nd my gear.
Boarding the train was a learning experience in itself. I had splurged on a Business Class ticket just because I thought the extra room would be nice – bad idea! The car where you bike goes is at the very back of the train whereas the Business Class car is at the very front of the train !! There are about 7 cars separating the two. And, I found out, trains don’t stop very long to let people board and disembark!! In any case, with some help from the station agent I was able to get my bike secured on the train and make it up to my seat with all of my bags! First lesson – plan this out better the next time!
Once aboard the ride was nice and it was fun to just watch the world go by. About Ventura, I started lugging all of my bags toward the back of the train so I could make a quick exit at Carpinteria. No problem – the train rolled into Carpinteria and I rolled off my bike and was good to go.
Carpinteria State Beach is right near the train station so I rode over, checked in, paid my $10 and was directed over to the ‘Hike and Bike’ area (no reservations required – first come, first serve).
I got my tent set up, rolled out my sleeping mat and sleeping bag. and decided to ride into town and check it out.
I have driven past Carpinteria many, many times over the years but never had a reason to stop. I discovered a nice little town – nice shops and restaurants. Cute little place. I ultimately opted for dinner at ‘The Spot’ which I understand is a well known burger place in Carpinteria. Very tasty.
I went back to camp and walked over to the 
beach to watch the sunset. In the mean time, quite a crowd had shown up at the Hike and Bike campground – probably 12 to 15 riders. There were 3 guys from Norway, 1 guy from Austria, one guy who lived in Bishop, CA but had ridden to Canada and was now on his way to San Diego and various others.
