Distance, elevation: 47 mi (+10 mi to Beverly Hills), +1335 ft.
Detailed route.
What route is shown in the embedded map above may depend on Google's mood. So here are snapshots of the route we took: Google Maps, PDF
8:30 am. Hotel breakfast. Still in eat-everything mode. Scrambled eggs, sausage, bagel with cream cheese, oatmeal, cinnamon roll, cereal. Fill bottles at dispenser across from our room. Ah, the luxury of convenient drinking water.
12:30 pm. Lunch break at El Matador State Beach. Stunning view of beach and ocean just beyond plummeting cliffs.
"Whatever happened before does not matter anymore. The time is now, you must lock in~"
1:15 pm. Let's finish this. Off to Santa Monica. Passed by the ruins of Palisades fire. Melted cars and razed homes. Dystopian Octavia Butler landscape.
3:25 pm. Welcome to Santa Monica! Take pictures with Mom and B at Pier. Had been wanting an ice cream cone at the end of the ride. Got a pistachio cone from Pier Burger; check. It messes with my stomach a bit, but it's still worth it. Victory tastes sweet.
Today’s route was mostly ok, with some sketchy parts. Namely, there was some uncomfortable riding on the PCH between Malibu and Santa Monica where cars were parked on the shoulder and we had to take up the right of two lanes since there was no bike lane. Got honked at just a couple of times when climbing hills on the right lane, but I didn't really feel bad about it because there were two lanes so we weren’t totally blocking traffic.
Physically, I felt very fresh and no soreness today, perhaps because we are now stronger and/or properly foam-rolled last night. In fact, it feels like we might have been able to double the distance without much more of a push than some of the previous harder days. In retrospect, we probably could have condensed this trip from 9 days into 8 or 7 without feeling physically overextended. The latter half felt especially doable, at times even almost too easy, since we’d been conditioned by the challenge leading up to Pasa Robles and the latter routes were relatively flat. Post Pasa Robles, the towns were also close enough to each other that we had more options of hotels to stay at, though perhaps the towns would’ve been smaller and had fewer amenities. That said, I would not have made any major changes to our agenda unless there was urgency to finish faster. Quite satisfied with our pace and the room it left for moving safely, deliberately, and with enjoyment. It’s nice to cover more miles, but so too are ten extra minutes of ocean breeze, admiring fireworks, savoring lunch, and the sweet hint of reapplied chapstick.
Getting to LA feels like a victory lap. Everything looks perfect — the palm trees, sand, beaches. It’s a perfection that could not be captured by words nor pictures, a secret for our eyes only. A place made perfect by its path. We cruise those final miles basking in the unlocked beauty, earned.
5:45 pm. Arrive at SB’s place in Beverly Hills. Feels so good to sit on a cushioned seat.
6:50 pm. Erewhon. Perfectly arranged vegetables. Feels like walking into a Barbie set for groceries.
7:30 pm. Dinner at Din Tai Fung with fam. Jk, the wait is 2-3 hours. Went to Meizhou Dongpo instead. Ordered so much food: roast Peking duck, oxtail soup, green beans, 凉皮, 夫妻肺片, 棒棒鸡, slow cooked rib. When the food showed up, there was concern that it was too much. But at this point, J and I know that our appetites have expanded greatly. The chicken was very spicy, but even that didn’t stop us. Everything was devoured. The rib was excellent. The meat was very tender and the dipping spice had a nice sweet and smoky flavor. Will have to figure out what that magic red powder is.
9:30 pm. Walk around mall. Look at Popmart figurines. Marketing at its finest.
10 pm. Back at SB’s place. Store leftover bread and cheese in the fridge. But surprise, what do we find there? Packs of batteries. Very on brand. Clean up, blog. Feels weird not having to wash bibs and plan a route for tomorrow. What is relaxation? It hasn't quite sunk in that we've reached the finish line. Feeling triumph, inspired, hardened, empty, light, bittersweet, joy. Grateful for the people in my life, the world we live in, and life itself. Grateful for J.
“I’ve been meek, and hard like an oak, I’ve seen pretty people disappear like smoke… All you can do is do what you must, you do what you must do and you do it well~”
Day 9 + 1: Going home. Los Angeles to Bay.
8:30 am. Breakfast at Urth. Prosciutto panini, pistachio cream pancakes, Spanish latte granita which tastes like Vietnamese coffee. Yummy rec from SB.
11:30 am. Massage.
“Ain’t about how fast I get there, ain’t about what’s waiting on the other side~”
1:30 pm. Took off front wheels and rack to fit bikes into car. Mom and B drive us back home. Fast car, oh yes. We as a modern society sometimes speak of warring on cars, but can’t divorce convenience. Technology has in fact greatly improved our standard of living. Dreaming of a world of symbiosis. For now: good music, clear skies, endless green farms. Life is good.