October 18, 2022
Day 39 - Seal Beach to Carlsbad
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Another long day today, with lots of rollers that added up to a bit of climbing, but with mostly gentle grades.
I was on the road by 8:00 AM. Staying in motels seems to have made me more efficient. Either that, or I've just finally gotten used to the group's early schedule and things are a lot easier when I don't have to deal with camping equipment.
After a brief time on Hwy 1, the route took me onto the Huntington Beach Bicycle Trail, which would carry me for approximately 10 miles. It was a cool, but clear morning, which promised to turn warm in the afternoon. The ocean views made me feel peaceful, and it was so nice to just ride along with the waves to keep me company.
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I wound south through Crystal Cove, Emerald Bay, Laguna Beach, and Dana Point, where I took a quick side trip to find coffee and a restroom. For whatever reason, I didn't stop to take any pictures. At this point in the ride, I think I was just focused on simply enjoying the ride.
Back on the trail, I wound through side streets in San Clemente until the route took me next to I-5, a major west coast freeway that travels North/South.
At around mile 39, the route ran parallel with I-5 and merged onto the Old Pacific Highway, which continues to parallel Highway 5. (The old highway is also the Pacific Coast Bikeway.)
The Old Highway is like something from a post-apocalyptic or Zombie movie, with nothing but desert and weeds encroaching on each side, old cracked pavement with weeds emerging through the cracks in places. If you look up you can see I-5 in the distance, but here, it's so quiet and eerie, it seems like you're the last surviving human on earth. At one point, the silence was broken by the sound of military helicopters practicing overhead, but that only contributed to the strange end-of-the-world sense of it all.
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Just after mile 51, I exited the old highway and took the on ramp onto southbound I-5.
Yes, the freeway.
I had known this was part of the route and the only way to continue south without going through the Marine Corps Camp Pendleton base, which isn't an option.
The shoulder was plenty wide, but with 5 lanes of traffic and huge trucks roaring by at 75 or 80 miles per hour, the noise was physically traumatizing. Really. I felt my entire body tense every time one went by as the wind from the trucks tried to knock me sideways. I also had to watch out for debris in the shoulder. The last thing I needed was to get a flat tire on I-5.
There were two dicey situations I had to handle along the way. The first was a rest stop (these were the only entrances/exits I had to deal with, thankfully). As I approached the rest stop's entrance, I noticed that almost no one exiting the freeway was using their turn signal. I could keep an eye on my rearview mirror, but I would have no way of knowing who was planning to turn into the rest stop. And I couldn't count on anyone paying attention to this crazy cyclist riding on the edge of the freeway. I slowed until I saw a break in traffic and then pedaled like a squirrel on fire until I was on the other side of the exit.
Next, I had to navigate the onramp and the cars and trucks from the rest stop back merging back onto the freeway. This was a little easier, as they were moving slower. I caught the eye of a driver, waved that I was crossing, and he slowed down for me. Phew!
The second situation, perhaps even more worrying, was a parked car that was blocking the shoulder. I had no room to pass to the right of the car, so I had to enter the traffic lane in order to pass. Again, I watched for a break in traffic and pedaled like hell, all the while praying that no one would decide to merge into that lane while I was in it.
Finally, I saw the Harbor Drive exit, and I couldn't have been happier. (There was even a small sign saying "All cyclists must exit.") Once I was off the freeway, I breathed a sigh of relief and I could feel my entire body relax.
For the future, I think Adventure Cycling should shuttle riders over this section. It's just too dangerous and nerve-wracking. And for self-guided cyclists, there has got to be another way around the base. Isn't there?
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Once I was off the freeway, I wound through town and was back on the beachside roads all the way to my destination for the night.
I had booked a room at a Motel 6, less than a half mile from the campground where the group was staying, so I checked in, took a shower, and then walked to the campground to spend time with my fellow travelers.
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A gorgeous ending to a long, stressful, strange, beautiful and satisfying day of cycling.
Today's ride: 69 miles (111 km)
Total: 1,675 miles (2,696 km)
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1 year ago
So we rode the freeway too. Pretty awful, but at least we didn’t have a parked car forcing us into the traffic lanes. Awful. I’d forgotten all about this, so thanks for reminding me.
1 year ago
1 year ago