deCycles Pacific Mountains 2010
Journal Entry
Date: July 3
Day 21: Saturday
Departure: Palmdale, CA
Arrival: Santa Monica, CA

Distance: 94 miles
Highlights: End trip at Santa Monica Pier. Tour Hollywood.
Description: This is it. We are ready for the end of this journey. What was supposed to be a 65-mile day turned into a 94-mile day. One more huge challenge. Just before the morning map meeting, and in a short premonition, Norm did a last minute check on the Angeles Crest Highway coming out of the mountains and into L.A. Sure enough, the road was closed in certain parts. This was our intended route into L.A. So this required a last minute but hour long search for an alternative route. It was going to add much more mileage to the day but less climbing. We had no choice. The first 28-miles was into the wind and that slowed things down. The descent into L.A. took forever but it was spectacular scenery obstructed by a air pollution haze. Finally we arrived at Griffith Park and had lunch. Then we headed for Hollywood Blvd. That was a zoo. Traffic was EVERYWHERE. This is where traffic jams were invented. It took forever to get through there. After a one hour tour off the bikes, we headed down Sunset Blvd, Rodeo Drive, and Beverly Hills. Our final arrival was around 8:30pm and we were running out of light. Several relatives were there to greet us. The late arrival negated any possibility of dipping into the ocean. It was so cold. We had to move quickly because everyone was chilled from sweat and wind. We posed for a picture, ate pizza, and then got wild and crazy on the beach. Soon after, we then lined up to go to our final destination. We pedaled in the dark to get there. We spent the next 3-hours cleaning out the vehicles and sorting bikes for packing tomorrow. Everyone was in bed by midnight. We will be forever thankful for our stay this weekend. Tomorrow we will finish packing.

We are done. We are exhausted and beat up but we are renewed. We are more powerful. And we are ready to come home. All deCycles trips are challenging and this one was no different. deCycles Pacific Mountains 2010 is now over and we’re again reminded that “cycling is life” We’ll see you at home and hope for a great homecoming banquet at the Faith Lutheran Church on High Street on Thursday, July 8. The trucks should arrive from L.A. on Wednesday evening. See you soon.
Climate: Clear, sunny, hot. Cooler by the ocean. Variable winds.
Overnight: United Methodist Church of Santa Monica