Touring - Meeting people on tour

Im starting my first tour two weeks from today; my bro and I are starting in Seattle and taking the coast all the way to Santa Barbara. The thing is, Im a 17 year old West Virginian and have this preconceived notion that the west coast is going be crawling with awesome people and beautiful girls. :love: Just looking for some insight about what to expect

There are beautiful girls everywhere

As a humble Californian I cannot deny that we are awesome

As an ex-californian, I can give you the following advice:

1) do not venture south of SB. You will not be able to breathe the air, not be able to drink the water, etc.

2) do not stay in CA any longer than necessary. The place has a way of sucking people in. Especially true of the southern part, which is weird b/c the environment is positively toxic.

3) I really enjoy certain parts of CA. The coast between Ventura and Montery is great. Hwy 1 between Monterey and SF is great. Lassen peak and surrounding wilderness, yosemite national park, and the area up around Shasta are amazing.

4) good luck, keep an eye on and lock up your bike... and watch out, the women are beautiful but the people there can take you for a ride and leave you hung out to dry.

And before anyone jumps all over me for a very biased post, I grew up in SoCal and have been back three times over the past 15 years to visit family. Why anyone would want to tour there, I couldn't tell you. There are good reasons to go to Cali, but even better ones to leave.

Do have fun on your trip though, and definitely make the most of the beach.... the views, as has been mentioned, are awesome. ;)

The above may have a point about the air in the valley ( Los Angeles ) at least on a bad day, when the winds are stagnant. But, that is not always the case..
LA suffers from city problems no different than any other city.. Still you find yourself riding down Ventura Hwy towards LA, you 'll be in for one of the most enjoyable rides ever... Does not sound like you are going that far anyway..
.Along the coast you'lll find the state parks quite compatable to the needs for cyclists. ( Check the closed list - the economy) . Southern California has a water utility that goes all out for the most advanced treatment possible.. I'd drink California water any day over that places such a Utah or Nevada..
. Going down the coast is a special tour.. You'll look back in awe at the scenery of the central coast..
Looking for beautiful girls.. I'd try Carmel beach , the beaches of Santa Barbara or those just south of Malibu. Enjoy..
ps. Follow Adventure Cycling's maps should you need directions.. You might want to head into some of the central valley's adjacent areas such as San Luis Obpiso.. Some great scenery there with California' s vineyards and hill country .
We did the tour from San Francisco to Malibu.. We met many interesting people along the way.. Especially in the state parks about Big Sur.. They were filled with plenty of cyclists during the prime riding season..
Be aware of the winds about Big Sur, there can be some pretty strong headwinds. Certain times of the year ( the Fall ) they are less pronounced..

Does not sound like you are going that far anyway..


1,200 miles is not that far of a tour? (not being sarcastic)

He meant, as far south as LA, since you are ending north of there in SB.

Sounds like you expect to walk into a David Lee Roth video with ****** blonde tan chicks falling all over you, you're going to be disappointed on that score, but the riding is great.

Edit, hmm, you can't say "s l u t t y"

Haha, oh California. It's not so bad, has nice beaches and forests. Most cities are awful for cycling, though I'm sure that's true for most states. There's a nice bicycle route along the coast, I have yet to get over there, maybe someday. Oh, and most of the women here tend to be like black widows. Of course some are perfectly wonderful people. Actually that person is from Canada, so I have no idea, but there must be some. Right?

I really like the redneck hippies in north cali, they are a special breed of human i have never seen anywhere else. dreds down to their ankles, looking very stoic never once speaking driving there beat up pickups making a living growing tons of green stuff. I think They were born from a dream jerry garcia had once in 77

seriously i hitched down the one and I never met a pretty lady but i did get offered pot every 5 minutes. cool scenery and some seriously sketchy people who talk really funny. how many times can you use the world "hella"?

on the plus side you can always bike away from the sketchy people, when you hitchike you are stuck in there cars while they complain about mexicans and force you to listen to this one dead tape they have on repeat.

I've always met people bike touring - especially other bike tourers. I've liked most of them very much. I think it takes a certain type of person to take up bike touring, and I've liked them, although not all. Different tourers tour with different agendae. Mine is to take it easy, have fun, and go with the flow. I've met a couple of tourers who seemed like they wanted to be the ultimate tourers with the ultimate equipment and the ultimate daily routine, and were quick to portray their obvious superiority to others. People are people, I guess, but thankfully, people like that are rarities among tourers.

You'll meet bike tourers if you travel an established route, and, obviously, you'll meet more if you take a popular one. I met a few on the Northern Tier, but far more on the west coast - particularly in Oregon.

This is a great thread. OP, people here in California tend to be fairly nice but not genuine. I can tell you that it is time for you to stop watching The Hills or the new Beverly Hills 90210 because you will more than likely, not see those kind of people roaming around. People here do not go to the beach as much one would think as the water is dirty and smells like death.

The weather will treat you well as the temperatures are rather mild and will not suck the life from you as you are riding. The coastlines are magical especially at Big Sur but LA is just another place...nothing special. Camping at campgrounds is going to be a problem in some areas as some parks are closed and can charge up to $35 for hike and bike. Government finances don't always entice people to do the right thing around here. If you are in to decent Asian and Mexican foods, you should have no problem finding cheap eats. When you get to college towns like Palo Alto, San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara, look for a "hipster" on a fixed gear or BMX, ask him where the good grub is and he will tell you. I always trust the college kids. If you are ever in need of supplies, most of the REI stores are in coastal cities as are a lot of bike shops.
No matter what we all tell you, your trip will be memorable and that of a lifetime. Travel safe and smart and don't forget to post your experiences.