Southern California - Some advice needed and open invitation

September 13th myself and two friends will be riding from the Amtrak station near Anaheim Stadium to San Diego. We're looking to make it a century ride. I've been riding for a year and a half and have never done one. I know PCH can be a stunning drive, so I imagine on bike, at slower speeds it's even better. We're going to start at the Anaheim Amtrak station, head over to the Santa Ana River Trail and hit PCH. I'd like to say we'll average 18 or so. I'm certainly not really wanting to crank out 20 mph speeds over 100 miles...more just a decent ride with friends and no drops.

My invitation to join is open to everyone that wants to and can hold 18ish mph. I know I'm new on here but figured it was the friendly thing to do and perhaps meet some new faces.

My questions are:

A. What's a good convenient place to hit the Amtrak to head back up considering our desired mileage without heading into downtown SD?

B. I'm also looking for bike friendly places to eat along the way. I'm thinking maybe 3/4 of the way there or after we're completely done but not at the Amtrak station yet.

C. Is there anything about the PCH route that I would want to know about prior to heading out that I wouldn't know having not ridden it before? i.e. sketchy parts with traffic or anything else to keep an eye on.

For those maybe interested in joining, we haven't settled on a start time yet. I'm thinking 8ish but will post back here if anyone seems interested.

Thanks a lot!

How far into San Diego are you going? All the way downtown?

Pizza Port is good. There's one in Solana Beach.

How far into San Diego are you going? All the way downtown?

Pizza Port is good. There's one in Solana Beach.

+1 on Pizza Port. Awesome pizza, and beer is good also. :thumb:

The Amtrak stops at Solana Bch and I'm sure at Oceanside as well, after that it's Old Town and then Downtown.

The Amtrak stops at Solana Bch and I'm sure at Oceanside as well, after that it's Old Town and then Downtown.

Is Old Town along PCH? If not we'll likely pick up the Amtrak in Solano then. Pizza and beer before the train sounds like a good idea. Heck pizza and beer and the end of any long ride sounds good! :thumb:


How far into San Diego are you going? All the way downtown?

Pizza Port is good. There's one in Solana Beach.

No, I want to stay out of downtown...too much traffic and navigation for me. Solano sounds like a decent idea. That'll put the ride around 90ish miles from the Anaheim Amtrak probably. Maybe 100 if we're lucky.

Pizza Port in Solana Beach is right across PCH from the train station.

Old Town isn't on PCH.

If you board the train in Solana Beach, you don't get the thrill and accomplishment of climbing Torrey Pines. OTOH, if you board the train in Solana Beach, you don't have to climb Torrey Pines.

If you go to SD, you'll have to climb TP, go around UCSD, go down a long street to a bike trail, follow it to Point Loma, pass the airport, ride along the waterfront, make a left, go 2 block to the station. After all that, there's no pizza or beer there.

There are some routeslips at www.geocities.com/grumpypig. The Burrito Century goes from the Irvine Transportation Station to the downtown SD station.

Good luck, it's nice on the coast right now. Leave as early as possible because the traffic sucks on the coast after mid-morning.

Pizza Port in Solana Beach is right across PCH from the train station.



+3 on Pizza Port. Why are you so opposed to riding into downtown? The gaslamp is a great place to end a long ride.

Pizza Port in Solana Beach is right across PCH from the train station.

Old Town isn't on PCH.

If you board the train in Solana Beach, you don't get the thrill and accomplishment of climbing Torrey Pines. OTOH, if you board the train in Solana Beach, you don't have to climb Torrey Pines.

If you go to SD, you'll have to climb TP, go around UCSD, go down a long street to a bike trail, follow it to Point Loma, pass the airport, ride along the waterfront, make a left, go 2 block to the station. After all that, there's no pizza or beer there.

There are some routeslips at www.geocities.com/grumpypig. The Burrito Century goes from the Irvine Transportation Station to the downtown SD station.

Good luck, it's nice on the coast right now. Leave as early as possible because the traffic sucks on the coast after mid-morning.

What's the Torrey Pines climb like? I see the Old Town Amtrak is just off PCH. Sounds like fun to me. Perfect to burn off lunch. :p


+3 on Pizza Port. Why are you so opposed to riding into downtown? The gaslamp is a great place to end a long ride.

I just looked at it and if I'm looking at the right Amtrak location, it's off Broadway right? I didn't realize it was still a straight forward destination. I just didn't want to have to navigate downtown if possible. Turns out it doesn't appear that way at all. :o

Torrey Pines is <10 minute climb on the PCH. It's not bad - I went up the PCH route yesterday and the inside the park route today.

I'm almost certain that the station in Old Town is off Pacific Highway, not PCH. It's not hard to find , just keep in mind that it's a bit inland.

I just looked at it and if I'm looking at the right Amtrak location, it's off Broadway right? I didn't realize it was still a straight forward destination. I just didn't want to have to navigate downtown if possible. Turns out it doesn't appear that way at all. :o

Near the corner of Pacific Highway and Broadway. The address is 1050 Kettner Boulevard, which is one street east of Pacific Highway.

Next week Saturday will be the annual Amtrak Century from Orange County to San Diego. That might be the route you want to follow. After that ride, there will be riders here who have a route slip for you.

If you really want to enjoy the coastal scenery, ride south to SD so you can actually see the coastline and take in the views, then take the train back.
Myself and a few members here did a ride like this last year. We started our ride very early from the San Fernando Valley and rode down to SD, 160 miles, then caught the train back to LA that same evening.

If you really want to enjoy the coastal scenery, ride south to SD so you can actually see the coastline and take in the views, then take the train back.
Myself and a few members here did a ride like this last year. We started our ride very early from the San Fernando Valley and rode down to SD, 160 miles, then caught the train back to LA that same evening.

That's the plan:


We're going to start at the Anaheim Amtrak station, head over to the Santa Ana River Trail and hit PCH

^^^ Oops, I completely misread the post.

:D

If you go to SD, you'll have to climb TP, go around UCSD, go down a long street to a bike trail, follow it to Point Loma, pass the airport, ride along the waterfront, make a left, go 2 block to the station. After all that, there's no pizza or beer there.


Er um ah... Little Italy is almost right there..., and then there's Karl Strauss on Columbia right around the proverbial corner...

^^^ Oops, I completely misread the post.

:D

:roflmao2:

Sounds awesome. I am very interested. I have been doing Torrey pines every weekend. Coming from Carlsbad along PCH to La Jolla or mission beach/bay and back. I did 68 miles today. My longest ever. I think I could handle the century though. I am going to have to do it eventually. I will do 75 this coming weekend and if that goes well then I will see about getting your info for doing the century.

I climbed Mt. Soledad today... I recommend never doing this. It was completely by accident and it is twice as high as Torrey Pines and about the same distance. I am going to find out the grade and elevation right now.

Sounds good. I'll check out the transition from PCH to Pacific Highway and all the it entails tonight or tomorrow. Downtown would certainly be the century. Old Town may be a little short of that...not sure because google maps just does the driving route and lists it around 89 I think. Shoot me a PM and I can certainly give you my cell # and email.

I've had a new thought towards this ride...an organizational one.

I will make up a route slip for this ride and distribute them to whomever shows up at the Anaheim Amtrak station on the 13th. Otherwise I'll post it here so that it's convenient for you to get it.

I'm thinking maybe more people will participate if there isn't a set mph limit but rather one that accommodates different skilled riders. The idea is that the riders will eventually breakup and form their own smaller groups if they want and ride at a pace that's most comfortable to them.

I will write the route slip from Anaheim down to SD and put in all the Amtrak stops along the way with a designated pizza and beer gathering. That way, if people feel like bailing halfway through or whatnot, they will know where to catch the Amtrak at. Similarly, if people want to go all the way down to downtown SD then they can as well. Likewise I'll try and pick some rest stops that look ok from googlemaps.

Any thoughts good or bad?

Ok here's the route sheet and direct-link info I posted on bikely.com

http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Anaheim-Amtrak-to-Downtown-San-Diego-Amtrak

The route slip is attached. I've arranged it on two pages (mainly for my printing convenience) to print in duplex mode and both front and back come out aligned perfectly.

Haha +1 for pizza port. Here are some pics from the UC Irvine bike club annual SD ride. Pizza never tastes so good after riding for 80 miles :)

http://img239.imageshack.us/img239/1315/080302sdiegoride015largld1.jpg
http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/730/080302sdiegoride017largwu0.jpg

Ok here's the route sheet and direct-link info I posted on bikely.com

http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Anaheim-Amtrak-to-Downtown-San-Diego-Amtrak

The route slip is attached. I've arranged it on two pages (mainly for my printing convenience) to print in duplex mode and both front and back come out aligned perfectly.

I know you have your heart set on PCH but inland OC is where it's at. SART+PCH=yawn. I would do this ride if you started out with Santiago Cyn, Live Oak, Antonio, Ortega Hwy and so on... plus I would take the bike route through San Clemente instead of PCH. It's a little tricky but there are signs posted and it's a quiet, faster route. I would start out early too this being your first century and it's Summer and all. 7am would be good.

I know you have your heart set on PCH but inland OC is where it's at. SART+PCH=yawn. I would do this ride if you started out with Santiago Cyn, Live Oak, Antonio, Ortega Hwy and so on... plus I would take the bike route through San Clemente instead of PCH. It's a little tricky but there are signs posted and it's a quiet, faster route. I would start out early too this being your first century and it's Summer and all. 7am would be good.

Maybe next trip we'll do something like that. For now though, I'd like to take in the coastal scenery and do it because the route is easy. I'm not worried about the distance (my first century) since I know I can do at least 84 miles averaging over 20 mph. ...Did that a few weeks ago. So doing 16 extra miles won't be an issue. I don't want a complicated route. Of which I will have never ridden any of before prior to including it in a century ride. PCH is pretty hard to mess up.

Maybe next time. ;)

I will say the start time was going to be either 7 or 8 am. If it's really just going to be me and my 2 buddies then I'll likely start at 7.

If you still want to miss downtown SD you can always climb to the top of Torrey Pines and then cross the street and head back to Solano Beach.

That way you can have pizza and beer before the train ride (don't forget that Amtrak also serves quality Stone Brewery beers in the Cafe!) at at bike friendly place. Sometimes the Gaslamp district is not the best place to leave your bike unattended while scarfing down pizza and beer...

I'd like to take in the coastal scenery and do it because the route is easy.

Ok, since you want to keep with the ocean scene, I will make one suggestion. On your route at around mile 18 turn Right at Bayside Dr., Right on Fernleaf (steep but really short), Left on Ocean Blvd, Left on Poppy (you have no choice), Right on Coast Hwy. You get great views of Corona del Mar and you pass all the dicey PCH traffic in that area. You will not be dissapointed.

Ok, since you want to keep with the ocean scene, I will make one suggestion. On your route at around mile 18 turn Right at Bayside Dr. Right on Fernleaf Left (steep but really short) on Ocean Blvd Left on Poppy Right on Coast Hwy. You get great views of Corona del Mar and you pass all the dicey PCH traffic in that area. You will not be dissapointed.

That is a great diversion and it really only adds about 5 blocks of additional distance.

If you still want to miss downtown SD you can always climb to the top of Torrey Pines and then cross the street and head back to Solano Beach.

That way you can have pizza and beer before the train ride (don't forget that Amtrak also serves quality Stone Brewery beers in the Cafe!) at at bike friendly place. Sometimes the Gaslamp district is not the best place to leave your bike unattended while scarfing down pizza and beer...

The plan is to stop in Solana Beach for chow and finish off the ride picking up the Amtrak downtown. The navigation from Solana to downtown at least on the overhead map, didn't look bad at all. I was expecting having to navigate congested city blocks.


Ok, since you want to keep with the ocean scene, I will make one suggestion. On your route at around mile 18 turn Right at Bayside Dr., Right on Fernleaf (steep but really short), Left on Ocean Blvd, Left on Poppy (you have no choice), Right on Coast Hwy. You get great views of Corona del Mar and you pass all the dicey PCH traffic in that area. You will not be dissapointed.

I will amend the route to include your suggestion. Thanks a bunch! :thumb:

Ok, since you want to keep with the ocean scene, I will make one suggestion. On your route at around mile 18 turn Right at Bayside Dr., Right on Fernleaf (steep but really short), Left on Ocean Blvd, Left on Poppy (you have no choice), Right on Coast Hwy. You get great views of Corona del Mar and you pass all the dicey PCH traffic in that area. You will not be dissapointed.

Big Corona Beach (The steep, short hill down to the beach on your right as you head down Ocean) is a great place to stop, use the restroom, and re-fill bottles. It's always on my route in LA to San Diego rides. Great views, too.

One other question if I may. I've updated the bikely route with the recommendations. Is the area on the my route around and including Stuart Mesa Rd part of the Camp Pendleton...as in restricted or is it ok for bikers? If so, what's the recommendation for getting around it? Doesn't look like much available except hopping on the 5 which I'd not do if possible.

Thanks!

One other question if I may. I've updated the bikely route with the recommendations. Is the area on the my route around and including Stuart Mesa Rd part of the Camp Pendleton...as in restricted or is it ok for bikers? If so, what's the recommendation for getting around it? Doesn't look like much available except hopping on the 5 which I'd not do if possible.

Thanks!It's OK. Bring ID, wear a helmet & ride single file.

It's OK. Bring ID, wear a helmet & ride single file.

Ride single file? Do they really enforce that because I see people riding non single file all the time.

Ride single file? Do they really enforce that because I see people riding non single file all the time.I've had MPs yell at us on their PAs but I don't think it's enforced. I like to follow the rules up there because if the brass gets pissy and decide to close it, riding on the freeway sucks.

I've had MPs yell at us on their PAs but I don't think it's enforced. I like to follow the rules up there because if the brass gets pissy and decide to close it, riding on the freeway sucks.

Yeah I do not really want to ride on that freeway either. I ride single file there all the time since i ride alone. But I see people who do not ride single file especially if clubs are going through I sure they never ruin it for the rest of us. Only road along the coast with very little traffic

Cool thanks! Looks like one of my buddies bailed due to a hip pain (he's 50 so I let him slide =P). Perhaps I'll know what he's feeling in 20 years. We're going to depart at 7 am because of the recommendations given.

So, the ride was as tough as I'd hoped it wouldn't be! LOL

I learned a couple of things (besides that Solano makes a good bail point if you're spent after 85 miles. . .)

1. Not all of the Amtrak stops have ticket booths - you can buy tickets on the train.
2. Most of the trains only have SIX bike rack spots (two coach cars with three racks each) - we had to wait a train because there wasn't enough room. . . The Amtrak guy (mucky-muck as others deferred to him constantly) said that sometimes a conductor will let us use a luggage compartment but that the luggage people get upset with them so not to count on it.
3. Sunscreen. DOH. LOL
4. Someone told me it was flat except for Torrey Pines. . . it's rolly, but enough to wear me out. . .
5. Have Good Notes - our notes were good, we thought. . . Or at least be more familiar with a map view. . .I didn't do that (my roommate did, obviously. . .I should have as well) We ended up making some of it up. Thankfully we met up with a couple of groups - one from OC riding back to Carlsbad. GREAT group - great fun. They helped us out and were nice to ride with. Thanks guys (and ladies!)
6. Ride in a group - this was much more fun when we were in groups. :D

anyway - just some of my thoughts.

Nice Job and thanks for the Tips

Torrey Pines was the worst best part! =) Such a contrast to the beach or Camp Pendleton desert scene. Plus, after Torrey Pines, it's all downhill. For my first century, the 106 miles was fun. Weather was great but I second the sunscreen!