Dolly's Bike Blog

It has been 2 weeks since I completed my Pacific Coast bike ride, also 2 weeks since I have been on the bike.  First, Don and I had to drive over 2,000 miles to get back to Indiana, then I encountered colder fall temperatures once home.  I miss my bike – and my biking friends, but currently I am busy preparing for several large family gatherings for Thanksgiving.

This past Sunday I attended our church for the first time in 12 weeks and received lots of welcoming hugs.  Best of all was the hug from Jim, for whom I had dedicated my ride.  He looked so healthy, good color and a full head of gray hair  (see below)!  That hug was the almost perfect ending to my six weeks of biking.

But I must say I was/am disappointed with my fund-raising efforts.  I had set a goal of $5,000, but my combined total (Crowdrise and direct donations) is just $3,000.  It’s not too late to make a donation, to celebrate my successful bike ride and to celebrate Jim’s remission.  I rode 1800 miles and managed 72,000 ft of elevation gain; Jim withstood months of immunotherapy and radiation to achieve remission from melanoma.  Won’t you help?

Please consider a donation: crowdrise.com/dolly-bikes-the-pacific-coast1
Since Crowdrise (the fundraising host site) charges some fees, you might also consider making a donation by check to Outrun the Sun, Inc., 8435 Keystone Crossing #175, Indianapolis, IN 46240 (please write Dolly on the note line).

Outrun the Sun is dedicated to building awareness of melanoma and other skin cancers, educating communities about preventive measures that reduce melanoma’s incidence rate, and raising funds for melanoma research, leading to treatments and a cure.

Maybe you don’t know Jim.  But I am betting you or a family member or a friend may have been treated for basal cell carcinoma or squamous cell carcinoma, maybe even melanoma.  Let your dollars help to build awareness and maybe find a cure.

Happy Thanksgiving!  

Don and I left Laguna Beach by 7 am yesterday, so he could drop me off in Oceanside to continue by ride.  I was back on the saddle before 8 am, with temperatures heating up fast.

The route was basically along the coast, from one oceanside community to the next, some more prosperous than others, some with designated bike lanes, others with just the shoulder: Carlsbad, Leucadia, Encinitas, Cardiff by the Sea, Solana Beach, Del Mar, Torrey Pines, La Jolla.  The first few miles were on Carlsbad Blvd., which then joined Historic Highway 101.

The hills near Del Mar and Torrey Pines were steep, and in the sun.  I reached Torrey Pines Golf Course around 11 am; Don had put himself on a wait list for a tee time and teed off around 11:20 am.  I filled my water bottles and moved on.

The route through La Jolla was a bit time-consuming and I did stop briefly at the Cove to see the seals.  By 12:30 pm, I was along Mission Bay and hungry.  I connected with a Radford friend, Sally Hornisher Cain, in Point Loma – not a fancy restaurant but we were able to catch up on mutual friends.

I followed Mission Blvd past the San Diego Airport and arrived in time to take the 4 pm ferry to Coronado – needless to say I was not moving fast.

After a quick stop at Walgreen’s for a phone charger (almost out of power), I headed along the Silver Strand to Imperial Beach, with wild hopes of making it to the border park before sunset at 6:05 pm.

The wind was not in my favor, I was hot and tired.  And it was quite a distance (15 miles?).  Anyway, Oxy friend Larry Saben was meeting me at Border Field State Park to maybe take pictures and then drive me to his house.

As I pulled up at 6 pm to the closed gate to the Park, my rear tire was flat – the first flat of the trip!  We walked toward the beach as the sun set – and discovered it was well over a mile away.  Plan B was quickly instituted, my bike went into his car, and the end of the journey would be another day….

So, this morning, Don and I drove 20 miles (40 minutes) to this remote park, he walked/I rode 1.6 miles to the beach to take the requisite photos, sadly observing the fences that separate us from our southern neighbors.  The sun was still hot – and my Pacific Coast tour was complete:  over 1800 miles from Canada to Mexico, no walking up hills, one day lost on the tour due to mechanical problems!  It felt like quite an accomplishment for a 69 year-old grandmother!!

Relive Wednesday:  https://www.relive.cc/view/1248059315

Relive Thursday:  https://www.relive.cc/view/1248058621

Celebrating the end of my journey from Canada to Mexico!

I rode away from Jan & Ken’s home this morning, meeting everyone in Laguna Beach for breakfast, before continuing south.

Started first along CA 1 and quickly decided too much traffic and no bike lane.  So I followed the alternate route which had some climbing but very little traffic.  Once in South Laguna, I could ride CA 1 and continued doing so until Dana Point.

The  cues took me through the village downtown, and I wandered to the beach, Doheny Beach of Beach Boys fame.

Transitioning to a bike path along the coast, using state beach parking lots, was an easy route – and during the week virtually no traffic.  In San Clemente, the alternate route kept me off CA 1 wandering through residential neighborhoods.  I took a “detour” down to the beach, then had to climb back up the bluffs to reconnect with the alternate route and ultimately CA 1.

Next bike path was into San Onofre State Park, where I noted signs for Camp Pendleton Beach Access.  The route seemed different than the one on the Adventure Cycling map, so I continued through the parking lots heading south, past the nuclear facility.  At a rest area I met a fellow cyclist who recommended riding on the interstate shoulder, rather than through the Camp.

Decided that was indeed a good idea when the separation toward Camp Pendleton was blocked by tanks.  First I had to get my bike over a locked fence, but a nice man in the Vista Point area helped me, both the bike and my climbing over the fence.  I rode the shoulder of the interstate for 9 miles, great surface, cooling ocean breezes, and a tailwind (the 4 lanes of traffic were noisy but not bothersome)!  I met Don in Oceanside around 12:30 pm, about 40 miles, and the temperature was at least 90 degrees!  We had lunch in San Juan Capistrano and toured the mission, before returning to Laguna Beach and an afternoon ocean swim.

Garmin:  38.57 miles, 11.52 mph, 1761.8 ascent.

Relive:  https://www.relive.cc/view/1245200773