Touring - I'm on the road doing my very 1st tour: L.A. to Mexico!

Woo-hoo! I got a week off from work and decided, what the heck, I'll roll out my front door and follow the Adventure Cycling maps down to the US/Mexico border. OMG - I cramped up sooo hard riding down here. And I'm dead tired so I can't post much right now. I did learn a few things though...

Kryptonite NY U-Lock is HEAVY
Kypronite NY Fuggedaboutit Chain is even HEAVIER
my P.O.S. pre-dot-com company laptop at 10lbs is a BEAST
your legs can cramp up so much that you can't even bend your knees. ow ow ow
just because you are riding mostly beach bike paths doesn't mean you won't have to climb, especially when you hit a city called ROLLING HILLS
I'd be lost without my GPS
Credit Card touring is the best!!!!!
WTF did I bring so much gear?!?!
a lot of people want to talk to you about your ride (hello ladies!) and say they wish they could do that, too
when you are in L.A., get asked where you are headed and say MEXICO, the look of disbelief on their faces is funny
smiling and waving to everyone on the bike path or in residential neighborhoods almost always gets a positive response; so many people seem caught up in their own thing (esp. here in L.A.), but actively reaching out and saying "hi" does make a difference
I really, really, REALLY appreciate gasoline, especially when I'm sucking wind hard climbing with my bike and cars just blow right by me
it's quite humbling to bust your arse for 61 miles for a total of 8 hours, stay at a hotel in Long Beach, look out your window and see the Queen Mary... The same Queen Mary you went to a couple of weeks ago to see Cirque de Soleil which was only a 1/2 hour drive. :-(


I'll post some pics later on. Cheers

Awesome! Keep us posted.

Keep that great sense of humor. BTW, it might make you feel better to know that on my first camping trip by canoe, I took so much crap that I sunk the boat within 15 seconds of shoving off. I was forced to lighten up and have been trying to do so ever since.

The locks are why I stay in hotels in urban/high crime areas. Tiny cable lock ftw.
/Don't steal my stuff, please?

Whew... I just rolled into Coronado tonight after spending last night in San Clemente. It's really nice meeting all sorts of people. What's funny is people's reactions. Back in L.A., I would say that I was going to Mexico and they would look at me in disbelief because they couldn't imagine doing that. But now that I'm next to Mexico and tell people I came from L.A., they're just in awe. :D And most of our fellow cyclists have been quite friendly and helpful. It's nice to meet the locals from every city and talk about life where they are. The funniest thing is their view of "traffic." They said to watch out for the "busy streets", but their busy streets is like an easy ride back in my 'hood. The mean streets of L.A. toughen you up. :p

Oh Man, there is this hole in the wall Mexican restaurant that serves the best carne asada burrito ever! Now I forgot the darn street:D Looks like you are having a blast.

How far down are you heading? Sounds like your having a blast...:)

I can't believe you're carrying the New York 3000!! Incredible.

How are you using you're GPS?

1. What GPS do you have and did you buy the software for it?
2. Did you create routes and download them into your GPS?
OR are you simply creating routes on the fly each day?
3. Are you carrying paper maps?
4. Do you have ALL the maps loaded into the GPS or are you using
the laptop to create routes?
5. Are you using rechargable batteries or are you buying them from stores?

Well, I'm back here in the states. Yup, I did haul my old POS 10 lb laptop, the Kryptonite New York Fuggedabout it chain, and the Kryptonite New York U-Lock. And I never once used them! OMG, my bike was so heavy, I couldn't even lift it over a small fence.

1,4. I used the Garmin GPSMap60CS which came with the North America City Select Maps. You can d/l large sections of the map to the GPS which even includes details of local businesses. I had all of my maps loaded into my GPS and still had lots of memory available.

2,3. I bought the Adventure Cycling Pacific Coast maps and used them. On their web site, you can d/l full GPS waypoints for those maps. I then auto-plotted a route between all of the waypoints and pretty much followed that down the coast. There are some places where there are separate bike paths (i.e. instead of riding on the I-5) and that is not exactly mapped on the GPS (since it's for motor vehicles), but it was close enough. It really saved me a few times from getting lost after making a wrong turn.

5. I use 2 AA batteries at a time. Only used 4 total for the trip.


I don't know how you older people used to get around with a GPS. Other than my bike and camelpak, that was my most important piece of equipment.

They changed things around at the Mexico -> US border. Up until last month, there used to be a bike lane where you could ride right up to the customs agent. However, I was told that Mexicans were setting up businesses renting out real junker bikes for < $10 so people could just cruise all the way to the front of the line. So the Border Patrol shut down the bike lane last month. :( So I had to spend about 1.5 hours to get back into the states.

Going into Mexico was weird. There was hardly any Mexican border patrol agents. I just rode my bike expecting there to be a big "HOLA! MEXICO" sign or something like that, but nothing. I only knew for sure I was in Mexico when I came up to a red octogonal sign that said "ALTO".

Since this was my first time in Mexico and I was on a bike, I just wanted to swing around and come back to the States just so I can tell everyone back at the office that I rode from L.A. to Mexico. :)


I met so many different people on this trip - from "OCP" bicyclists, to commuters, to guys on cruisers enjoying the beach, to a pair of cute college girls riding Wal-Mart MTB junkers 100 miles down the coast in 1 day for the hell of it. It's true - you really can't take everything in barreling down the road at 80 on the interstates.

Oh yeah, it was really cool seeing all of our military firepower as I rode through Camp Pendleton Marine Corp base and then next to the Naval Special Weapons Warfare (?) in Coronado. That's where the Navy Seals train and I spoke to one of them going for a run on the bike path. Out of everyone I met, he was the only one that wasn't surprised (or even impressed?) that I rode L.A. to Mexico. Now that's hard core for you. I saw the obstacle course and some Seal-trainees in training. Just like the stuff you see on the Discovery Channel. I also rode past two aircraft carriers in Coronado. I swell up with pride seeing just how powerful our military is and that we are #1. USA!

However, I was told that Mexicans were setting up businesses renting out real junker bikes for < $10 so people could just cruise all the way to the front of the line.


What the heck? What would they do with their cars?

What the heck? What would they do with their cars?
Dude, people would park in the US and walk across the border. Coming back, it would be a long wait in line so the Mexicans rented out junkers. Sux for guys like us in our full gear and touring bike - obviously we were the ones the border bike lane was intended for. :(

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm still unpacking. :p I'll post my pics tomorrow. :)

Here's the route I took down the coast following the Adventure Cycling Pacific Coast #5 map until Imperial Beach, then I hooked inland to cross into Mexico.


4 days
205.2 miles
20:24 riding
10 mph avg


http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j59/gorideabike/LA%20to%20Mexico/LAtoMexico.png
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j59/gorideabike/LA%20to%20Mexico/2005CannondaleT2000LoadedTouringBik.jpg

Funny stuff- but I'd take the same locks with me when I do a bike trip anyday. I'd rather have a bike with heavy locks than no bike at all. ;)

Koffee

I'm jealous! Nice tour! How do you like the Arkel panniers? I am thinking about getting some Arkel's for when I go on my first tour.

How long did it take you to get in shape for this tour?

Day 1, Tue 2006-05-16, LA to Long Beach

61.1 miles
5:51 riding time
1:34 rest
35.5 max
10.4 avg
1387' ascent


Santa Monica Pier
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j59/gorideabike/LA%20to%20Mexico/Day%201/SantaMonicaPier.jpg

Marina Del Rey. All L.A. crew teams train here.
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j59/gorideabike/LA%20to%20Mexico/Day%201/MarinaDelReyCrew.jpg

LA DWP right along the bike path.
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j59/gorideabike/LA%20to%20Mexico/Day%201/LADWP.jpg

Queen Mary and Port of Long Beach viewable from my hotel window.
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j59/gorideabike/LA%20to%20Mexico/Day%201/LongBeachQueenMary.jpg

Long Beach at night. Dude... I didn't know nighttime photos are time-lapsed. :) I think I'll use this as my desktop wallpaper.
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j59/gorideabike/LA%20to%20Mexico/Day%201/LongBeachatNightPsychedelic.jpg

Hey nice pics....:)

(I deleted my previous 'worthless without pics' post):D

Day 2, Wed 2006-05-17, Long Beach to San Clemente

45.8 miles
4:12 riding
1:05 rest
33.1 max
10.9 avg
1119' ascent


Long Beach No Fishing.
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j59/gorideabike/LA%20to%20Mexico/Day%202/LongBeachNoFishing.jpg

Offshore Island. I'm not sure what it is, but there were several man-made like islands along the coast.
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j59/gorideabike/LA%20to%20Mexico/Day%202/OffshoreIsland.jpg

Offshore Oil Rig. We need more of these here in CA.
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j59/gorideabike/LA%20to%20Mexico/Day%202/OffshoreOilRig.jpg

Secluded beach down the coast.
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j59/gorideabike/LA%20to%20Mexico/Day%202/SecludedBeach.jpg

View from my hotel room in San Clemente. This was my favorite placed I stayed at. The quiet roar of the waves was so relaxing. And the clean ocean breeze blowing through my room was so refreshing. :)
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j59/gorideabike/LA%20to%20Mexico/Day%202/BeachcomberMotelView.jpg
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j59/gorideabike/LA%20to%20Mexico/Day%202/BeachcomberMotelView2.jpg

San Clemente pier. This is the only place to hang out in SC.
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j59/gorideabike/LA%20to%20Mexico/Day%202/SanClementePier.jpg

San Clemente local high school kids surfing.
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j59/gorideabike/LA%20to%20Mexico/Day%202/SanClementeSurfer.jpg

My hotel room. Find the yellow building and go down. My room is right on the lawn.
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j59/gorideabike/LA%20to%20Mexico/Day%202/BeachcomberMotel.jpg

Go Bruins!
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j59/gorideabike/LA%20to%20Mexico/Day%202/StandingonPier.jpg

Amtrak SurfLiner and Metrolink passes through here right next to the ocean. What a view from the train.
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j59/gorideabike/LA%20to%20Mexico/Day%202/SanClementeRailroadCrossing.jpg

Day 3, Thu 2006-05-18, San Clemente to Coronado

66.8 miles
6:50 riding
1:41 rest
37.9 max
9.8 avg
1944' ascent


Coast Highway Bike Lane. Wide and clean.
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j59/gorideabike/LA%20to%20Mexico/Day%203/CoastHighwayBikeLane.jpg

San Onofre Nuclear Power Plant. (The twin, ahem, chest parts...)
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j59/gorideabike/LA%20to%20Mexico/Day%203/SanOnofreNuclearPowerPlant.jpg

San Onofre Beach
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j59/gorideabike/LA%20to%20Mexico/Day%203/SanOnofreBeach.jpg

You are now entering Camp Pendleton. Caution. Watch out for TANKS!!! :eek:
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j59/gorideabike/LA%20to%20Mexico/Day%203/CampPendletonTankCrossing.jpg

Just an FYI. If you own a vehicle weighing over 20 tons, you can only go 15 mph on the bridge. :D This was right after the tank sign.
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j59/gorideabike/LA%20to%20Mexico/Day%203/CampPendleton20Tons.jpg

Finally, a downhill!
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j59/gorideabike/LA%20to%20Mexico/Day%203/CampPendletonDownhill.jpg

Oceanside Beach
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j59/gorideabike/LA%20to%20Mexico/Day%203/OceansideBeach1.jpg
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j59/gorideabike/LA%20to%20Mexico/Day%203/OceansideBeach2.jpg
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j59/gorideabike/LA%20to%20Mexico/Day%203/OceansideBeach3.jpg

Entering Encinitas
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j59/gorideabike/LA%20to%20Mexico/Day%203/Encinitas.jpg

Solana Beach. Dude... practically my whole ride had a beach view like this. :) Totally relaxing!
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j59/gorideabike/LA%20to%20Mexico/Day%203/SolanaBeach.jpg

Approaching La Jolla
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j59/gorideabike/LA%20to%20Mexico/Day%203/ApproachingLaJolla.jpg
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j59/gorideabike/LA%20to%20Mexico/Day%203/ApproachingLaJollaDownhill.jpg

Climbing up to UC San Diego in La Jolla
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j59/gorideabike/LA%20to%20Mexico/Day%203/StartofLaJollaClimb.jpg
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j59/gorideabike/LA%20to%20Mexico/Day%203/HalfwayUptoLaJolla.jpg
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j59/gorideabike/LA%20to%20Mexico/Day%203/AlmostattheTopofLaJolla.jpg
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j59/gorideabike/LA%20to%20Mexico/Day%203/DowntownLaJolla.jpg

Downtown San Diego / Coronado during the day
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j59/gorideabike/LA%20to%20Mexico/Day%203/CoronadoDaytime.jpg

Downtown San Diego / Coronado during the night. (I figured out the time-lapsed nighttime exposure.)
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j59/gorideabike/LA%20to%20Mexico/Day%203/CoronadoNighttime.jpg

Day 4, Fri 2006-05-19, Coronado to Mexico

31.5 miles
3:31 riding
2:01 rest
22.6 max
8.9 avg
208' ascent


Aircraft Carrier docked in Coronado
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j59/gorideabike/LA%20to%20Mexico/Day%204/CoronadoAircraftCarrier.jpg

On ferry to Coronado
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j59/gorideabike/LA%20to%20Mexico/Day%204/OnFerrytoCoronado.jpg

Another Aircraft Carrier. I saw two of them docked in Coronado.
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j59/gorideabike/LA%20to%20Mexico/Day%204/AnotherCoronadoAircraftCarrier.jpg

Coronado Bridge. Bikes and pedestrians are not allowed so you need to use the ferry.
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j59/gorideabike/LA%20to%20Mexico/Day%204/CoronadoBridgeNoBikes.jpg

Coronado Boat House
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j59/gorideabike/LA%20to%20Mexico/Day%204/CoronadoBoatHouse.jpg

Silver Strand State Park. This is where the NAVY SEALs-trainees are trained. (See Naval Amphibious Base (http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/facility/coronado.htm).) I saw the obstacle course and some trainees working out. Even ran into a SEAL going for a run on the bike path. Bro, those guys are 110% hard-core!
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j59/gorideabike/LA%20to%20Mexico/Day%204/SilverStrandStatePark.jpg
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j59/gorideabike/LA%20to%20Mexico/Day%204/SilverStrandStatePark2.jpg

Tijuana, Mexico
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j59/gorideabike/LA%20to%20Mexico/Day%204/TijuanaMexico.jpg

Bike Lane entering into Mexico. I saw surprised that there were no Mexican Border Patrol agents scanning people going into Mexico. I just kept pedalling, looked up, saw signs in Spanish, and realized, "dude, I'm in Mexico!"
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j59/gorideabike/LA%20to%20Mexico/Day%204/EnteringMexicoonBike.jpg
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j59/gorideabike/LA%20to%20Mexico/Day%204/InMexico.jpg

Need prescription drugs? No problem! Just pick it up in Mexico. Of course, you have no idea if it's real or not.
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j59/gorideabike/LA%20to%20Mexico/Day%204/AllPrescriptionDrugs.jpg

Waiting in line for over an hour to get back into the US. It's very easy to leave the US, but a PITA to get back in.
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j59/gorideabike/LA%20to%20Mexico/Day%204/WaitinginLineatMexicanBorder.jpg

Mexican Police were everywhere. And every store had armed guards. Can you imagine going to your local outdoor mall and have armed guards at every store and police on every corner? Wow. It's like I'm in a totally different country... oh, wait a minute, I am. :D
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j59/gorideabike/LA%20to%20Mexico/Day%204/MexicanPolice.jpg

Dude, how much longer do I have to wait? They closed the bike lane so I need to wait in the pedestrian line in my full spandex. :p
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j59/gorideabike/LA%20to%20Mexico/Day%204/ImTired-HowMuchLonger.jpg

Great job, man. I did the SF to SD route, so I remember clearly the portion through Pendleton Marine Base, the 12 miles eating exhaust down I-5. Eh.

Two things: You brought a crapload of gear, but really the first week sucks no matter what, so no foul. You could train for weeks with lead weights strapped to your ankles and week 1 still sucks.

That and the NY lock is a must, even if the beast weighs 5 pounds. I would sooner jettison the laptop than a NY 3000, the world's most sturdy lock.

Crossed the border into the US. Yay! Now I need to wait in another line to go to inspection. :(
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j59/gorideabike/LA%20to%20Mexico/Day%204/WelcometotheUS.jpg

United States Border Inspection Station
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j59/gorideabike/LA%20to%20Mexico/Day%204/UnitedStatesBorderInspectionStation.jpg

US Seal
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j59/gorideabike/LA%20to%20Mexico/Day%204/USSeal.jpg

President Bush and Vice-President Cheney. Now I found these pics to be funny since they seemed so out of place. I know that it is standard to display the leaders of the country at the country's borders', but notice they aren't aligned evenly or lit or anything. It was just a very boring inspection center with an empty wall except for these two photos. The flash hit Cheney's photo, but he looked like Mr. Burns. :) The US Border Patrol & Customs Agents looked at me kind of funny as I asked to take this photo, but they moved out of the way and let me... Then I had to open all of my panniers for inspection.
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j59/gorideabike/LA%20to%20Mexico/Day%204/BushandCheneyPhotos.jpg

I'm jealous! Nice tour! How do you like the Arkel panniers? I am thinking about getting some Arkel's for when I go on my first tour.

How long did it take you to get in shape for this tour?
They worked out well. I got the mountain bike panniers instead of the road bike panniers.

Train? Get in shape? Are you implying I spend 8+ hours a day in a cubicle tapping on a keyboard? :) No training dude. I just got on my bike and pedalled out the door.

Congratulations on your tour!

A few years back when I wasn't into cycling my friends did a one day Long Beach to La Jolla ride. Now I regret I didn't do it with them.

Great pictures, I'm so lucky that I get to see those San Diego coastal views all the time on my rides. I should take the time to appreciate them more rather than mashing away with my head down.

How was the ride up Torrey Pines Hill with all that stuff you were carrying? I know I hate it when it's on mile 40 of my Saturday ride... and that's with no gear on my bike.

Dude, you were in TJ and didn't pick up any EPO or Testosterone. ;)

Do you have your route anywhere?
Or do I have to figure it out myself?

Even little hills sucked having to go up. I ran out of gas nearing the top of the mountain in San Diego and pulled over for an energy gel. Riding up a mountain on a road bike is challenging enough. Doing it on loaded-touring bike... well, the "fun" part was at the end of each day when I rolled into the hotels and had that sense of accomlishment.

Post #13 has the route I took. I followed the Adventure Cycling maps all the way down to Imperial Beach right before the Mexican border, then cut over into San Ysidro to go into Mexico. Mexico has virtually no border security. I just kept riding my bike, looked up, and all of a sudden all of the billboards were in Spanish!

Keep in mind that starting in Jan '07, you will need your US Passport for re-entry back into the States from both Mexico and Canada.

Great tour log mac,

Now I want to do your tour. What a view.

Good pictures, good dialog, and you had fun. Nice.

Wow man, looks like you had a blast, how did you get back? You didnt ride back, did someone pick you up?

What is it like touring by yourself? Did you ever get bored?

I had it planned out. When I got down to Mexico (just to cross the border and call up my buddies to say I road my bicycle to another country :D) I swung back to San Ysidro, rented a U-Haul, and drove back to L.A.

I wasn't bored once and enjoyed the freedom I had to do my own damn thing whenever and wherever I wanted to. No need to organize or agree with other people about when to get up, when/where to eat, when/where to sleep, etc. And I ran into other cyclists along the way so I spoke and rode with them.

Maybe I might have been bored if the scenery never changed, but there's always something going on in the beach communities so there's always something to look at. Plus trying to avoid cars while riding VC on a loaded touring bike on PCH does keep your mind focused on the task at hand. :p As long as you have a daily goal, you won't be bored. i.e. I needed to reach Long Beach, San Clemente, Coronado, and Mexico at the end of each day. So no matter where I was or how tired I was, I needed to keep pushing ahead to reach my destinations before nightfall. That keeps you motivated. And after dinner, I was completely exhausted and just fell asleep the entire night so I wasn't bored at night either.

thanks for putting up all of the photos, it was really nice to read :-)

That's awesome. I need to travel more.

I don't know how you older people used to get around with a GPS. Other than my bike and camelpak, that was my most important piece of equipment.

Hey...! He just called me old!