Tuesday, February 28, 2017

SoCal Postcard

A view of the hills of Encinitas. 
Hills and traffic, that’s what I found riding my bike around the San Diego area for three days. Oh, and also a Jaws-style shark head sticking out of some dude’s driveway marker in La Jolla. It is California. Southern California.



I loved riding the hills around the San Diego area. The view from the peak of Soledad Mountain was brilliant. But the millions of Pruises and Lexi crawling over the hills does tend to diminish the overall experience.

The best ride of my short stay in the area was in Encinitas, about a 30 minute drive north of downtown SD. The route was brilliant, 38 miles of looping, up and down, mostly car-free roads through lemon groves, western sycamores, and golf courses. 


Such is the genius of this route that while you’re only ever one wrong turn away from high-traffic roads, most of the ride is peaceful country riding. Whoever mapped out this beauty knew how to cheat the traffic, to highlight the best of southern California, and hide the worst.


6 comments:

  1. I want to see the Jaws photo! Can you try again? Glad you got a good ride in away from the busy roads.

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    1. Ah, thanks for letting me know. Should be visible now. Don't get too scared.

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  2. Jasper...did you snag this route off strava? I'm still waiting for your review of your "imported" fatbike!

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  3. Not strava, but Ride with GPS. Here's the link:
    https://ridewithgps.com/routes/19047436

    As for the fat bike, good idea. I'll consider writing up a full review. The market has changed a lot since I bought the On One, though. I still like it, but there are so many more options out there now.

    By the way, curt, are you going to ride the Dusty 100 this year? Looks like it will be June 4. More details to follow.

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  4. I'll add it to my calendar! I'm looking into riding the Great Trail through Sask about the same time, not sure about logistics on that one. A reasonable chunk of its water route so some work needs to be done on rerouting, could be interesting however.
    As expected, fatbikes have advanced in quality and dropped in price, but who has the patience for that! I bought one about the same time as you....what a clunker compared to today's bikes....still a ton of fun though.

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  5. A Trans-Sask trip is on my list too. Sounds interesting. I've heard mixed reviews on the Great Trail.

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