General Cycling Discussion - California is so great!

I just want to say that I've been visiting a friend in Berkeley since july 15th and I just can't leave anymore!! I keep changing my return ticket (to Toronto) so I stay longer. The cycling there is just amazing!!! The best cycling I've ever done! I went up Mount Diablo a couple of weeks ago, and every day I hang around the Berkeley hills... I'll never be able to ride my bike in Toronto anymore! I'm supposed to leave next friday but I want to add a few more days on my stay. My boyfriend (who is still in Toronto) has been really patient so far... Oh yeah, and the food (all organic) is also incredible!

<sigh>

Ah California.... great cycling, horrible politics! ;)

I was in San Diego with a similar dilemma a couple of Christmas's ago. When I finally did leave, it was 90 degrees F, and I had tears in my eyes, seriously! When I got home, we were in the middle of a snowstorm. :cry:

I considered moving there at one time- it's still a possibility, though.

Enjoy your stay, extend it out as long as possible!

Koffee

You'll get over it. Canada is much better than California. It's all f---ed up here.
Hope you don't own a car if you move here.

Hey Claire......ditch your boyfriend & move down to SoCal......the best cycling in North America, PERIOD!

PS......Koffee is right about SD. Why do you think top major triathletes train down here year round?

And yes, politics sucks out here, especially if you're a right-winger like me....

Originally posted by RacerX
You'll get over it. Canada is much better than California. It's all f---ed up here.
Hope you don't own a car if you move here.

Yeah I know, it really looks like the politics sucks around here. But for cycling, wine and good food I like it better than Toronto. (I'm from France so wine and good cheese is a necessity of life to me). As for the car, I don't drive, and I hope to remain car-free all my life...

I was stationed out there in the later 80’s. I loved the area and weather but lets face it guys, you can’t fit many more people in there.

You might also want to spend some time further up the coast. Give Oregon and Washington a try too if you like good wine, cheese and cycling.

Oui, Oui! I love France!
I guess no car means San Fran. Rock Ridge is very cool, I love it there. But I think Canada is nicer place to live.

Yeah the wine country is great. Healdsberg (I think that's the name) is a great little wine town- it's where Hop Kiln wines are (famous for their Cabs, I think).

Originally posted by Koffee Brown
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I was in San Diego with a similar dilemma a couple of Christmas's ago. When I finally did leave, it was 90 degrees F, and I had tears in my eyes, seriously! When I got home, we were in the middle of a snowstorm. :cry:

My Brother and his wife live in the Mission Beach area I am down there a couple times a year and usually end up comming back kicking and screaming. I keep tellling them I should just move down there and get a job a 7-11 and live on the beach. :) aweson Bajo Mexican food and awesome biking weather!

Originally posted by RacerX
Oui, Oui! I love France!
I guess no car means San Fran. Rock Ridge is very cool, I love it there. But I think Canada is nicer place to live.

Yeah the wine country is great. Healdsberg (I think that's the name) is a great little wine town- it's where Hop Kiln wines are (famous for their Cabs, I think).

I actually went riding around Healdsberg (or whatever it's supposed to be spelled) a couple of weeks ago. Big fun! Canada is definitely a good place to live (and becoming one of the most liberal countries in the world, so that's all good...). I just wish I could ride my bike all year round and not see any snow and be able to buy reblochon at the supermarket and buy wine at the corner store at any time of the day or night...

...or ketchup flavored potato chips!

Originally posted by RacerX
...or ketchup flavored potato chips!

These are available in Canada, as far as I know... Do you live in Canada?

Originally posted by khuon
You might also want to spend some time further up the coast. Give Oregon and Washington a try too if you like good wine, cheese and cycling.

Our wine and cheese kick but over California (they just have better marketing) and Oregon's come in at a very close second and the Weather in SF is really not much different than here so you should try the biking and then there is the seafood Yum!

No, I am a frequent visitor. I love Canada, the people are great!
I live in southern california.

Yeah, the only place I've seen them is in Canada. You won't find ketchup flavor in the US!


Originally posted by claire
These are available in Canada, as far as I know... Do you live in Canada?

ahhh yeah.. SoCal is da place ! I have friends leaving California to move to less expensive areas of the US... i've visited them... adn I gotta say... it may be expensive here.. but there are a grip of cyclists, the weather is almost always nice year round... even in the winter, I can surf, or ride my bike in the morning, and snowboard in the afternoon if i wanted to... and yes, the political system sucks... anytime Gary Coleman (from diff'rent strokes the TV show) is gonna run for guv'na, it can't all be good...

oh yes, and we do have wine and cheese... although so does most of the west coast... I have had soem good Oregonian wines.. of course, I've had good wine from NC as well :)

Jeff

Originally posted by ngateguy
Our wine and cheese kick but over California (they just have better marketing) and Oregon's come in at a very close second and the Weather in SF is really not much different than here so you should try the biking and then there is the seafood Yum!

I personally prefer the cheese from Oregon and Wisconsin to that of California. One really great all-day (or multiday/weekend) ride is to take Hwy 101 south from Astoria, OR (where they filmed Kindergarten Cop) along the coast and be sure to stop at all the small towns such as Seaside and Cannon Beach (where they filmed parts of the movie Goonies) until you get to Tillamook, OR where you can visit the Tillamook cheese factory (take the tour) and also get some wonderful Tillamook icecream. The ride is extremely scenic and some parts are a bit scary (tunnels and bridges with no shoulder and narrow lanes) but cyclists are common and most drivers know to deal with it. It's also got some hills... actually a lot of it is rolling hills (some steep) and you do have to do some climbing up Neahkahnie Mountain but mostly it's a lot of fun. Total distance is about 70 miles.

http://www.mapquest.com/mqproxy/3f33e086-00288-04eb6-400c2529

So Cali...all I gotta say is BEACHES and HOT BABES!!! Oh yeah....plenty of places to ride...:D

SoCal has alot of good things, but alot of negatives also. Cost of living is a BIG one.. virtualy impossible to go carless out here atleast in LosAngeles area. Politics SUCK, polution every year I would say half the beaches in LA have bad red tides and smog.. But the positives are great weather, great cycling, job market normaly is really good. We have plenty of room for more people, I just read a statistic the other day last year there was more people leaving california then coming here, first time that has happened in a LONG time.

Claire:

Welcome to California. Now go home.

(Seriously, glad you're enjoying your visit. I was an undergrad at Cal (note the screenname and icon). Go Bears! While riding near campus can be sketchy, riding up Strawberry Canyon, Tilden Park, and over to Mt. Diablo is great, isn't it? While you're out here, you should make a point of heading up to Sonoma for some of our finest wines and cheeses. Also, take a trip to Tahoe for some hard climbing or a beautiful 75 mile ride around the lake.)

Originally posted by Kev
I just read a statistic the other day last year there was more people leaving california then coming here, first time that has happened in a LONG time.

I heard yesterday that on average, 700 people are coming to Seattle from California. Not necessarily to the rest of the state of WA but to Seattle specifically. I hope they're able to find jobs because that's our scarcest resource here.

My brother lives in California. A number of his friends have been killed by inattentive drivers whilst cycling often in groups. It seems that people commute for such huge amounts of time in CA that it becomes habitual for them to pay little attention if any to the road. I don't know if it is statistically bad. But I doubt the statistics would hit the point I am making. My brother's friends were all serious cyclists riding in the proper fashion when they got nailed. Here in FL, they kill people on bicycles all the time, but the vast majority of them are riding at night without lights (had the licenses taken away for DUI).

I have ridden in southern Ontario and the riding there is superb. The drivers seem to even pay attention to the road now and then.

I saw on TV that there are not woods in SoCal. Sort of sandy desert with some grass and bushes around. Not my cup of tee, since I like woods.

But I never was in SoCal.

Oregon seems to be more impressive for the tree-hugger.

There are many national forests, mountains, Big Bear where you can ski and hug many trees. That is why SoCal is popular. There is everything. Beaches, deserts, mountains and forests.

Mix in overpopulation, pollution, high cost of living, crappy people and you have heaven and hell all in one spot.

Tv shows it's own version of what they consider reality....

Yeah, So. Cal has a bit of everything- that's why it is such a great place to me. I'll never forget my first jaunt into California. My plane was coming into LA, and I looked out the window and saw those mountains and started freaking- I had NO idea California had mountains. As a matter of fact, I'd never seen mountains before I came to California. Exploring So. Cal was great- I really enjoyed myself.

I haven't been to Oregon yet, but my friend is moving there from Seattle, so I guess Portland will be a stop on my list then- but a quick stop. I will always prefer So. Cal weather over its more rainy counterparts in Washington and Oregon....

Koffee

Originally posted by RacerX
There are many national forests, mountains, Big Bear where you can ski and hug many trees. That is why SoCal is popular. There is everything. Beaches, deserts, mountains and forests.

Mix in overpopulation, pollution, high cost of living, crappy people and you have heaven and hell all in one spot.

I must be weird as i hated So Cal when i visited. I guess the second list of RacerX's was too much for me. It depressed me all that asphalt and walls around houses and urban planning. I don't think I talked to anyone except the people i was visiting.. I call it Lost Angeles.



Erik

Screw it here.If i could i be gone in a second.Of course i am here in north mexico.North past ventura is great and south around dana point on is nice.Its trash in the middle.How would i know.Born in long beach in 53 and have stayed in area so belive me i know how it used to be and how it is now.

Something tells me tha t California's coming political circus may drive emigration in all directions by later this year!

Originally posted by Koffee Brown
If you don't like LA, try San Diego- it's big, but it's one of the greatest places I've ever been.

If I were forced to live in California, I'd probably live in San Diego. I've lived in the Bay Area for a bit and didn't quite like it. Admittedly I was living in the South Bay Area. I suppose it would be okay if I lived a bit north of San Mateo. I've been to LA quite a few times and I really didn't like it. I remember my first visit to LA and descending through the thick brown layer coming into LAX (same is sort of true for SJC). Yuck! San Diego, OTOH seems quite pleasant. There looked to be lots of good places to ride, easy plentiful access and view to water (a big plus for me) and the lifestyle seemed a little less rushed and hectic. Even the downtown area seemed pretty nice.

I grew up in west Los Angeles in the 1950s, went to high school in Huntington Beach (Orange County) in the 1960s, then returned to L.A. for college (UCLA) and my first two career-track jobs. I moved to San Diego County in 1981 and have never looked back. Primarily because of its climate, southern California has become a victim of its own success. As traffic congestion worsens, so does road rage and carelessness; the only solution is a combination of traffic calming, stricter accountability for motorists, population growth control, and better education for all road users.

Originally posted by Max
I saw on TV that there are not woods in SoCal. Sort of sandy desert with some grass and bushes around. Not my cup of tee, since I like woods.

But I never was in SoCal.

Oregon seems to be more impressive for the tree-hugger.

Try checking out the Big Bear area.. plenty of pine forests, and mountian Lakes... the best forest type areas are up in NorCal though

Jeff

Redlands is a great place in Northern CA for the tree huggers... don't worry about that- you don't have to go all the way to Oregon or Washington to hug a tree!

:)

Koffee

Originally posted by Max
I saw on TV that there are not woods in SoCal. Sort of sandy desert with some grass and bushes around. Not my cup of tee, since I like woods.

Yeah, I know what you mean, Max. What I do is I'll ride my mountain bike through my local nursery, pretending the isles between all the potted shrubbery as singletracks. I'll sometimes ride my road bike through the lumber dept at Home Depot to get that timber aroma, imagining riding along a winding highway through miles and miles of giant redwoods. Yeah, I hate California..... every morning I've gotta sweep and dust desert sand off my driveway & my vehicle. Now, tell me about your lovely state. :D

California will get straightened out once The Terminator takes over in Sacramento. :crash:

As much as i am od on CA,give me a list of places other then ca that within a hour drive you can either be in the desert,mountains or beach and see women in next to nothing.Right now its dry,68 and no breeze.Want to ride in that for awhile?Oh,its 6:50am.

Originally posted by shokhead
As much as i am od on CA,give me a list of places other then ca that within a hour drive you can either be in the desert,mountains or beach and see women in next to nothing.Right now its dry,68 and no breeze.Want to ride in that for awhile?Oh,its 6:50am.

Oregon and Washington have similar environments.

Originally posted by khuon
Oregon and Washington have similar environments.

Ummmmm.....not quite....
Last May we went Mtb'ing in snow up in Mt Pinos, just 90 minutes north of Los Angeles. The next day we road biked up and down the coastline of Orange County with endless views of semi-naked women (sorry ladies)... But as Max stated, we have 'no woods' down here, but that's ok.....we've got girls.

Originally posted by George
Ummmmm.....not quite....
Last May we went Mtb'ing in snow up in Mt Pinos, just 90 minutes north of Los Angeles.

Ummm... have you ever been to western Washington? Go 45 miles east or west of Seattle and you're in snow-covered mountain. As a matter of fact, you have a pretty narrow geographical corridor to travel where you don't hit mountains. Then there's the San Juan Islands which offer some spectacular cycling. And there's even a mountain on Orcas Island that you can ride to the top of.


Originally posted by George
The next day we road biked up and down the coastline of Orange County

I posted about it in a previous post... try riding Hwy 101 from Astoria, OR to Tillamook, OR. It's a beautiful coastal route.

Mr. Khuon........ok, granted..... but how about the women?

Originally posted by George
Mr. Khuon........ok, granted..... but how about the women?

Well, I believe there are quite a few nude beaches in Oregon. There's several points along the Columbia River too where the scenery being described as hills and valleys have nothing to do with the terrain. All in all though, I think California does win in that particular category. :D

Originally posted by George
Yeah, I know what you mean, Max. What I do is I'll ride my mountain bike through my local nursery, pretending the isles between all the potted shrubbery as singletracks. I'll sometimes ride my road bike through the lumber dept at Home Depot to get that timber aroma, imagining riding along a winding highway through miles and miles of giant redwoods. Yeah, I hate California..... every morning I've gotta sweep and dust desert sand off my driveway & my vehicle. Now, tell me about your lovely state. :D

George, I was born in Siberia, near the lake Baykal, and lived there until I was 9. A lot of woods there. It is called taiga.

When my parents moved to the European part of the USSR and took me as baggage, I was shocked and depressed. There were practically no woods in Southern Ukraine. I just did not know how to live further.

Certainly, I can not even dream of returning back there now as there is no work there. But I still miss the forests. I live on the Northern Shore of the Black Sea. At least there is the warm sea here. The water in the Balck Sea is about 2 times less salty than in the ocean.

I was only in 4 states in the USA. MD, VA, PA, and D.C. I liked most PA, because of the Great Allegheny Passage. It is the bicycle trail from Pittsburgh to Meyersdale. The camping sites in the PA are very good.


Originally posted by Mzungu
I must be weird as i hated So Cal when i visited. I guess the second list of RacerX's was too much for me. It depressed me all that asphalt and walls around houses and urban planning. I don't think I talked to anyone except the people i was visiting.. I call it Lost Angeles.
Erik

I talked to many people in the USA. People were friendly. More communicative than in Europe. Sometimes a cyclist could stop near our bench, even though there was the free empty bench nearby, and could ask us about from and to where we were cycling and such things. I liked it.

Certainly we met strange types too, but mostly people were OK. Much better in average than in my parts.

I guess most of you are talking about Southern California, which to my mind isn't really California at all. My California has huge snowy mountains, vast green rice fields, and orchards full of every imaginable fruit. And great rivers and reservoirs diverted south so a boatload of ex-midwesterners can try to grow bermuda grass in San Bernardino County.

Caloso.......I will be thinking about you every time I take a sip out of my water bottle.

Originally posted by RacerX
You'll get over it. Canada is much better than California. It's all f---ed up here.
Hope you don't own a car if you move here.

TO Sucks. California is better than Ont. ;) Now West Coast Canada...theres a spot...That said I wouldn't live in California or Ontario (again)...I need the mountains and the rainforest in order to be happy.

Originally posted by George
Caloso.......I will be thinking about you every time I take a sip out of my water bottle.

Good one. I hope you don't mind, but before my last triathlon, as I waded in the American River waiting for the swim start, I added an extra special ingredient. Adds a nice tang, don't you think? ;)

Originally posted by caloso
Good one. I hope you don't mind, but before my last triathlon, as I waded in the American River waiting for the swim start, I added an extra special ingredient. Adds a nice tang, don't you think? ;)
Thanks for the warning.....:beer:

Originally posted by caloso
I waded in the American River waiting for the swim start, I added an extra special ingredient. Adds a nice tang, don't you think? ;)

Please, do not do it in the ocean.

All right, I'm back in Toronto... Made it back just after the blackout. I'm still so sad that I had to leave California. So hard to go back to school, after spending 4 weeks riding in Berkeley hills, then relaxing and drinking wine and eating cheese in the backyard. Sorry I'm still whining about it... I'm just still feeling so sad!!

Originally posted by Maelstrom
TO Sucks. California is better than Ont. ;) Now West Coast Canada...theres a spot...That said I wouldn't live in California or Ontario (again)...I need the mountains and the rainforest in order to be happy.
Last time i checked,cal wasnt flat.We have lots of forest and it does rain there.

You'll get over it. Canada is much better than California. It's all f---ed up here.
Hope you don't own a car if you move here.

Gads Racer...I wouldn't go THAT far to describe this terrible State we live in.

:rolleyes:

I could'nt help but sense a very plastic reality when I visit CA, Is'nt owning a moterized vehicle mandatory in CA, you go off into the parks and all you here is the rancid whir of mini bikes and 4-wheelers (A buddy of mine lives in Pasadena) ;) I know that's a generalization but I grew up in New England where to generalize again the people there are type A go get em stab your backers. Now I live in Virginia mountains. The riding, both road and mountains, is world class right out the door of my house that I rent for so cheap it makes me laugh . The beaches of VA and NC are very beautiful though a bit of a drive. I gues what I'm saying is Virginia is So Great :) btw we have quite good wines here too :)