Back home!

Long day!  Left Carpinteria State Beach about 7:20 a.m. and arrived at my place just before 3 p.m. – 82 miles later. Today was all about getting home – kind of like a horse turning toward the barn.  I just put the pedal to the metal (Zippy style!) and rode.  I stopped in Oxnard for breakfast, which took a little longer than last time since it was Saturday morning and the restaurant was quite busy.  And then I didn’t’ stop again until just after Zuma Beach where I wolfed down an entire bottle of Gatorade, a piece of carrot cake, and refilled my water bottles.

The ride through Malibu wasn’t too bad but then I got to Will Rogers State Beach where the bike path starts.  The bike path, on a summer Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m.,  is not the place for a guy who has just ridden 70 miles on a loaded touring bike, is hot and tired, and is solely focused on getting home!! Way too many ‘rookies’, tourists and space cadets not paying attention to anything.  For my sanity and safety, I stopped and got off my bike, ate a snack, drank  some water and just tried to chill out a little.  Once back on my bike, I dialed it back a few notches and just took it easy until I could get back over to surface streets after the Santa Monica Pier! Then I put the hammer down again and headed for the barn.

It was a good three day trip.  60 miles day 1, 70 miles day 2, and 82 miles day 3 and some significant climbs along the way.  Given our estimated average daily mileage will be about 53 miles I think I’m ready.  Did a lot of climbing with a fully loaded bike and still felt reasonable at the end of each day.  Although, truth be told, my legs definitely feel like they’ve had a workout – my quads will be stiff in the morning.  But, my titanium knee held up just great!

I learned a lot on the trip which was the whole point.  I’m confident in my ability to do the mileage and climb whatever hills we encounter.  My bike performed flawlessly, given that it was carrying my carcass and an extra 45 pounds of gear!  And, most importantly – no flats!

I still have some kinks to work out in my packing and camping routine but I’ll have two months to get all of that sorted out!!  I will be reviewing all of my equipment and seeing where I might be able to pare down the weight a little – but, if not, I know I can carry it.   A good investment of time – but Zippy  and I are both glad to be home!!