On A Boat To Nowhere

If I were a coffee drinker, I’m sure waking up mere metres from a coffeehouse would be pretty appealing. But I’m not a coffee drinker. That said, despite the somewhat unconventional sleeping arrangements, I had a very good night’s sleep – even if it was the first time I’ve slept behind a barbecue. And it was.

This was another one of those mornings where I didn’t mind waking up early. With the coffeehouse opening at 6:00 am, I needed to be packed up before that. I didn’t need to LEAVE before that, I just needed to be packed up. And I was.

As mentioned, I didn’t need to leave that early so I took advantage of the extra free time to charge up my phone, laptop, and camera while working on a few updates. I was being surprisingly productive considering I’m not a morning person.

By 8:00, I felt I had been productive enough and could hit the road. Had I been thinking last night, I would’ve taken a photo with my Warm Showers host, Todd, before he left. But I wasn’t thinking. As such, I was on the road before he arrived at the coffeehouse. There would be no Warm Showers host photo today.

Oh, I almost forgot … actually, I did forget. This should’ve been mentioned in my previous update but about halfway through yesterday’s ride I found a phone on the road. This isn’t an entirely unheard of experience as I’ve passed many shattered phones so far. However, this phone was not shattered. It was beaten up pretty badly but it was somewhat in one piece. Those flip-phones are pretty durable. Anyway, I tested the phone and it still worked. I decided to try to find the owner.

Finding the owner turned out to be pretty easy. I simply replied to the most recent text on the phone and mentioned that I had found the phone. Moments later I received a reply to let me that she would contact the phone’s owner. That was easy. A little while later I was speaking to the owner (on her phone) and giving her directions to the coffeehouse. My good deed for the day was done.

Okay, back to today … my destination for the day was Redondo Beach which is a reasonable 125 km ride from Ventura. As would be expected, I stopped at the first Subway on my way out of town. Despite my relatively close proximity to Los Angeles, today would be another day of limited services along the way. That meant getting a sub for the road. There may have been cookies too.

The ride between Subway in Ventura to Point Mugu State Park was easy and generally uneventful – although scenic. The only reason I mention Point Mugu is that’s where I stopped for lunch. Well, it was only 10:30 so maybe it was a second-coming of breakfast. Either way, it was a beautiful beach with big waves crashing onto shore. It was a good place to stop.

The post-lunch ride was as enjoyable as the pre-lunch ride. However, shortly after lunch, I passed some sort of military shooting range. It was a very active shooting range as the continuous sound of gunfire could be heard long before I actually saw the shooting range. And the gunfire continued long after I had passed it. I’d have taken a photo but shooting ranges don’t seem to be particularly photogenic. At least, this one wasn’t.

Shooting range notwithstanding, the ride after lunch was very enjoyable. The views were great. The wind was at my back. And the sun was shining – one might even say it was hot. Did I mention the winds were at my back? Why would anyone ever move away from California?

At one point in the ride two other cyclists caught and passed me. They weren’t touring, although they have in the past. Today, they were just out for a daily ride. They actually didn’t pass me immediately. Instead, they slowed their pace to match mine and had a chat with me over the course of several kilometres. Despite the traffic, the shoulder was generally wide enough to ride and chat safely. Eventually they resumed their regular pace and left me behind. It was fun riding with them though.

The scenic ride continued as I made my way through Malibu. As the sign reads, “27 Miles of Scenic Beauty”. The sign doesn’t lie.

The route through Malibu eventually strayed from the highway and led me onto a beach path. The beaches here seem to go on forever. That said, I think I am travelling this route at the right time. While I’m sure the beaches would be incredible to see during peak season, I’m also sure that cycling these beach paths would be much more difficult (and slow) with swarms of pedestrian buzzing around.

From Malibu it was a short and easy ride to Redondo Beach. The official plan was to meet Garrett, my Warm Showers host, at 4:30. That official plan actually worked out. Actually, there was one other part of the plan. I knew there was a another Costco along the way so I felt the need to stop for another hot dog and large strawberry sundae – still a great deal at under $4. As for the rest of the plan, tonight’s Warm Showers experience was shaping up to be another unique one. There was no coffeehouse this time but there was a boat. A pretty big boat. I don’t know exactly how big it was but it could sleep four (plus two dogs).

Garrett and his two dogs were great hosts. We did a quick grocery run (actually, we walked) and returned to the boat. I have to say, I haven’t spent much time on boats but there’s something very peaceful about being on one – assuming it’s not sinking, of course. We had a enjoyable night chatting about a wide range of topics. Oh, and Garrett was able to recommended a Warm Showers host (Ken) in Long Beach that might be available for the weekend. Yes, it was another great evening. Oh, and there was a sea lion that stopped by for a visit too.

I’ve since sent out a few Warm Showers requests but I’m still undecided about what to do tomorrow. The ride into Los Angeles is about 25 miles and I can only imagine that it won’t be a particularly fun 25 miles. Riding long distances in big cities is generally more hassle than it’s worth. Between the traffic and all the traffic lights, it would probably take three hours just to reach the city. That said, I haven’t been to Los Angeles since 1994 so I haven’t completely ruled out cycling into the city tomorrow.

This just in … it would seem I have a new plan for tomorrow. Moments ago I received a favourable response from Garrett’s Warm Showers recommendation in Long Beach. Details of the plan are still being worked out completely but it looks like I’ll be going to Long Beach tomorrow morning.

Today’s totals:
Distance travelled: 125.19 km
Ride time: 5:57:30
Average speed: 21.01 km/h
Maximum speed: 60.02 km/h