"Stagecoach Trail 300" Recon-Last Segment

Proposed route starting from Broadway Ferry Landing to Mule Hill

Stagecoach Trail 300...Stagecoach 200... don't know what I'll name the newest rando kick-butt route yet. This was to be the last of the picture taking recon rides before final packaging of the route. Not to be.

C'dale Trail bike loaded on southbound Coaster Train

Hopped the earliest Coaster down to San Diego. Arrived after 9:30 and rode over to the ferry landing to meet up with Keith Olsen. He was pondering his fender set up on the SOMA when I arrived near the pier. We fiddled around a bit and then decided to locate the other ferry landing behind the Convention Center. Easier said than done.



On the satellite map, it's an easy ride around the bay and over to the other ferry landing via bike path. However, large "No Bicycles" sign nixed this idea. We ended up on Harbor Drive . Took a few pics there. The actual landing is a long distance from the ticket machine. No way you could describe on a cue sheet how to get from there to the SD Bike Way around the Bay. Heck, just go out on Harbor Drive and take a left!

Keith with new fender SOMA at pier.

I fired up the Garmin .tcx course and we rolled along the Bay on the bike path. Once we cleared the downtown area, the pedestrian traffic cleared up on the path. Several buff joggers and lots of walkers out on this nice winter day, with temps in the 70'sF. Keith suggested Cannon Street instead of the daunting climb up Talbot Street. Good idea, as the climb is mild verses the other route. It was after 11 AM as we stopped by his house for a bit. I needed to keep moving, as Keith packed it in for the day. Said he was tired and worn out. He looked it too.

I stopped here to take a pic and put foot in water!

I took some more pics as I approached the Ocean Beach 7-Eleven store on Bacon Street. This place is always busy with the overpriced goods for surfers and Dog Beach lovers. Took the bike path over the bridge and then eastward along the San Diego Channel. New cut off to Mission Bay Bike Path. Not much action along Mission Bay, just a few kids on scooters getting in the way. Rose Creek Bike Path was busier, as meeting oncoming cyclists under a road is real close! Cruised up Santa Fe and onto the Bike Path.



Cut off the Rose Canyon Bike Path around a vehicle gate, crossed the tracks and chatted with a homeless guy on a MTB, carrying a 6-pak of beer,

Crossing the "Rio Grande"

drinking one bottle as he walked. I ask him the way to the east side trail... he mumbled about crossing the concrete channel right here. No thanks as I headed along the RR tracks to the jogging trail. Tall sign showed where to enter the trail. I wandered around and just happen to make the right turns as I ended up at the trailhead along the channel on the east side. A family was trying to climb up the steep concrete sides of the drainage channel. Just like crossing the "Rio Grande" I said! Quickly got ahead of them on the narrow washed out trail along the edge of the channel. One slip there and you're at the bottom, real quick!

Scout Troop on trail

I continued along the trail, now officially called the San Clemente Canyon Hiking-Biking Trail south side. Much nicer than the other side near the RR tracks. A couple of smallish climbs and three bridges, one floating...sort of. This trail winds along the south side of the Canyon. I exited at Genesee Blvd., crossed over and rode north to Eastgate Mall



Then the quick and fun dirt downhill on Roselle St. I went over to Quest Bike Shop to locate some "fender nuts" for Keith's SOMA. That Eric guy there doesn't know much about nuts and bolts, saying his mechanic might know about them, so come back tomorrow. I showed him what I was looking for on one of his bike with fenders. I loosened a nut on the back of the fork and the front brakes fell onto the tire. Wow! Guess that brake mounting bolt wasn't even finger tight! DUH! He said those Planet Bike fenders aren't any good, cause with metal fenders, you can straighten them. OK

Tree over trail...good riding here!

After that pitiful experience, I rode over to the south Los Penasquitos Trail, took pics to the bridges and then back-tracked on the north trail, taking pics while
cruising along. Next up I rode over to Performance Bike to check out fender nuts. None there and today's sale was only for $100 purchases. Leaves me out. Time for a break, so I rode northward to Carmel Valley Road and took a break at the AM/PM. I decided to cut the recon off here, since I wouldn't make it back till after dark. Small blinkies don't do it on the dark trails. I rode up to the Solana Beach Train Station and hopped the Coaster to Oceanside for $2.75. The eastbound Sprinter was waiting for me as I loaded the bike up. Met some old train security guards on the ride back, so we hashed over old stuff and talked mountain bikes until I exited at San Marcos. Blink lights on, I took the sidewalks home.


With a late start, tough day to do everything planned for. Might do Ham-Hock soon and take the rest of the pics on the route back to Mule Hill. The weather was suburb for December.

-randorides