All I Wanna Do, Is Have Some Fun...
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Total Distance Ridden: 1,491 miles
Cumulative Elevation: 82,035 ft
Today's route profile: click HERE
Day 28 Vlog: click HERE
...Until the Sun Comes Up Over Santa Monica Boulevard! I have to say, that was the song that was stuck in my head from Malibut Point all the way to the time that we rolled into Santa Monica yesterday. It was somewhat thematic since I really did just want to have some fun and show Katelyn some of the sights from the area that I knew she would like. In the end, this chalked up as a really really fun day. Here's what went down:
We got an earlier start leaving the Pt. Mugu NAS--early meaning 9:00. Katelyn slept right through the playing of the national anthem on the PA system around the base. We would our way 5 miles back to the coast and were treated with light traffic and one of the best stretches of coastline of the entire trip. How many times have I said that before? It was weird--we were riding much faster than we typically would be going and all I can is that, when you are surrounded by awesome scenery and warm weather, it gives you an energy that is unexplainable. I just felt like going fast and I smiled the entire time. Then again, I LOVE the beach; I love watching waves, surfers and just the energy of the ocean. We took all of our breaks where we could view surfers paddling into waves.
We had our first meal of the day around 11:30 in Malibu at a small outdoor hamburger stand. Katelyn was more interested in the cold water--we had to go up a couple hills today and once again, her engine was close to overheating. That girl hates to be in hot weather! Malibu was not at all what I was expecting it to be. I guess I was expecting a mini Beverly Hills but right next to the water. Other than a bunch of gates and private driveways, there was not a whole lot to Malibu that would make me drive back to see. I guess that is what the local residents prefer though...
Once you pass Malibu, you can see off in the distance the tall buildings that introduce you to the greater Los Angeles area. One of the advantages to making it that far is that the beach paths appear and you get to ride you bike on the beach with sand to your left and right. These paths are a bit precarious though--there are always other cyclists--primarily beach cruisers--and walkers/joggers to contend with. As we got closer to the Santa Monica Pier, however, we were faced with our greatest obstacle yet: the scooters! These things are a nuisance and completely awesome at the same time; in fact, they deserve their own paragraph.
I first saw these scooters in San Francisco. Someone made a company where they leave these electric scooters around town--in this case, primarily around the beach bike path--and then people that want to use a scooter can simply go up to it, scan the bar code into their downloaded app (you have to have a credit card loaded already on the app) and then the scooter turns on and you get billed by the minute--which is only 15 cents! The scooters go over 15 mph so you are looking at 60 cents/mile ridden if you don't stop. There are actually a couple different comapanies doing it now and when I say that there are a lot of scooters around, it is an understatement! We rented a couple to take us from Santa Monica all the way down to Venice Beach and it was super quick and very cheap. In fact, when we got to Santa Monica, we were staying about 3 miles from the pier and, because we didn't want our bikes to be stolen, we took an Uber for 9 dollars back to the pier. At the end of the day, we rode scooters back to the apartment and it was way more fun and only cost 6 dollars total!
I need to backtrack to the pier for a minute and recognize them for their kindness in providing Katelyn and I a couple wristbands to enjoy the rides. We really appreciate having some fun activities to offset the many hours we spend riding. We don't ever forget the cause that we are riding for, but some rewards tossed in now and again are always fun--and fun yesterday was all we wanted to do. Also, while at the pier, we caught up with Ted who came out to visit us! Just like us, Ted is a member of the Great Cycle Challenge and he set an ambitious goal of riding 500 miles. He has been pushing himself harder and harder as the month has gone along and we are proud of his progress. He has also raised nearly 3,500 dollars himself! I am reminded that the Great Cycle Challenge has two parts: yes, we are primarily raising money for pediatric cancer research; but we are also challenging ourselves to become healthier and stronger. Nice work Ted!
We wrapped up our day by heading over to the 3rd St. Promenade for dinner and dessert. It reminded me of a very upscale Venice Beach: lots of shops and some street performers in the middle. Like most of the other places we have been, we just didn't have enough time to properly see everything--just one more place to put on the list to visit again.
As for today: We head further into the city as our next destination is Long Beach. We don't need to get in until later in the afternoon so will take our time and head down to the beach again first. 4 days left. It's starting to feel a bit surreal!
Total Distance Ridden: 1,491 miles
Cumulative Elevation: 82,035 ft
Today's route profile: click HERE
Day 28 Vlog: click HERE
...Until the Sun Comes Up Over Santa Monica Boulevard! I have to say, that was the song that was stuck in my head from Malibut Point all the way to the time that we rolled into Santa Monica yesterday. It was somewhat thematic since I really did just want to have some fun and show Katelyn some of the sights from the area that I knew she would like. In the end, this chalked up as a really really fun day. Here's what went down:
We got an earlier start leaving the Pt. Mugu NAS--early meaning 9:00. Katelyn slept right through the playing of the national anthem on the PA system around the base. We would our way 5 miles back to the coast and were treated with light traffic and one of the best stretches of coastline of the entire trip. How many times have I said that before? It was weird--we were riding much faster than we typically would be going and all I can is that, when you are surrounded by awesome scenery and warm weather, it gives you an energy that is unexplainable. I just felt like going fast and I smiled the entire time. Then again, I LOVE the beach; I love watching waves, surfers and just the energy of the ocean. We took all of our breaks where we could view surfers paddling into waves.
We had our first meal of the day around 11:30 in Malibu at a small outdoor hamburger stand. Katelyn was more interested in the cold water--we had to go up a couple hills today and once again, her engine was close to overheating. That girl hates to be in hot weather! Malibu was not at all what I was expecting it to be. I guess I was expecting a mini Beverly Hills but right next to the water. Other than a bunch of gates and private driveways, there was not a whole lot to Malibu that would make me drive back to see. I guess that is what the local residents prefer though...
Once you pass Malibu, you can see off in the distance the tall buildings that introduce you to the greater Los Angeles area. One of the advantages to making it that far is that the beach paths appear and you get to ride you bike on the beach with sand to your left and right. These paths are a bit precarious though--there are always other cyclists--primarily beach cruisers--and walkers/joggers to contend with. As we got closer to the Santa Monica Pier, however, we were faced with our greatest obstacle yet: the scooters! These things are a nuisance and completely awesome at the same time; in fact, they deserve their own paragraph.
I first saw these scooters in San Francisco. Someone made a company where they leave these electric scooters around town--in this case, primarily around the beach bike path--and then people that want to use a scooter can simply go up to it, scan the bar code into their downloaded app (you have to have a credit card loaded already on the app) and then the scooter turns on and you get billed by the minute--which is only 15 cents! The scooters go over 15 mph so you are looking at 60 cents/mile ridden if you don't stop. There are actually a couple different comapanies doing it now and when I say that there are a lot of scooters around, it is an understatement! We rented a couple to take us from Santa Monica all the way down to Venice Beach and it was super quick and very cheap. In fact, when we got to Santa Monica, we were staying about 3 miles from the pier and, because we didn't want our bikes to be stolen, we took an Uber for 9 dollars back to the pier. At the end of the day, we rode scooters back to the apartment and it was way more fun and only cost 6 dollars total!
I need to backtrack to the pier for a minute and recognize them for their kindness in providing Katelyn and I a couple wristbands to enjoy the rides. We really appreciate having some fun activities to offset the many hours we spend riding. We don't ever forget the cause that we are riding for, but some rewards tossed in now and again are always fun--and fun yesterday was all we wanted to do. Also, while at the pier, we caught up with Ted who came out to visit us! Just like us, Ted is a member of the Great Cycle Challenge and he set an ambitious goal of riding 500 miles. He has been pushing himself harder and harder as the month has gone along and we are proud of his progress. He has also raised nearly 3,500 dollars himself! I am reminded that the Great Cycle Challenge has two parts: yes, we are primarily raising money for pediatric cancer research; but we are also challenging ourselves to become healthier and stronger. Nice work Ted!
We wrapped up our day by heading over to the 3rd St. Promenade for dinner and dessert. It reminded me of a very upscale Venice Beach: lots of shops and some street performers in the middle. Like most of the other places we have been, we just didn't have enough time to properly see everything--just one more place to put on the list to visit again.
As for today: We head further into the city as our next destination is Long Beach. We don't need to get in until later in the afternoon so will take our time and head down to the beach again first. 4 days left. It's starting to feel a bit surreal!
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| We didn't get to Venice Beach until 5:00 so there were not as many street shows but it was still the craziest place we have visited |
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| It seemed like, the younger the kid, the more they could shred! |
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| This scooter rental business. I hope it makes money because, if it does, these things are AWESOME! |
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| Loving the short days and sunny beaches! |
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| As I mentioned above, this is Ted. He drove way out of his way to come and spend a few minutes with us and share some stories. He also brought a bag of the best cookies ever! Ted is crushing the goals he set for the Great Cycle Challenge! |
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| How do you know that you are getting older? It has to do with how many rides like this you can do before you just have to stop. I think my number is 3. |
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| Thanks to the Santa Monica Pier folks that gave us the afternoon off the bikes and let us enjoy the Pier! We had a fun time! |
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| Ok, she is supposed to look like she is grabbing the 2 palm trees above her. Epic fail by the photographer...In my defense though, I was still on my bike trying to balance everything. |
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| Volleyball anyone? I found myself trying to imagine what the beach would look like if all those volleyball courts were full. As we continued down the beach, we saw probably a hundred more. |
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| I really thought this was the day that we would go down and play in the water. Even though it was sunny, the water was choppy and didn't look that inviting. Didn't stop a lot of other people though. |
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| My goal was to make it to LA with the smile still intact. I'm going to go ahead and check that box... |
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| Glad they put that sign there. Wasn't sure where we were for a minute. |
Only 4 days left? How in the world will you make it to Cabo San Lucas that fast?
ReplyDelete@ChrisCrowe The real success is that I have made it to day 29 and I have not lost your attention yet. I keep waiting for the red pen to come out and the critique to begin.
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