Started out in Long Beach - where we usually start off. It would have been 250 miles and should have finished around 3 or 4pm. We went on the highways in the 70's.... 74, 76, 78 and I don't remember the rest of them. Very scenic and I was alittle amazed at how country things got between LA and Oceanside, which is close to San Diego. I think we were only 45 miles away to San Diego.
Isn't it strange at how when one is younger you can't wait to do something? When I was a kid I couldn't wait to get outta the house - get out of the country and into civilization... a big city like NYC, LA or even Chicago. There were too many cornfields, wheatfields and especially cows at home. On today's ride, I thought it strange at how happy I was to see cows. And amazed at the bison. Granted they were penned up but there are actually livestock in SoCal!
We stopped in Oceanside for breakfast. It was a little mom and pop type restaurant supposed to be nostalgic or something, right off highway 101. The roads were great - lots of curves, good scenery and most especially very little car traffic our way. I think it was highway 76, something happened and there were lots of cars stopped and waiting to go.
It was a hot day. Maybe in the high 90's and I was really glad I had packed several bottles of cold water. We stopped several times throughout the ride, which was a good thing. One of the riders had heat exhaustion so we doused her with cold water and tried putting her in the shade but after an hour, we ended up stopping off at a fast food restaurant for some cold drinks. I think that helped everyone cool down. Yup, it was that hot out.
Overall, it was a good ride. It wasn't planned for all day but it was amazing that even though there were a few riders I had never ridden with, everyone was a good sport. I think next time, we'll be more prepared as far as staying hydrated. The ride route was great... not too much traffic. The roads were also great and perhaps SoCal is slowly growing on me. It's strange because the other night I had a dream about purchasing a house. I'm not exactly sure where it was but it was close to the ocean yet in the country where I was able to have a big yard and enough space to finally get my dream dog - a Rhodesian Ridgeback. Kinda crazy, eh? On second thought, maybe that was a nightmare! (That means I'm getting old and ready to settle down. Blah!!!) Knowing that most of the dreams I am able to recall do come true, I'm kinda curious as to where this is at. I don't even know if it was in SoCal but after seeing some of the landscapes on our ride, it could be possible.
