Bike Tour in the USA (2007), Part 10

In the Backyard of Los Angeles

Coastal Highway 1→Ventura

Distance: 104.02 km, Duration: 5:07:44 hrs, Total: 285.65km

I planned to cycle to the before mentioned military port but it was not, understandable, open for the public.After Oxnard the Highway 1 is still merged with the Freeway 101 and therefore bikes are still an taboo; so I had to find another way to the north. On the way I discovered a large superstore and went in to cool down and look around. I bought a pair of cycling gloves ($9.90) and some chocolate cake as a snack on the road. In a fast food restaurant I ordered chicken wings ($2.20). As I have a photo of my daughter in my wallet the waitress asked me if she is of mixed race.

Private Home beside the Road with a Mission Bell

The whole ride was an easy flat road until I finally I arrived the area of San Buenaventura or short Ventura, a very peaceful place with clean and one of the best streets I came to experience. . 

The Roman Catholic Spanish priest and friar of the Franciscan Order Father Junipero Serra (1713-1784) founded the San Buenaventura Mission on Easter Sunday on March 31, 1782, which developed into today’s city. 

Statue of Father Junipero Serra

In 1914 the Union Oil Company discovered a major oilfield in the district of Ventura which tries to moderate the dependence on imported oil for energy-hungry America until today. 

The delta created by the junction of the Ventura River and the Santa Clara River created a natural very fertile land which, together with the sunny weather, it is very suitable for the cultivation of tropical fruit. To market and sell its products the farmers founded the 'Sunkist Growers' which is famous for its fruit and juices all over the world. In Germany as a kid we pronounced it wrong, more like 'soon' than 'sun'. Strangely the 'kist' is obviously a German word for 'box', a reference either to the form of their juice packing or the boxes in which the fruits (oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruit, tangerines & tangelos, mandarins) are handled and stored.

Despite all it’s development Ventura still has not more than 100.000 residents and preserved it’s charm of a small town with some noticeable prosperity.

Ventura Pier

I rode along Harbor Road into a small harbor with beautiful lined boats. On the waterfront were some anglers and fishermen waiting for the catch of the day. Beside the long into the ocean reaching Ventura Pier were some surfers despite the cold weather still in the water. As I could see all of them wore surfer suits made of neoprene to protect themselves from the cold. I discovered a family wearing thick white Norwegian pullovers or sweaters as they walked on the beach into the sunset.

Walking into the Sunset

The road led me to a railroad crossing, the signal of the lowering gate let me brake my bike. The first and only time I had to wait for a yellow freight train which moved very slowly with seemingly uncountable wagons pulling passed me and the many other cars waiting. After very slow 5 minutes the gates were opened and we could finally move on.

I rode into town and tried to find out the Emma Wood State Beach. On the left side on a good road I discovered a sign showing the way to a private campground. As the sun was setting I wanted at least, like yesterday, ask for the price. Again, I was shocked to hear the price of US$45.00! I thanked from my heart but preferred to continued to the State Park. Unfortunately a large gate block closed the road and therefore I was prompted to look for another 'wild' campsite for the night. I returned to the town center with one eye on the road and the other searching for a suitable place in the approaching night.

The road led me onto a steep hill, the houses became fewer and fewer. In the already dark night I found a nice place beside an oilfield with constantly moving pumps. I unpacked my sleeping bag and zipped myself inside. Sometimes I heard lonely cars passing by but the sound of the working pumps rocked me into a wonderful sleep.

"If there wasn't anything to find out, it would be dull. Even trying to find out and not finding out is just as interesting as trying to find out and finding out; and I don't know but more so." Eve's Diary by Mark Twain

(to be continued)

Bike Tour in the USA (2007), Part 8

Monday, Sep. 10.2007

Finally on the Road!

Hollywood→Coastal Highway 1

Distance: 107.42 km, Duration: 7:51:28 hours, Total Distance: 181.63 km

I continued the Coastal Highway (as the Highway 1 is named here) and bought in a shopping center a large sandwich for my dinner ($3.20). 

View beside the Coastal Highway (near Malibu)

As I continued riding I discovered a sign with the direction to a camp site. As the sun already prepared to get down I wanted to take the chance to get some information. After a short but steep climb I cycled into an elderly lady and asked for the price for myself, my bike and a small tent for one night. She calculated and gave me the price for US$45.00! I was shocked but did not try to show. To my question if there are not cheaper possibilities she took a map out of a drawer and showed me a State Park which had a campsite on a far distance. I said farewell to the kind lady and tried to cycle to the place she has shown. 
Two hours I rode into the evening but I still was far away from my destination. I stopped at a supermarket and bought something to drink ($1.83). It was getting dark that without light I barely recognized the shoulders of the road. It became somehow dangerous, several times I nearly fell from my bike due to some surface irregularities of the road. Also because of this reason I decided to give up my plan to ride to the campsite. 
Beside the Highway 1 I discovered a housing community uphill on the right sight of the road, in front of the houses was in a green tidy pitch of grass not far from the road light. Opposite was a kind of military barrack which indicated to me that is is a very safe place.
For the first time on US soil I took out my sleeping bag and was very excited about it. The weather was not bad therefore I left my small tent in the duffel bag. As I cuddled in my sleeping bag it seemed that between the stars on the clear sky I have seen my wife and my daughter smiling to me. Happily I felt asleep!
Even as the night became colder from the wind and moist of the nearby ocean I had a 'peaceful easy feeling' during my sleep. 

Taking rest in a Park

   

Wednesday, Sep. 11 2007

In the Backyard of Los Angeles

Coastal Highway 1→Ventura

Distance: 104.02 km, Duration: 5:07:44 hrs, Total: 285.65km

After a good rest I left my cozy sleeping bag in the early morning not before a prayer. I cleaned up my surroundings which was so kind to give me safe and quiet place for the night. I took the garbage with me as all travelers should do...

I continued to cycle on Highway 1 which between Santa Monica and Oxnard is also called the 'Roosevelt Highway'. The morning was still very young and I cycled from a rocky coast road to an open flat landscape. Here the Highway becomes a Freeway and cyclist are  prompted by a traffic sign to leave the Freeway. Therefore I had to leave the main road and had to find a suitable way on my own. 

Trucker on the road...

The open landscape is made for farming and agriculture, this area might be the backyard of greater Los Angeles. Indeed I discovered for the first time some farm hands working in the field. On an already prepared field some workers installed water pipes in the earth for water irrigation. Because it seems "it never rains in Southern California" the water must be redirected from a aqueduct or viaduct through the desert. On the whole way to San Francisco and up to Sonoma County and Napa Valley I witnessed the same water irrigation system for fruits, vegetables and even the grapes for the famous Californian wine.

Farmers working in the Field

“Cultivators of the earth are the most valuable citizens. They are the most vigorous, the most independent, the most virtuous, and they are tied to their country and wedded to its liberty and interests by the most lasting bonds.”Thomas Jefferson 

(to be continued)