Our Biggest Regret?

Sitting just $100 under 20k as a team fighting kids’ cancer—who will put us over that mark?!? Click HERE to donate!

Total distance ridden:  1,448 miles
Cumulative elevation: 81,437 ft

Today’s ride profile: Click HERE
Day 26 Vlog—uploading later due to no WiFi

Each day on the bike feels like a different chapter in a book. Some chapters are descriptive while others carry a lot of dialogue and really move the story forward.  On the bikes, there are days where it is enough for us us to look and take in the beautiful scenery; going through the redwoods, we were content with slow pedaling and enjoying the scenery. That is no longer the case; now we want to  pull over and stop.

Yesterday was the prime example of having to pass up lots of places worth exploring but not having time to do so.  Since it was Sunday, we decided to go to church in the morning and didn't wrap up until noon.  The hotel had given us a late checkout and we had nothing packed which meant that if we left Goleta by 1:00pm, we would be doing well.  Originally, our plan was to ride the 48 miles to Oxnard but there was a family who offerered to let us stay with them on the Pt. Mugu Naval Air Station.  The good news?  It was closer to Santa Monica for the next day.  The bad news?  It would be nearly 60 miles of riding and we would have to press a little faster than usual.

I am constantly trying to remind myself that we just can't stop and see everything.  As we passed through Santa Barbara, there were so many spots where we wanted to lock up the bikes and just walk around.  We passed some street vendors selling paintings; we passed some other artisanal stands where we just had to keep pedaling.  Especially early on in a day of riding, there is a sense that you can't stop until you have put in a solid number of miles and are assured you will be able to reach your destination before dark.  For me, I feel comfortable when we are 25 miles or less to our destination.  When we still have 50+ miles,  any mechanical bike issue, physical pain, etc. can cause you to not make your next stopping point for the night.

Instead of stopping much today, we found ourselves adding to the bucket list of places to return to.  After moving through Santa Barbara, we found ourselves mainly on roads and paths running right along the waterfront.  Most of the time, we were as close to the ocean as you could get without riding your bikes on the sand.   Unlike further up the coast, we now saw a few people in the water without wetsuits.  They were probably all crazy people, but it did give an indication that the water was getting warmer.   We passed beach after beach after beach and we just kept pedaling.  60 miles don't come without putting in the work.

We did make a very small detour to pedal down to the boat launch area in the Channel Islands Harbor.  I wanted to visit the place where we first launched our sailboat back in 1987 into the water.  Those years living out on the ocean were important ones and it was strange to go back to where it began.  The entire boat launch area had been redone--a reminder that nothing stays the same forever.

Regardless of the late start, Katelyn had a great day pedaling on the bike and we were able to finish the entire ledge in 4 1/2 hours.  That's riding time--not including breaks or stopping to eat.  We rolled into the Pt. Mugu Naval Air Station at 7:00 and loaded our bicycles into the back of a car--we can't cycle on the base unsupervised so we got a ride to the house where we were staying.    It was a nice break from hotels to stay with a family and they had a cute little boy that wanted to play and play so we had lots of laughs.   Thank you to the Chell family for your awesome hospitality!

So today: time to stop looking and to go do some playing.  Our goal is to arrive in Santa Monica no later than 1:00 and go down to the pier and mess around on the beach all day.   I know we can't see everything there is to see and I know we can always come back and visit a bunch of these awesome places, but at least for today?  There will be no regrets. 

Making it to the Point Mugu Naval Air Station, our stop for the night!

For those who read earlier blogs, you may remember that I grew up on a sailboat as a teenager.  We first launched our boat in 1987 from the Channel Islands Harbor in Oxnard when I was Katelyn's age.  This was my first time returning to the harbor since that time.  Super nostalgic.

The Pier in Ventura--let the awesome people watching begin! 

Making it into Ventura and enjoying the So Cal weather! 

I have to admit, all this time we were on Highway 1, I thought it was called the Pacific Coast Highway.  Apparently the PCH doesn't begin until just north of Ventura. 

This was our favorite part of the day: hugging the coast on the dedicated bike paths

Why is it so hard to find places on our route that have smoothies?  They are cycling fuel!  We are always happy when they have them!