San Luis Obispo to Los Angeles (A 5-Day Ride)

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.

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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.