Risk and reward
Success! More or less. :)
This was by no means my first experience camping but it was my first time camping with only what my bicycle could carry. I fully admit I felt like a poser riding into the campground after having had to resort getting a ride. I was greeted in the hiker/biker sites by a multitude of cyclists who had had the same idea of riding out to the Pacific Coast Highway campground, spend the night, then ride back home. Considering car camping there costs at least $40 and is booked months in advance, the nominal fee for cyclists and the accommodating shared camping spaces provided, cyclo-camping is a smart way to go.
I arrived after dark and was quickly given space to set up my tent. I found myself spending the night with a local meet-up group of people who like to ride out to Leo Carrillo on occasion. In other words, lots of people with experience that I can learn from. Needless to say I picked a lot of brains, broke bread with these kind people, and went to bed. Unfortunately another group of rowdier riders took up another section of the hiker/biker sites, and I’m pretty sure they didn’t go to bed at all; our sleep was interrupted through the night by the partying close by. I wonder if this is what I have to expect when camping with other cyclists. While the idea of stealth camping (hiding out of sight and without permission) sounds fun and rugged and adventurous, I think I’ll play it safe for now and risk the noisier, busier, safer campsites.
In the morning, I spoke with a soft-spoken rider named Wes; he too planning on heading back over the Santa Monica Mountains and welcomed me to join him. Riding with him turned out to be a gift, comparing his bike to mine as we climbed the canyons. I saw he had more gears than I in the back, and what a difference that made when riding fully loaded. The climb was one I’ve done many times but with all this added weight it was much harder than I’d anticipated. Wes helped me a lot, fixing a gearing issue, answering gear questions. On the downhill it was steep and with the added weight Bruce the Bike’s brakes were not feeling as strong and reliable. I had to stop many times to let my rims cool off and avoid bursting my tubes due to extreme heat. I’ve never had to do that before. Knowing that I don’t trust the brakes is a big deal. I’ll be taking this in to my mechanic to get a better system in place.
Wes has a tradition of grabbing Jamba Juice on the way home, something I 100% supported (I’m nothing if not supportive). We stopped again for lunch in Calabasas at a great restaurant and bike shop called Pedalers Fork. Ultimately we went through the mountains, into Thousand Oaks, through Calabasas and the San Fernando Valley, and home. It was a beautiful route, I didn’t get a flat with the new tube size (BIG relief!), and I am set to do this all over again next weekend and see if this time it’ll be 100% successful.
Thanks for everything, Wes!
