Schwartz Family's SF-CA Bike Trip

Dalina enjoyed riding in the trailer during her naps so much that she
climbed in it by herself!

Dalina tried to talk with sea gulls at the park.

We made it!

We entered Los Angeles County at around 2 PM and ended our bike trip at
Leo Cabrillo campground. The travel between El Capitan to Leo Cabrillo
was long ... and easy. It was 48 miles of flat, roomy, and comfortable
ride.

Ventura and Oxnard have three scenic harbors with many parked sailboats
and fishing boats. The coastal views reminded us of Big Sur - the road
was right next to the beach. The difference was, we were at 50 feet
above sea level (as opposed to 1,000!). Cycling next to the beach in the
morning fog was a perfect condition. There were no hot sun and the mist
kept us cool.

At midday, while Dalina was awake, we stopped by a sushi restaurant in
Channel Island. We ordered food with names that we couldn't recognize,
except for california roll, terayaki chicken, and miso soup. The hand
rolls were tasty, and so was the rice. Dalina ate lot of rice - it tells
a lot about this place!

Mark's Uncle, Irwin, met us at the campground with our dinner. We
enjoyed chatting until the sky became dark.

No freeway cycling this time - thank goodness. The ride between El
Capitan and Carpentaria involved many flavors. We've seen valley,
beaches, airport, homes, schools, city walk, parks, and a dreadful mini
hill. The variety distracted us into wishing that we could explore
further.

At near mid day, we stopped and looked around at old downtown of Santa
Barbara. The state street is filled with outdoor stores as if we were
walking in a mall. The buildings were styled as an old Spainish Mission
design which brought an unique touch to the character of the town. The
street was full of life - people walking around with pets, food, or
shopping bags.

As we approached Carpenteria, we rode through an upscale neighborhood.
The type of area where you would find day spa/massage on every corner.
We saw several fields for horse polo! The field was large and well
maintained.

The first thing we did when arriving the beach camp was... swimming for
the first time since our bike trip! Dalina enjoyed the chilly water and
salty shells. She met with few other babies and played with them. The
water was refreshing for us, especially after a long hot cycling.

One more day to go...

We started our day fresh and ready for the last 1,000 feet hill. The
climb was not that steep but it was a long and slow ride through the
hot desert valley towards the ocean.

After we rode down the hills, we planned to stop at Gaviota State Beach
but Dalina was still sleeping. We were hungry and there were no
restaurants to be seen. So we continued until we reached our destination
which was at El Captian State Beach. Still, there were no food except
little camp store at the state beach. Fortunately, Randy's family was
still nearby, they helped us by bringing us some food.

After filling our stomaches, we strolled by the rocky beach and watched
the sunset. Few hours later, a full moon rose from the horizon. We could
see the glittering moonlight reflection on the sea from our tent right
by the cliff. What a breathtaking sight!

Two more days to go...

Top of our 5th hill.

The road between Pismo Beach and Orcutt reminded us of a deserted road
between towns back in the wild west time that we see in the movies and
read from the books. The air was dry and dusty, occasionally, small dust
cloud passed us. We could feel the sting from the sun, as if it moved
closer to us than ever.

Orcutt was a saloon town. Starved, we stopped by a restaurant that were
decorated with authentic pictures and newspaper back in 1800s. The food
was absolutely delicious - can't go wrong with country kitchen cooking
style. Omlettes was what we went for and we were glad that we did.

Randy's family met us at Orcutt to give us some help before we finish
our day's route. The route has 1,000 feet hill elevation, so we gave our
camping gear to them. After Mark's short nap, we took off to ride over
the hill to Lompoc. We met Randy's family there where we set our camp.

The day ended with romantic campfire and tasty smores. We were ready
for tomorrow's 6th and LAST 1,000 feet elevation hill, over toward Santa
Barbara.

One thing that we noticed about Dalina - her walking skills have
improved significantly. We think that it is because of the jaggy ground
around our tent. Beside her walking, she discovered dirt. Instead of
putting the handful of dirt in her mouth, she plays with it by pouring
them out of her hand. She became so amused by it and it is very cute to
watch!

Mark and Randy united in Morro bay

The Inn in Cambria offered wonderful breakfast and we nearly stuffed
ourselves with fresh bakeries, fruits, and yogurts. After our morning
refuel, we continued on highway 1. The road were mostly flat, cutting
through rolling pastures.

Morro Bay was our noon time destination, just in time when Dalina woke
up from her morning nap. Morro was also where we met with Mark's
brother, Randy and his family (Kristie, Kaylee, and Ethan). We ate at a
cafe, next to a marina and caught up with the news.

As soon as Dalina fell asleep for her afternoon nap, we cycled to Pismo
Beach. The terrain was similar - flat through rolling hills. Miles flew
by really quickly! Randy met us at a motel in Pismo beach and we spent
the evening with them.

Dalina got a chance to play with her cousins ... Watching them was a joy
.. They had lot of fun sharing toys, laughters, and cryings.

Now the next two days will be challenging - we will ride through TWO
more 1,000 feet hills! This time, we are more prepared because we feel a
bit stronger.

Family photos on the beach...Amy cuddles Dalina

After riding across the 4th 1,000 feet hill, the road became flat. We
entered San Luis Obispo county. We passed Hearst Castle and that was
when Ken found us on the road. We were very happy to see them.

We showered up at their Inn in Cambria and ate large omelette and a
little waffle. For snack, we ate the entire sourdough bread loaf from a
french bakery. The Inn provided wine, crackers, and cheese during happy
hour. For dinner, we ate regular chicken sandwich and gigantic ceasar
salad at a grill. Yet, Shanada was still hungry at night!

We strolled through the charming town and watched the sunset from the
beach. We were well rested, a great recovery from 2 days of hard work...

Leaving Big Sur State Park was hard for two reasons: early morning and
anticipated two 1,000 feet high hills. The ride started out on the
first hill. The view on the top was simply magnificent. We were actually
above the coastal clouds as if we were flying in a plane.

That was a LONG climb - and there was another 1000 feet high hill. This
time, we didn't cross the hill. We stayed on the top in a town called
Lucia. It has a restaurant and a lodge. Dalina woke up so we stayed
there until her next nap. When she took her afternoon nap, we zoomed
down.

We were planning to camp at Kirk Creek State Park before two more 1,000
feet hills, but we were on the roll and Dalina was still asleep. We
managed to cross one. Dalina woke up, so we pitched our tent hidden
behind a vacant, abanonded house. We rode 15 more miles because we
wanted our next day ride to be shorter and we could spend more time in
San Simeon with Mark's Uncle Ken's family (Aunt Sue and Cousin Amy).

It was a grueling ride, yet the panaromic views were rewarding. We could
see the blanket of clouds moving up on the cliff with the wind. The air
was either chilly under shades or warm under sunlight. Several people
cheered at us when we were at the top. Some were amazed that we brought
a baby with us.

On top of 1,000 feet hill in Lucia town.

The long downhill ride out from Monterey Bay was a treat. We couldn't
stop by Carmel town because we wanted to spend most of the time riding
while Dalina was sleeping. The morning weather was warmer than the towns
north of Monterey - we didn't have to wear jogging pants while riding.

The sceneries were gorgeous. They reminded us what you may find on post
cards of California coast. The road horizontally cut through rugged
cliff. On our far left, green rolling hills continued outward. On the
right, the beaches usually have gigantic rocks, great for mediating or
scrambling.

There was one long steep climb toward a corner of a cliff. It was a
difficult climb but we made it, thanks to the great help of continous
breeze. As we got closer to the peak, the wind was so strong, that it
actually pushed us up!! The wind was also nice becuase it nudged us
through the rolling hills toward Big Sur.

We settled in the redwood inland part of Big Sur State Park. Dalina
enjoyed pointing at big trees, exotic birds, and smiling strangers. She
was starting to eat more solids than ever - she liked rice cakes,
crackers, and freeze dried fruits. We hit the sack early because the
next two days will be most difficult and critical - long hill climbs.

The first thing we did today was laundry! Dalina's clothes were dirty
most of all cuz she enjoyed playing with the dirt at the camping sites.

After that we walked around the Fishermen's Wharf sampling the clam
chowders and browsing the gift stores. When it was time for Dalina to
take her nap, we rode around by the coast and saw seals on the big
rocks. It was a nice and easy ride. We returned and stopped by the
Cannery Row. which were popular in this area selling canned sardines but
most companies went out of businesses in 1960s. This place was restored
into restaurants and gift stores as well as museums.

We returned to the campground early to rest and prepare for the fifth
day of the bike journey!

We couldn't resist tasting the strawberries that were right by the
road..and it does taste good but not as good as our strawberries from
our farm!

Mark fell down with a bike again ... twice.

At the first stroke in the morning to leave New Brighton State Park,
Mark's bike came down so quickly. What he didn't see was the white
parking bar between his rear wheel and the trailer. Great start, huh?

Most of the day, we cycled through acres of farm land. We were heading
south west toward Seaside/Monterey Bay and the wind was strong in our
face, slowing down our pace. At our mid day rest, we pulled over at a
corner of strawberry field and stuffed ourselves some delicious and
fresh strawberries from Driscoll's and Dole's. There are many workers
picking the stawberries and packing them into boxes for trucks to
deliver them to stores.

At the halfway point, we stopped by a small cafe to try out fried
artichokes because we were in a town known for the artichoke capital of
the world. Artichoke hearts were fried and it looked like chicken
nugget. They were delicious! Dalina woke up and we ate our lunch there.

Monterey Bay was a busy area - streets were packed with people who were
preparing to watch the evening July 4th fireworks. We navigated through
downtown to arrive a long steep hill that has the campsite at the end.
That was a difficult stretch!

Mark explored the campground to find a site. As the moment when Mark
spotted one, a tree stump "appeared" between his trailer and bike. Guess
what happened? You're right - he fell.

Since the site was so far up on hill and we were starving, we ordered
dominos pizza. What a feast - we didn't see any fireworks because we
were full, cold and sleepy!

Behind the big rock is a vast sea. Many miles of it .. Couldn't get
enuff of the view

We woke up in a dense fog. Our tent covering were soaked with heavy dew.
We carefully left our secret camping cliff to the beginning of the
Devils Slide detour. The detour was semi-paved trail - kind of like a
path for golf carts. It begins uphill and continues to climb for more
than 3 miles through uncivilized foggy hills. Some parts of the trail
were unpaved so we had to pick up and walk with the trailer with
sleeping Dalina. It was grueling work - we had no idea when and where
the trail ends. We hoped that the end of the trail would be hwy 1.

We hit hwy 1 - finally! Total of 6 miles of rugged terrain. Our bikes
and trailer were so dirty. Mark's bike shoe clips were filled with sand.
He had trouble locking his shoes to the pedals. We were amazed at Dalina
who slept through the rocky trails. We contined to bike toward Half Moon
Bay which was another 8 miles.

Our stomaches were empty from the morning's hard work. We would like to
eat a large meal but we were behind schedule because of the roadblock
and detour, so we continued until we realized that we needed water. At a
main intersection, we saw McDonalds. As Mark approached to the red
light, he wasn't able to take his shoes off from the pedal because of
the sand inside! He fell down with the bike, which made Shanada
laughing. Too bad Dalina didn't see the fall - she was still asleep. He
had a small scrape on his knee.

While Dalina was asleep, we quickly grabbed hamburgers and continued on.
The air was filled with sea mist, sending some chills through our
bodies. Its a good thing that our cycling work kept us warm.

The sceneries were gorgeous. There were many state beaches that
preserved precious environment over years. No commercial buildings or
restaurants passed us. The hwy was right next to the beaches and we
could see the white froth from the waves for the next...26 miles.

We were tired from the long cycling and wished that Dalina could ride
the bike while Mark and Shanada in the trailer! Our water supply ran out
and we were starving. A lighthouse saved us! Pidgeon Lighthouse has a
hostel with a kitchen. The keeper was nice to give us water. We ate all
of our Power Bars and Mark took a Power Nap.

We pedaled on. Davenport was our next stop - about 16 miles from the
lighthouse. A small cafe overlooking the sea offered tasty menu. We
ordered sandwiches. The waiteress found out that we cycled from
Pacifica, so she kindly offered us french fries and ice cream for free!

It was getting late - we became concerned bec our camping site is 20
more miles. We pedalled a total 56 miles and we were tired. A young
local couple sat next to us started a conversation about our biking.
They learned our plans and were kind enough to help us by bringing us to
Brighton State Park Beach campsite (about 20 miles from the cafe). They
saved our necks. We set our camp there. We were back on schedule and ... exhausted.

Here are pictures of us packed up at the starting point

We explored our starting point near our rental car drop off office next
to SF airport. From the office to highway 1, there was a big hill. The
hill was steep, so we drove over the hill to South San Francisco/San
Manteo Beach to drop off Shanada, Dalina, and all of our stuff. Mark
drove back to the office, returned the car and cycled over the hill.

The weather is windy and cloudy - as Mark rode his bike down the steep
grade of the hill, the beach wind was so strong, he was unable to
accelerate down hill! We met again on the beach to pack up their things
onto their bikes and trailer.

Our trip starts! We cycled the next 4 miles and reached a highway road
block. The highway was called Devil's Slide - because of unstable ground
beneath - Caltrans had to fix the road many times. We found a bike store
next to the road block and asked for detour direction. One option was go
back to the same steep hill that Mark went on (forget it!). Another was
to go through residential area and then hit highway 1 on the other side
of the Devil's Slide cliff.

We cycled through homes and became lost. After 6 miles of maze, we ended
up returning back to the bike store! The bike store owner drew us a map
and we discovered that we will have to ride on unpaved road. Because of
time, we checked our next campsite in Half Moon Bay state park (about 16
miles). All of the sites were full.

The nice owner showed us a secret camping spot next to the roadblock. He
guided us up behind Devil's Slide cliff past the roadblock. We hiked to
the top of the cliff and the 290 degree of sea view was astounding!!
Looking down the cliff was a tiny strip of beach and looking out was a
horizon. We happily set our camp here - near the cliff. A location that
would probably not found in any of the state parks!

Dalina was a wonderful baby throughout the trip. She likes the sea
breeze in her face. The hike was fun for her as she enjoys the rocking
motion. She likes to pick up pebbles and rock and feel them in her
hands. She has no idea about the roadblock or going in circles - all she
does is play, eat, smile, and sleep.

Geeky Mark is thrilled to have his picture taken in front of the museum!
:)

On the way to Jeff and Matilda's wedding, Mark accidently found Computer
History Muesum. He quickly browsed through the exhibit and immensely
enjoyed "Visual Storage" section. This section shows all kinds of
computers, not limited to the first Babbage adding machine, Cray, Apple
I, and NeXt.

The section also showed how each component started (hard drive, RAM,
monitor, etc) and he was fascinated to the early forms of RAM. One of
them were called as fabric! The threads were thin wires, crisscrossing
through tiny circles. It looked like a small patch of screen with beads
on each intersection. Each "ring bead" polarity are controlled by
electricity, so when the bead's polarity runs clockwise, it is noted as
0 and reversed polarity would be 1.

The Bibb wedding was lavishly beautiful. It was held in a scenic golf
course. We met many of our old friends so it was a mini reunion for our
schools, camps, and work. We enjoyed the ceremony led by clergy signing
in Swedish and American, which was designed to accomondate 2 families
from 2 different countries. The heart felt words surrounded the
delicious buffet was a jewel for the night! Always such a wonderful
feeling to be part of loving charged environment.

Stopped by one of the finest winery near St. Helena (one of the Napa
towns)

A short hike around the park was magnificent. Tall redwood, creek, and
fern bed were similar to Muir National Park. Fresh air was refreshing -
maybe it was too fresh because we woke up feeling fully energized.

We assembled our bikes for our "warm and wine up" run on Silverado trail
around in Napa valley. The bike lanes were conveniently near wine houses
for wine so we pulled over whenever we see one.

Then, we hit a really steep uphill with narrow bike-laneless road. The
climb was long - approx 3 miles. Traffic was busy. It was challenging
because we were so used to riding in a bike lane. Climbing on this hill
was a good practice for us to work with the passing cars. We u-turned
and carefully rode downhill.

We headed back to the state park on a different route because we were
... slightly lost. We missed the state park entrance road - but this
detour brought us more views of the beautiful Napa countryside. We aimed
for 20 miles but ended up doing 23. Dalina slept thorough the whole time
- longest ever!

Hunger struck us so we went to a deli/wine place and ate fresh
strawberries, chicken (or was it turkey) sandwich, and pickle. This
place also offers enticing samples of their olive oil, chocolate,
vingar, and cheese. Our taste buds were in heaven!

Pool was what we needed in hot and dry climate. We returned to the state
park and swam in their pool. Dalina couldn't stop giggling in the crispy
water!

There was a Chef festival on the other side of the county. A quick
browse through the crowded street with local vendors (and samples) had
ended our Napa tour. We left Napa feeling satisifed with a urge of
returning in our later years.

Our arrival was somewhat smooth.

We picked up car - different than what we reserved - more cargo space.
The toyota hybrid SUV managed to carry all of our stuff. Before heading
over to Napa valley, we stopped by UC Berkeley for a quick look around.
We tried to go up on the top of the hill to see the view of SF but
didn't go all the way to the top bec of "federal restricted areas." We
caught a semi breath taking view on the way down.

Mark loved the liberating historical spirit behind the UC Berkeley
campus and on the telegraph road. But, what we he did not love is the
parking enforecement patrollers hovering every curb they could find. The
enforcement ironically contrasted the liberating spirit .. Nature seems
to always balance itself ... No parking ticket was received and we ended
our stay in Berkeley by eating delicious organic veggie burrito from
Organic Kitchen.

Napa valley was a cozy side of SF. There were endless rows of vines and
wine tasting places. Each place offered a unique character that
indicates one wine is much superior than other. We settled our camp in
Bothe State Park.