When I was on my southbound return between 10:15 and 10:30 am, the activity level was certainly different than it was between 7:30 and 7:45 am. I assume most were awake by then. More foot traffic, but little of it in the trail (no worse than when encountering non-homeless peds on other parts of the trail).

I was not, however, interested in going slowly and looking around, so perhaps I didn't observe all the rubbish and debris and things that might have bothered or worried me if I was doing anything other than just concentrating on riding and worrying only about things that were in the path or might enter the path.

Also, on the return passing by Angels Stadium I took what seems to be a service road just towards the river from the path, where there were only maybe two tents on the river side of the south part of the road, with the tents and activity on the stadium side of the road all facing the bike path and the stadium and not the service road, avoids perhaps the worst "tunnel" feeling for tents on both sides of the path at a time when people were awake. Of course, given the way the encampment is exploding, I wouldn't be surprised if that service road is more completely surrounded within a few weeks.

Of course, this is my experience on one ride in the morning on a holiday with a lot of morning bike traffic on the SART, so I may have been much more comfortable than riding in late afternoon on a day without much bike traffic. I was talking last Sunday morning to a guy working at a bike shop in Long Beach about the SGRT, he said he wouldn't worry about the homeless in the morning, but wouldn't ride though where the homeless are in the afternoon or evening.

I can only speak of my experience last Tuesday morning and my feelings. It wasn't exactly pleasant and relaxing to ride through 3 miles of homeless encampment, but in my 3 days of riding in Orange County last weekend, I only felt threatened while in traffic. I'll admit it doesn't help that I still have fresh on my mind a friend's husband being killed in Minnesota while on a ride in mid-June by a 16 year old driver. If I can succeed on my rides in mostly pushing out of my mind the risk of death from idiot drivers, I can cope with the unpleasantness of the homeless encampments. Tell me someone died from riding through a homeless encampment, and I'll feel differently, but overall, denial is my friend.