Coronado XPress

Judy, Keith, George, Jeff & of course me showed up at the sunny Oceanside Pier before 8:00 this Saturday. Got receipts as proof of start early. Too cold early just loafing around so we left promptly to keep warm. Slight headwind riding down the coast. Was to remain that way all day.. south wind from 8-11 mph. Stopped at Swami's well before 9:00 AM. This middle age gal was playing the guitar there again. Nice voice, but need new songs. Quite enjoyable in this holiday season.

Coronado Ferry Landing

Jim Wisener joined up there. I call him "Pirate Jim" due to his glasses. One lens is dark, the other is missing! He had eye surgery on the left eye, so it is perfect now. Not so for the right one. Cracked a snappy pace along the coast and up Torrey Pines. Regroup at the top at the Porta-Potty. Judy said she couldn't keep up the pace and would ride around a bit before heading back. She later went out on the O'side SLR Bike Path and returned into the rain. So she got wet too!

Nice and sunny around Mission Bay. Picked up a jumbo MTB rider in tights. He didn't want me to pass, so I tucked behind his big ass and drafted him down the coast for a few miles. He turned off at Washington St. The group was crankin' hard to make the 11 AM Ferry across. We got the SD Landing with 5 minutes to spare! HUH? The ticket place was moved. We found that further south by the Midway Museum. The Landing was also moved to accommodate the Hornblower Cruises all at one dock!

When we got on-board, Dave Horwitt was waiting for us. Nice pleasant surprise. Dave is a very strong cyclists on his heavy steel touring bike. Jeff & George brought their sack lunch, Keith & Pirate Jim relaxed and I took a few video shots on the move. At the Coronado Landing, Super Rando Tim Sullivan was waiting for us. He gave us the pit-stop tour and  guided us around the golf course and onto the Strand Bike Path. He pulled most of the way down into a headwind, before turning off and riding back home to Coronado again. I thought that was a nice gesture from Tim.

We stayed together around the Bay and up to the welcome JIB Control stop in National City. Good fun there. I suggested we take the back way around through the "neighborhood" instead of the construction zone on Harbor Dr. by NASSCO. Real busy at the downtown Convention Center... Auto Show! We went around on a few bike paths by the railroad tracks and then northward past Santa Fe Station. Raindrops as we approached Mission Bay. Raining heavier as we entered Santa Fe Ave toward Rose Canyon Bike Path. We stopped and put on some semi-rain gear. Rained heavier the more we cycled north. Went through the UCSD campus, which was empty during holiday break. Not bad riding along the rainy coast up to Encinitas, where Jim left us.

Randos ride through wet Del Mar

Just the four of us now as we plodded to O'side and the wet finish. Got a final group picture before going for "proof of finish receipts". Keith and I got ours at Circle K north of Town Hall. I was quite wet, but warm when I boarded the Sprinter Train for the ride back to San Marcos. HaHa. It moved 200 ft and then stopped! Brake failure. Waited a cold 20 minutes, until we finally started moving east again. I stripped off my jacket and dried it out on the baseboard heaters. Warm and toasty again , I cycled home from the San Marcos Station.

Wow, one long day. I hopped into the warm tub laced with Epson Salts and Lavender when I got home. All my clothes also went into the sink for a overnight soak. Felt great after that. Washed all the cycling clothes on Sunday as I put together the ride video.
Thanks to the riders who showed for this one. As I told George: "There is strength in numbers on a ride like this!" Not a bad ride to finish up the year.

YouTube Video: Coronado XPress 


-randorides