We finally made it to the famed Pacific Coast Bike Route.
Most touring cyclists travel this route between Washington, Oregon, and California. It is well marked, has a lot of camping and services, and it is beautiful. Our unconventional route took us inland so we were able to see family and friends. But now we are ready to experience it for ourselves.
We began this section in Pismo Beach after a wonderful Thanksgiving with family. We soon hit Oceano and many hills before leveling out near Guadalupe. There we were greeted with miles of green fields.
Before getting to Lompoc, we left Hwy. 1 and the turn for Vanderburg AFB and headed up the Harris Grade. A slow burn of a hill full of blind curves and no shoulder (I may have walked my bike a little bit).
We biked towards the coast and Refugio State Beach to camp the next day. There were no services that day, so we stocked up in Lompoc and started the steady climb out towards Hwy. 101. Yes, we would be riding on the 101 for a little while, one of our only options. We had a great descent to the merger, a little road construction to deal with, and made a quick stop at Gaviota State Beach.
Refugio Beach was a beautiful spot and the hiker/biker sites were the best at the campground. We shared the site with a bike tourist from Germany who we had seen on the road earlier in the day.
Santa Barbara was next, with a quick stop in Goleta at Old Town Coffee and laundry duty. We then checked out State Street in downtown SB and witnessed the rise of the teenage e-bike gang. That night we got to see a beautiful sunset and stay at the very first Motel 6.
We had a short ride to Carpinteria the next day, staying for a couple days so Erik could catch up on his freelance work. Because we had extra time, we were able to explore this cute beach town and loved the relaxed vibe and friendly locals.
We were also able to do the traditional wheel dip into the Pacific Ocean (a ritual for those that bike coast to coast) at Carpinteria State Beach.
We chose to go off course for our next stop, and go inland to see Ojai. The ride there was one of my favorites of the trip.
We started our day on the oceanside Rincon Bike Path which straight at the famed surf spot and takes you straight to Ventura. On that path we ran into a group of travelers we had met in San Francisco and enjoyed catching up with them for a few miles. The girl I talked with wondered how she would be able to go back to “normal life” after traveling this way (she is 22). It’s a valid concern. This lifestyle is very freeing.
From Ventura, we headed up the 15-mile Ojai Valley Trail which took us to right into town and to our Warm Shower host for the evening. Scotty and his adorable family opened their home to us and we shared a great evening together.
Scotty rode with us into downtown the next day. We were very fortunate to get a message from my former boss that her family would host us in Ojai. So we were able to stay an extra day and see the town.
We checked out Barts Books, famous for being a mostly outdoor bookshop. They were closed because of power outage but the woman working there let us in to see the shop and take photos.
That evening we rode out to the other side of Ojai to our hosts property sitting at the base of the Topatopa Mountains. We had a great time sharing Chinese food and stories of adventure. Thank you B, S, L, J, and E. So grateful for your generosity.
We’re due for a stop in the LA metro area in the coming week, and while taking the backroads into the Topatopa Mountains was tempting, the better-traveled coastal route seemed like the sensible choice. Time will tell.
-Cortney
