We made our escape form the 'sketchy' area of Port Hueneme/Oxnard by 8:00. Our escape was aided by the heavy fog...well maybe not aided...we needed our flashing lights for the first hour. That is how long it took us to ride around the Port Hueneme Naval base which is part of the even bigger Ventura Naval Base.
When the sun came out we began to enjoy our ride along the coast. The shoulder was good and the ocean was our constant companion. We had failed to realize however that this area is hilly...the climbs were not very steep but as our friend Chris from England would say, they were like 'bubble wrap'. After about 20 kilometers we began to see house up in the hills. I should probably say there were 'mansions in them there hills'. Then we were shut off from the ocean as the mansions appeared on our right as well. We were entering the Malibu area. The 'decadence' became even more ridiculous when the Porsches, Ferraris, Lamborghini's, Jaguars, Mercedes, and the lowly BMW's began to dominate the roads. And we even saw some Bentleys and Rolls Royce's sprinkled in. We rode past a series of 'clubs' and just had to stop in front of one to 'gawk'. Six cars were parked in a row. Two were Ferraris, three were Porsches, and the sixth was a Bentley. We were staring at 3 to 4 million dollars worth of cars. I wonder what a membership in this club would cost? I suspect if you had to ask you could not afford to belong! These people are obviously 'In a League of Their Own'. RJ, Eric and Colin...you guys would have loved it!
As we continued further along into the 'urban jungle' the riding became 'nerve wracking'. Cars were flying past us on the left. cars were parked where we wanted to ride to our right. We were unsure whether to be worried about being run over from behind or 'doored' by one of the parked vehicles. There were also 100's of road cyclists blowing past us. We soon realized that in Los Angles County cars do not give a 'shit' about the law that requires them to give cyclists 3 feet of room as they pass. Instead of being 'buzzed' by black Pickup Trucks we were being 'buzzed' by black Porsches!
It came as a tremendous relief to finally get to the Bike Path outside of Santa Monica. We were able to spend the rest of the day riding along the beach...the only challenge was to avoid the thousands of people who were using the trail.
We are staying at the Ocean Park Inn in Santa Monica. Campgrounds are a whole lot scarce in this area. Our room is even smaller than the one we had in Rimouski when we crossed Canada. But it is a really nice little place with a grocery store within a block. We are about 8 blocks away from the famous Santa Monica Pier.
Trip Distance = 77.25 km. Time on the Bikes = 4 hours 52 minutes. Average Speed = 15.80 km. Maximum Speed = 47.15 km. Wildlife Sightings = Western Grebe, Meadowlarks, Coots, Great Egret, Great Blue Heron, Snowy Egret, Red Tailed Hawk, Mallards, Godwits.
Just Before The Urban Jungle Began
Medieval Castle? Do Not See The Moat Though!
One Of The Mansions Up In The Hills
Santa Monica Beach...This Is The Image We had In Our Heads That All California Beaches Would Look Like!
The Iconic Santa Monica Pier With Thousands Of People Milling About. We Rode Our Bikes Under The Pier
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