Sadly, I didn't write a journal during the trip, and took no photographs, so for a long time I thought I only had my recollections of the trip, but wouldn't be able to really describe much about it. But two things saved me.
First, I'd used a book to map out the majority of the trip, and I ran across it a few years ago. It was "California Bike Tours", and was compiled by a number of people. I've scanned some of the book below, including the page with the various authors, and the pages with the trip description.
Second, while visiting my cousin Linda in Roseville last year, we were talking about my trip. In 1973, she and her then-boyfriend Larry had helped me get from my home in Anaheim to the San Francisco area with my bike. To my great surprise, she pulled out a thank-you letter I'd written to her folks back then, in which I'd described the trip! l couldn't believe my luck that she'd saved it all those years.
So here is a description of the trip. It's essentially a transcription of the thank-you letter. I've added details that I remember, that weren't included in the letter.
Planning...
To plan this trip, I used maps we'd pick up from gas stations back then. I also used the Bike Tour book.
Preparation...
I lived in Anaheim with my folks back then, and needed a way to get up to the San Francisco area with my bike. Luckily my cousin Linda was visiting our grandparents in Orange for a few days. (She attended UC Davis then, and I attended UC Irvine, and our summer vacations extended into the second week of October. Bless the UC Quarter system!). Linda's folks, my Aunt Dee and Uncle Don, lived in San Jose.
Linda had her then-boyfriend with her, and he had a pickup. So the last week September, when it was time for them to head back north, I loaded up the bike, a sleeping bag, some clothes, toothpaste, a tire repair set, tools, and a Boy Scout mess kit. I'm still using that kit:
My Boy Scout Mess Kit
They took me up to Mill Valley, where my father's cousin and her husband were living at the time, and I had a nice visit with them for a couple of days.
Day 1:
I started the trip from 335 Carrera Dr in Mill Valley, where my Dad's cousin lived. I headed south, went across the Golden Gate Bridge, then on to my aunt and uncle's house in San Jose. The bike trip book I had did not start north of the Golden Gate, and did not route through San Jose, so I just used the gas station maps to figure out where to go.
I also don't have an actual log of this leg of the trip, presumably because I probably reported on the first day when I stayed with my aunt and uncle, so didn't need to describe it again in my thank-you letter.
I do recall three things from this leg, though. The first was my extreme annoyance about the grades I encountered in Sausalito. I figured I'd be hugging the bay so it should be flat. It sure wasn't. I also had to haul the bike and gear up a bunch of steps to get to where I could ride south across the bridge. It was funny because then I expected steep hills in San Francisco, but the route to San Jose somehow avoided them all, and I encountered no grades to speak of.
The second memory is when I was crossing the Golden Gate. I was blithely cycling along, thinking how great is was to be on the bridge like that. Suddenly the blast of a fog horn shattered the air; it sounded like it was right next to my ear, and went off just as I passed. I hadn't heard it during the approach to the bridge, and I guess it had just started up since some fog had started to roll in. It almost knocked me off the bike.
Finally, just south of the bridge, Highway 1 goes through the Inner Parkside neighborhood of San Francisco. I was always intrigued by the row houses along there when my family would visit the city, with no side yards, so different from the '50's style tract house we lived in back in Anaheim. I really enjoyed seeing them as I rode past.
Houses along Highway 1, south of the Golden Gate Bridge
My Aunt and Uncle and cousin Jim welcomed me and I enjoyed a good dinner and my last nice bed for a few days. They lived at 6523 Pajara Way in San Jose.
Days 2 through 7...
The remainder of this description is a transcript of the letter I sent to my Aunt and Uncle after the trip. The transcription will be in brown; notes are included, in italics, with additional details that I recall.
Dear Don, Dee, and Jim, I got to UCLA the 26th and had mom and dad pick me up there. I had a really great time - tell Jim that the bike's performance was beautiful (thanks for the tune-up). I met a lot of people who were very nice and interested in what I was doing; I even got two free dinners!
The salutation was addressed to my uncle, aunt, and cousin. Their daughter was Linda, who had given me the ride up to Mill Valley. I bought meals for the trips at stores along the way: PB sandwiches and snack food for lunch; canned stew for dinner which I prepared in the mess kit; and cereal for breakfast with powdered milk.
Based on the indicated arrival date, and the fact the trip was seven days, I must have left Mill Valley on September 20.
Day 2: I killed myself getting to Sunset Beach and resolved henceforth to walk the bike up any other hills - took me 5 1/2 hours as Jim predicted. I had a slow leak in my tire, so I got that fixed the next morning.
The route across the Santa Cruz Mountains was recommended by my cousin Jim, and went through Hecker Pass. He and his friends would use it to ride to the beach. It had a grade that was pretty tough for me.
I also had a couple of additional flats during the trip. I would use a screwdriver to pry one side of the tire off the rim, pull out the tube, and use the a patch and cement to repair. Then I'd push the tube back in place, pry the tire back onto the rim, and use the bike pump to inflate it so I could continue. At the next gas station I saw, I would use the station's air hose and gauge to fill the tire the rest of the way.
Day 3: I started late so made it to Big Sur about 6:30. That night, while I was eating, a raccoon strolled into camp looking for tidbits - he stayed around while I was trying to sleep but I awoke later to find something sniffing around - thought it was a lynx but it turned out to be a cocker spaniel! I was awakened again later on - I couldn't see anything (it was pitch black) but I knew that what I was hearing was the grunting of pigs. I took my hat and hit the ground to scare 'em off, then went back to sleep. I did see one later that morning; he was jogging through and woke me up. Those things are huge! They're descendants of pigs the Spanish brought. Mighty scary!
After Hecker Pass, I started following the route described in the Bike Tours book. This segment included a ride on 17 Mile Drive, where I got a repeat of my Golden Gate Bridge experience - another fog horn blast just as I was riding by it! Again, I didn't hear it blow while approaching. I took the loop around the light house, and it went off right as I was riding past it!
Big Sur campground had been closed due to a bad flood, and had reopened a day or so before I got there to camp.
Day 4: The next day was the spectacular stretch, going along the cliffs by the sea. Very pretty day - I was lucky. I passed Hearst Castle and stayed about 6 miles south of it. I visited the castle the next day. It was just fantastic. The collection of rugs & tapestries would have made taking the tours (I went on 2 of 'em) worthwhile, and of course there are so many other antiques, paintings, intricate pieces of furnishing - just great!
I went on tours 1 and 3, and learned that if you want to take a Hearst Castle tour with no reservations, it really helps being solo!
Day 5: It had rained the night before I saw the castle; I dried off pretty well and struck out for Pismo the next day. It was very windy that afternoon but quieted down as it got later (after I got all sandy!). I talked to a guy that night who was from Germany & was touring the U.S. - he was going up to Canada in a rental car.
I didn't stay overnight at a location where any campgrounds were available, so I found a park area and laid my sleeping bag down on the grass in a corner. Luckily no local gendarme came by! I woke up in the morning with my head and hair, and sleeping bag, very wet, but as I noted, it didn't take long for it all to dry out. It was really more of a heavy mist than a rain. After a bit of cereal, I backtracked to the Castle for the tours, then continued south.
Day 6: Next day, to avoid freeways, the route took a lot of back routes - very strenuous & hotter away from the beach. I stopped a bit in Solvang, then rode to El Capitan, back on the beach.
Day 7: The next day was the killer. I wanted to hit LA if possible; I made really good time into Santa Barbara but then had to go on more back routes past Lake Casitas - it was only a little jog on the map, but took me 3 hrs. to get back too HWY 1. Then, after fighting winds into Ventura, I hit Santana winds, which had started that day. The route took me head on into 'em all the way; I was on frontage roads, but was to hit 1 again in Oxnard. I finally made it to that goal, only to find a cop putting flares along the on-ramp, blocking my way onto 1. I could see the fires that were raging in the Santa Monica Mtns, & the smoke was pouring across the road. I was stuck; the only way around the fire was 101, about 10 miles straight into the wind (it's freeway anyway) so I stuck out my thumb & got a ride right away from a really nice guy in a truck. He was rushing home 'cause he lived in the fire area. We jogged around the fire and got back on 1 right on the other side of the road block. He'd saved me 17 miles. From there I pedaled up to Santa Monica (got a mild case of sun-stroke) and up to UCLA from there. It was about 8 o'clock, and I decided I'd be stupid to try riding through LA the next day - it would've been against Santanas, hot, dusty & probably smoggy. I called my parents, and they picked me up (after I had a steak dinner) & drove me home.
I called the Santa Ana winds the "Santana winds" when I was young. I remember being excited when the group Santana came out - I thought it was neat that they were named after the winds. I was disappointed when I found out they were named after Carlos! And also later when more and more people started calling them Santa Anas. I still think Santanas sounds cooler.
I also don't remember the exact route taken by the fellow who gave me a ride around the fire, but by looking at Google Maps and given the information in the letter, I believe the road block was at the Los Posas Road onramp. We went north, then on surface streets into the Santa Monicas and back down to 1. Again, using Google Maps, I am guessing that would be on Decker Road. He let me off to continue my trip, and he went on to get to his place.
I finished the trip on Sunset, near UCLA, and when I was near the school, I remember stopping at somebody's house and knocking on the door to ask if I could get some water from their garden hose, and they said go ahead. These days, I can't imagine anyone even answering the door after dark in that area to a scraggly young guy who's been on a bike all day!
Well, that was my trip. All in all, I'm really glad I did its, but I'm not so sure I'd do it again! Since you're going to Houston, I might not have the opportunity.
I've enclosed the money for the water bottle - it was a very good thing to have, believe me! I'll send the mace later in a box.
Yeah, I hadn't packed a water bottle for the trip. And I guess they must have given me some mace - I don't recall that at all! They did indeed move to Houston shortly thereafter.
Thank you again, everybody, for the hospitality and the help. I've really had a great trip - it made my summer!
School starts tomorrow, and I'm looking forward to it. It's going to be a heavy quarter - wish me luck, ok?
I guess I'll give up trying to tell you how grateful I am to you all. Hope to see you soon; take care.
Love Paul
And that's the end of my letter.
Here is a synopsis of the trip, with mileage estimates based on GoogleMaps, using the bike selection.
Day 1, 335 Carrera Dr, Mill Valley to 6523 Pajaro Way, San Jose: about 110 miles
Day 2, San Jose to Sunset Beach campground via Hecker Pass: about 50 miles
Day 3, Sunset Beach to Big Sur campground: about 70 miles
Day 4, Big Sur to south of the Hearst Castle: about 70 miles
Day 5, Hearst Castle to Pismo Beach campground: about 55 miles
Day 6, Pismo Beach to El Capitan campground via Solvang: about 90 miles
Day 7: El Capitan to UCLA on Sunset: about 120 miles (bike miles only)
Total miles: about 565 miles
Below are scans of the original letter, and of the pages in the bike tour book I used.
As they say, "Wow - What a ride!"
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