- San Luis Obispo "Nine Sisters" LoopSan Luis Obispo Amtrak, San Luis Obispo, CA
The Last Ride of the Year. Spend New Year's Eve outside!
This is a 3-DAY 60-mile loop around the San Luis Obispo area, taking in the view of the "Nine Sisters" volcanoes as we ride. View Route. We'll be looping around the "Nine Sisters" of San Luis Obispo (see aerial image in the Photos section below) and taking in glimpses of them as we ride. (Read this wikipedia article for interesting info on the Nine Sisters.) The last night will be on New Year's Eve-- bike-camp to say goodbye to 2024!
A gravel, mountain or all-terrain bike is required for this ride. No e-bikes.
DAY 1- Dec 30: We meet at the San Luis Obispo Amtrak Station at 12:30 pm on December 30. Upon meeting, we'll immediately head off to ride on West Cuesta Ridge Road (also known as TV Tower Rd.) and wild camp somewhere up there. This first day we'll ride approximately 15 miles and climb 3000 feet.
DAY 2- Dec 31: We'll descend into Morro Bay and perhaps hang out in the town for some sightseeing. (Morro Rock, by the way, is one of the Nine Sisters.) Then we'll head to Montaña de Oro State Park and camp at Islay Creek Campground. This day will be a ride of 25 miles with only 800 feet of climbing.
DAY 3- Jan 1. From the campground we'll head back to San Luis Obispo where people can catch the late afternoon Amtrak back home, if needed. We'll ride along Los Osos Valley Road, passing some "Sisters" along the way. This day will entail riding 20 miles with 2000 feet of climbing, mostly in the morning as we ride in Montaña de Oro State Park.
Cost is $8, which covers the cost of a campsite at Islay Creek Campground. Any remaining covers the cost of maintaining this meetup account.
MEETING: We'll meet at the SLO Amtrak Station at 12:30 and tentatively depart at 12:45. This takes into account anyone who may arrive by train at 12:40. If no one is taking the train but arriving by car earlier, we may leave earlier if we don't have to wait for the train arrivals. (Driving takes 3.5 to 4 hours from downtown LA). Departure times can then be negotiated in the conversation in the comments section.
There is free multi-day parking at the train station, according to their website. You are also welcome to find your own street parking and ride to the station.
Since time is crucial on the first day (sunset time is 5 pm), eat your own lunch or pack it with you before we depart.*******************
Disclaimer: This bike-touring/camping group ride is a meeting of like-minded people gathering for a time of fun and social interaction. No organizational responsibility is implied in the creation of this ride. Upon registering for this event, you acknowledge that participation in the event is done out of your own risk and you accept responsibility for your own safety. - San Luis Obispo to Los Angeles (A 5-Day Ride)San Luis Obispo Amtrak, San Luis Obispo, CA
Start off your year with a multi-day ride!
This is a 5-Day Ride.
Starting at the San Luis Obispo Amtrak Station, we will ride our bikes to Los Angeles Union Station. The two railway stations serve as our two bookend points (start to end) to organize this ride, but you can enter and leave the ride at any time-- as will be explained below.
DETAILS (View Route)
Day 1 (Jan 2). LOMPOC- 56 Miles. We leave from San Luis Obispo and ride to Lompoc. We will stay in a motel, which you will have to book or coordinate with someone else (perhaps a double room and split the cost). I am thinking of the inexpensive Motel 6 at the north end of town, but there are other motels in the area. This is the only time where we'd stay in a motel (there used to be a campground in Lompoc, but the town closed it off for bicycles, even though RV's can still use it).
This will be our longest day, but it is a fairly flat ride except for a brief 2-mile climb just before Lompoc.
Day 2 (Jan 3). LAKE CACHUMA CAMPGROUND- 37 miles. We ride through Solvang and then head to the Los Padres National Forest and end up at the campgrounds at Lake Cachuma. There will be one campground reserved. The cost is $55, which we will split among all the riders.
Day 3 (Jan 4) CARPINTERIA STATE BEACH HIKE&BIKE- 37 miles. We descend down to Santa Barbara and end up at the Hike&Bike campground at Carpinteria State Beach. Cost here is $10 per person which you pay at the gate.
Day 4 (Jan 5) OAK PARK CAMPGROUND, SIMI VALLEY- 50 miles. We ride to Oak Park Campground, situated between Moorpark and Simi Valley. The cost of the campground site is $45, which we will be split among us riders.
Day 5 (Jan 6) UNION STATION, LOS ANGELES- 48 miles. We ride through the San Fernando Valley and end up at Union Station in downtown Los Angeles.MEETING UP
Our official starting point is the San Luis Obispo Amtrak Station on January 2 at 8 am. In all practicality though, those who want to do the ride will probably arrive in San Luis Obispo the day before by train. With people there the day before, we can probably meet up then and discuss departure time.EXIT POINTS (and ENTRY?)
As stated earlier, you don't need to ride all five days should you so choose; you can exit (or enter) the ride at certain points, as your schedule or stamina allows. Our route follows near the Amtrak line between San Luis Obispo and Los Angeles, and so you can get on (or off) the Amtrak train heading to (or from) Los Angeles at any point. The Amtrak station is availabe in Lompoc (Lompoc-Surf), Carpinteria, Ventura, Simi Valley, and points in between. The only day when we won't be near Amtrak is when we go to Lake Cachuma in the Los Padres Forest. Feel free to follow whatever schedule works for you.THE END POINT
We will probably arrive in Los Angeles Union Station by mid-afternoon Monday January 6. From here, you can continue on to the train at Union Station, or other arrangements. If you're tired by then, an option is that my home, which is 2 miles from Union Station, is available for you to stay at overnight while you rest and determine how to get home; you are welcome to stay.All bikes capable of carrying your gear will work. No ebikes, due to distance.
Any biker with an inkling to try multi-day touring is welcome. If you love bike-touring but haven't tried multi-day touring, this ride is a good introduction. You don't need to be a strong biker; we travel at a slow casual pace-- a "party-pace," as some call it-- with many stops as necessary, including a long lunch break each day.************************
Disclaimer: This bike-touring/camping group ride is a meeting of like-minded people gathering for a time of fun and social interaction. No organizational responsibility is implied in the creation of this ride. Upon registering for this event, you acknowledge that participation in the event is done out of your own risk and you accept responsibility for your own safety.
