Southern California - Stuck in Long Beach for Work (June 8 - 12)

I'll be down in Long Beach for a week for some training. Planning on bringing the bike so I won't lose any days of training.

Can anyone recommend a decent ride 30 - 50 miles?
Any Tue, Wed or Thur club after work rides?
Is riding the PCH say from Seal Beach to Newport safe?

Thanks in advanced.

BR

SB to NB is safe however there tend to be a lot of speedy drivers since the road is wide open. If you will be staying in Downtown Long Beach you can always use the LA River for a safer ride.

PCH is about as safe as anything else. Most places have a bike lane, so you are a little off from traffic.

Don't know of any after work organized rides.

Where in Long Beach are you? Downtown Long Beach to PCH and then south is pretty safe, especially if you take the bike path to go out of town, avoiding Ocean Avenue. You can ride as far south as you like - to Newport (Jamboree will be about 43 miles), Laguna (just over 50 to the Newport / Laguna line) or go up Newport Coast for some hill work (about 50).

Thanks for the responses.

I'm going to be staying off the 405 & N. Lakewood. Look's like I might have to drive to start any rides, right?

Any other suggestions?

BR

Thanks for the responses.

I'm going to be staying off the 405 & N. Lakewood. Look's like I might have to drive to start any rides, right?

Any other suggestions?

BR

If you’re going to drive to location I'd suggest Palos Verdes many good routes in the hill and rollers scenery is great as well.
Looking for more flat ride PCH to Seal Bach and Hunington you'll like.

You don't need to drive. I've ridden all of those rides w/o any issues. You'll be fine (assuming you are used to riding with some traffic)

You also have the option of riding the 2 local bike river trails, San Gabriel River Trail which starts at Seal Beach and Santa Ana bike River Trail which is between Huntington Bch and Newport Beach..

If you’re going to drive to location I'd suggest Palos Verdes many good routes in the hill and rollers scenery is great as well.
Looking for more flat ride PCH to Seal Bach and Hunington you'll like.
+1 to PV being very nice. I ride through there regularly.

But, riding from LB to PV isn't a very nice ride. Wilmington in particular is an area I would not want to ride through at night. Imho just stick with PCH out to Newport. It's simple and you'll never get lost.

*edit*
Have you thought about taking the San Gabriel River Trail? I like it better than the LA River to be honest.

Thanks for the responses.

I'm going to be staying off the 405 & N. Lakewood. Look's like I might have to drive to start any rides, right?

Any other suggestions?

BR

While note the best starting location, you could take Lakewood up to Del Amo, take that west to San Antonio (intersection at Del Amo & Cherry), then take that to the LA River Trail and go either north or south from there. Or, if you are south of the 405, there might be a more direct route to the LA River Trail. From the approximate location where you are, though, riding is rather sucky.

If you have the means, drive out to Palos Verdes and do some riding out there. Or ride around Irvine. Or Laguna Beach. Or do a Long Beach Beach Path->LA River->Rio Hondo River->Whittier Narrows->San Gabriel River->Long Beach Beach Path Loop. Or drive farther and do some climbing in the Santa Monica mountains or the San Gabriel mountains. Yeah, where you will be staying sucks for cycling, but, with some effort, you can get some amazing cycling in. PM me with any questions if you want.

Cheers!

Use this site and you'll find some nice rides.

http://www.mapmyride.com/search_site

Thanks for the responses.

I'm going to be staying off the 405 & N. Lakewood. Look's like I might have to drive to start any rides, right?

Any other suggestions?

BR

Hi,

While Palos Verdes Peninsula is a great area for riding in the hills, my experience of riding there on weekday evenings is not very good. There is a lot of traffic on the peninsula during the week. Much less traffic on weekends.

South is generally good on PCH. There are a couple of rough spots if you're not used to riding in traffic (like the intersection of PCH and 2nd Street), but generally PCH has a reasonable shoulder for riding.

Your biggest problem will be getting from your hotel to PCH. If your hotel is south of the 405, you can ride through a couple of neighborhoods to get to Clark. There isn't any shoulder on Clark but traffic isn't too fast on the stretch down to PCH.

If you are north of the 405, I would take Wardlow across to the San Gabriel River Trail. You can ride that south to PCH. Ride the river trail under PCH and then make a sharp U-turn to get to PCH heading south. This route also lets you avoid the worst part of PCH heading out of LB.

Your biggest problem is the tunnel on Lakewood. Don't ride through it unless you like cheap, but real thrills. Traffic is fast through the tunnel and there is no shoulder.

Hope this helps.

Great suggestions.

Thank you all very much for your responses.

Riding in traffic doesn't bother me. Ride it all the time.

Now that I have a couple of options, I'll have to put it all together.

Of course, all this depends on when I'll be able to escape from the office while I'm down there.

BR

Sounds like you're staying near the airport. Go north on Lakewood to Carson and hang a right. Ride about 3-4 miles east on Carson until you hit the San Gabriel River. Hop on the San Gabriel River trail and head south until it ends in Seal Beach. You can then get on PCH and head towards Newport or even the Santa Ana River trail. I ride this route all the time, it's safe and fun.

Sounds like you're staying near the airport...

Yep


...I ride this route all the time, it's safe and fun.

Fantastic. Thanks for the route.

BR

Check out this 50 mile loop (http://www.mapmyride.com/route/us/ca/long%20beach/747123883965291196)...

Check out this 50 mile loop (http://www.mapmyride.com/route/us/ca/long%20beach/747123883965291196)...

Nice. Thanks.

BR

PM sent some routes.
SGRT good flat route for sure.
What times are you planning to ride any idea?.

PM sent some routes.
SGRT good flat route for sure.
What times are you planning to ride any idea?.

Got it. Thanks for sending. I like that hill route.

Not sure what time I'll be let out of training this week. Hopefully they'll let us go at 5:00. So, I'd like to start soon thereafter.

BR

While note the best starting location, you could take Lakewood up to Del Amo, take that west to San Antonio (intersection at Del Amo & Cherry), then take that to the LA River Trail and go either north or south from there. Or, if you are south of the 405, there might be a more direct route to the LA River Trail. From the approximate location where you are, though, riding is rather sucky.
Cheers!

Huh? The above route will take you nowhere. Scratch it altogether. If you are staying near the 405 fwy and Lakewood Blvd, there are two river trails that you are sandwiched in between. To get to the LA River head West on Willow and jump on the bike path right before you get to the 710 fwy over path. You may have to go on Deforest to get up there but you can't miss it.
To get to the San Gabriel Trail, go East on Willow. It is about 3 or 4 miles from Lakewood Blvd. Once you pass the park, you will see the trail and can get on/off from the street.

PM me if you are interested in any further information or check out this map http://www.metro.net/riding_metro/bikes/images/la_bike_map.pdf

Lakewood and 405 is also fairly close to SGRT. You can make a nice loop using SGRT, Shoreline, LART, and one of the cross streets between SGRT and LART.

...
PM me if you are interested in any further information or check out this map http://www.metro.net/riding_metro/bikes/images/la_bike_map.pdf

That map is great tool. Thanks.

BR

Check out this 50 mile loop (http://www.mapmyride.com/route/us/ca/long%20beach/747123883965291196)...

That route that I put up is basically a copy of the route in the Bicycling Los Angeles County: A Guide to the Great Road Bike Rides (a book I would recommend for those living in the area). Another option for this route is, when cutting over to the San Gabriel River Trail, to head north (instead of south) for a few miles and you will end up at the Santa Fe Dam Recreation area. This is a nice place to take a break, refuel and fill up your water bottles within a pleasant park/lake area. Adds some (flat) miles, but worth it if you have the time.

That route that I put up is basically a copy of the route in the Bicycling Los Angeles County: A Guide to the Great Road Bike Rides (a book I would recommend for those living in the area). Another option for this route is, when cutting over to the San Gabriel River Trail, to head north (instead of south) for a few miles and you will end up at the Santa Fe Dam Recreation area. This is a nice place to take a break, refuel and fill up your water bottles within a pleasant park/lake area. Adds some (flat) miles, but worth it if you have the time.

Also, without adding miles, you can make a stopover at Legg Lake or the Nature Center in South El Monte. Either spot is picnic worthy.

El Dorado Regional Park in Long Beach is a nice resting place, too. Especially on weekdays.

Good ride out to Whittier today via the San Gabriel River Trail. Exited the trail at Beverley and headed over to Turnbull Canyon. Marveled at the beauty of the area and all the MTB'rs getting ready for their epic night rides. Got to the top..looked to the east, then headed back to LB.

Trail is well maintained. Nice. Did interval work from under pass to under pass. I was cracking up on all the houses with horses & barns in their back yard. Wild. Oh, there's a contingent of riders at the company office. Very cool.

Thanks everyone for all the help.

BR

You were in my "backyard"! I have hiked/biked Turnbull many a time, and when I have bike errands in Whittier I exit at Beverly...

There used to be much more horse activity than there is now. I grew up riding the riverbed trails. It was wild...

I ride that trail all the time. Consider yourself lucky, how many people in the greater LA area see horses and wildlife other than dirty pigeons on a daily basis. :)

Yikes! Or this...glad I wasn't rolling through there yesterday morning...
http://www.sgvtribune.com/mngi/tracking/track?s=205&c=12553292&t=VIEWED&n=1


Body found on bike path a result of accident or suicide

By Daniel Tedford, Staff Writer
Posted: 06/09/2009 12:55:37 PM PDT


A 45-year-old man that was found dead on a bike path near the San Gabriel River and Peck Road Tuesday morning most likely fell to his death either by suicide or accident, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Homicide Bureau officials said.

The man was found by a parks and recreation safety officer Tuesday just after 7 a.m. and sheriff's detectives were notified shortly thereafter, said Det. Joe Romero.

The body was below a bridge about 18 feet above the cemented bike path, Romero said. Detectives found no evidence of foul play and suspect the man fell over the railing or jumped, Romero said.

"He absolutely had taken a fall," Romero said. "It appeared he sustained some head trauma."

The man was pronounced dead at the scene, Romero said. The man had no identification. Detectives are waiting on a coroner's autopsy to determine the cause of death.

The area is in unincorporated portion of the county between South El Monte and Pico Rivera.

I ride that trail all the time. Consider yourself lucky, how many people in the greater LA area see horses and wildlife other than dirty pigeons on a daily basis. :)


A sign of the times...Kruse Feed closed earlier this year..

A signpost of South El Monte's past is closing
For 30 years, people who raised livestock -- and many did -- frequented Kruse Feed & Supply. But times change, and the store is closing.

By Catherine Ho
December 31, 2008

As a little boy growing up in then-rural South El Monte, Richard Kruse could do a 360-degree spin outside his family's feed mill and see nothing but open land and hog farms.

That was in 1950. In 2008, the 1.5-acre plot that Kruse's father and uncle took over in 1935 is within eyesight of warehouses, tract homes and a Carl's Jr. And today, Kruse Feed & Supply, the 30-year-old retail store that sprang from the family feed mill business, will close its doors on Santa Anita Avenue. And with it goes one of the last remnants of San Gabriel Valley's agricultural past.

"The demographics in San Gabriel Valley have just changed tremendously," said Kruse, 62. "The farm animal business has become very small over there. Cities have virtually banned any large livestock. For the type of operation we had, it couldn't sustain itself anymore."

Starting in the new year, the company's operations will be consolidated in La Habra, where Kruse has run a second retail location since 1987.

Kruse had been toying with the idea of closing the South El Monte store for three years and finally decided around September to shut it down.

"It was just too costly," he said.

"We hadn't made money there for a couple years and the outlook wasn't any better. We've just been breaking even or [taking] a loss."

As city ordinances over the years banned large animals, residents raised fewer animals or moved.

And South El Monte, once dominated by agriculture and dairy and livestock farming, evolved into a more industrial and residential area.

When business peaked in the early 1980s, the feed store raked in more than 200 invoices daily. Today, they're lucky to process 50 small orders, Kruse said.

"In the 1980s, you started to see the handwriting on the wall that things were changing in San Gabriel Valley," Kruse said.

Wes Alcott, general manager for the La Habra store, has been with the company since 1997. A lot has changed in the last decade, he said.

The South El Monte store used to handle 15 to 20 deliveries of hay and feed each week. Now, they're down two, three or four, he said.

"Stables started closing down, horse people moved out and non-horse people moved in," Alcott said.

Signs of the decline are everywhere. The back room that once stored about 3,000 bales of hay is now stocked with 30. A bulletin board with fliers about animals for sale once brimmed with announcements and postings. It's now half-empty.

The last remaining orange grove in Orange County recently sold out. Maybe we oughta rename the county? I can remember when the stadium was out in the boonies of OC and neighbors spray-painted 3 sizes of tumbleweeds to build tumbleweed men around Christmas time. And even though Garden Grove still has its Strawberry Festival every year, there are no strawberry fields in GG.

The last remaining orange grove in Orange County recently sold out. Maybe we oughta rename the county? I can remember when the stadium was out in the boonies of OC and neighbors spray-painted 3 sizes of tumbleweeds to build tumbleweed men around Christmas time. And even though Garden Grove still has its Strawberry Festival every year, there are no strawberry fields in GG.

There is still the Orange Grove along the Santa Ana River bed at the OC/Riverside county line... But you're right- they used to be all over the place, and disappeared pretty quickly.




Yikes! Or this...glad I wasn't rolling through there yesterday morning...
http://www.sgvtribune.com/mngi/tracking/track?s=205&c=12553292&t=VIEWED&n=1

Body found on bike path a result of accident or suicide

By Daniel Tedford, Staff Writer
Posted: 06/09/2009 12:55:37 PM PDT


A 45-year-old man that was found dead on a bike path near the San Gabriel River and Peck Road Tuesday morning most likely fell to his death either by suicide or accident, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Homicide Bureau officials said.

The man was found by a parks and recreation safety officer Tuesday just after 7 a.m. and sheriff's detectives were notified shortly thereafter, said Det. Joe Romero.

The body was below a bridge about 18 feet above the cemented bike path, Romero said. Detectives found no evidence of foul play and suspect the man fell over the railing or jumped, Romero said.

"He absolutely had taken a fall," Romero said. "It appeared he sustained some head trauma."

The man was pronounced dead at the scene, Romero said. The man had no identification. Detectives are waiting on a coroner's autopsy to determine the cause of death.

The area is in unincorporated portion of the county between South El Monte and Pico Rivera.

Hmm - that's where I enter the path. I did a ride yesterday, and there wasn't any sign of activity. Probably an accident - perhaps one of the homeless that live in the area - nobody tries to jump 18 feet to kill themselves.