Ken are coming over from Las Vegas tomorrow to spend some time with us. Looking forward to it!
Trip Distance = 30.81 km. Time on the Bikes = 2 hours 23 minutes. Average Speed = 12.90 km. Maximum Speed = 30 .22 km. Wildlife Sightings = Snowy Egret, Great Egret, Bufflehead, Ruddy Duck, Blue Winged Teal, Cinnamon Teal, Green Winged Teal, Northern Shoveler, Northern Pintail, American Wigeon, Black-necked Stilt, American Avocet, Great Blue Heron, Kingfisher, Pelican, Coot, Turkey Vultures, Western Grebe.
Los Angles River And The Bike Path - Great Bird Watching And We Had Lots Of Time To Do It!
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