Catalina Ride

Full route from San Marcos to Catalina Island

After the recon ride earlier this month, all looked well and interest seemed high for the inaugural "Dana Point XP" route. Several riders expressed interest in doing the up and back, while a few wanted the train option either way. So Friday it was. ( Weekends are poor for train connections)

Plenty of emails later, we ended up with just 4 riders at the early San Marcos start. John Mestemacher rode in from down the hill in Carlsbad, Mac Imacseng had the wife get up early to bring him ( originally scheduled for Keith to pick him up), Dave Horwitt drove in from San Diego and I just rolled in a few miles from home. Ready well before the 0300 start time, we waited around for Mac to load his bike and put on reflective gear (neat handy "Y" vest). We were off to a groggy start.

We stopped to see if Mac's uncle really worked here?

Due to no traffic this early, we managed to deviate from the route a bit and took some main roads over to Champagne Blvd. Chit-chat was in abundance as Mac's rear light was mounted parallel with the seat stay and offered a blinding vision from behind. After a few jeers, he was tool-less and unable to move the light, but soon discovered his other light hidden up under the seat. John was on a hi-speed lead-out on Camino del Rey over to Bonsall. Weather was just perfect.

Bonsall AM/PM had locked out the adjacent McD's  bathrooms as we refilled our bottles and were soon off to the San Luis Rey Bike Path cruising along and arriving in Oceanside near 0515. Traffic was backed up at the main Camp Pendleton Gate, so the I-5 option was in play.

Dana Point Harbor lin- up for Ferry Boarding Passes

Mac sped away on I- 5 and narrowly missed a tire just before the Rest Stop exit. Traffic was heavy and even the Rest Stop was full with drivers napping in the early hours. Good speed as we paced thru the San Onofre Campground. Time for headlights off entering San Clemente town. I mentioned to Mac about his "uncles donut shop", so we made a stop to see if the owners were Cambodians like Mac. Mmmm... the old lady was from Laos and the younger one.. we never did find out. A donut later we soon entered the new bike way to Dana Point, arriving at the Harbor before 0700. Time to line up to get ferry boarding passes.

Leaving Dana Point, Dave & Mac enjoy the view

John picked up my passes as I relaxed by the dock, taking pictures and stretching out. Overcast morning along the coast as early boaters motored by. We watched as passengers started boarding the ferry. Dave got a little antsy and lined up, but soon returned for a "last on, first off" boarding. We strapped our bikes in and were soon underway right on the advertised 0745 departure time.

Excited passengers were moving about, so we mostly stayed put in the fantail near our bikes. Great chance for some pictures and different views as the Catalina Express made way @30 knots toward Catalina Island. No dolphins this trip, but Mac & I spotted a "whale" in the distance (unconfirmed, of course)!

Cycling Permit required for riding inland on Catalina

I was expecting bright sun as we approached Catalina, but alas, slight clouds covered the island. We debarked in a minute and hit the dockside bathrooms first. This place was a buzzing. A few cranks later, we were at the Catalina Island Conservancy to pick up cycling permits for inner-island riding. (These are required to ride or hike on little traveled inner island roads/trails). Cost is around $30 for a year use and offering discounts on camping and other special uses.

After jutting around several side streets, it was all UP! Leaving Avalon toward the inner island is nothing but pure elevation gain. After 1.5 miles, there is a junction, gate and zip-line entrance. Traffic almost ceases beyond the gate (permit needed) as we continued our upward trend, stopping at several overlooks for photo-ops. A few Eco-Tour vans passed as we finally made it to the top overlook, 4 miles later.

This MW tower looms over all of Catalina Island

Gate with crawl-thru hole awaited, as I opted to half-ride around the fence on a little trail. Dave & Mac passed their bikes thru, as John took the side path around. Soft sand as we started our gravel ride up to the tower. This MW tower can be seen from most of the island, so we figured we were at the top and nothing left now but downhill. Wrong again! Divide Road was in good shape as we followed the up and down rollers and soon passed a 2-man crew putting the roof on a small roadside pit-toilet. Good idea for hikers and bikers up here.

We wanted to go left, but had to go climbing right instead

Junction ahead with sign. Left was downhill ( I believe to the Botanical Gardens ), No Bikes! RIGHT was uphill and said "Avalon-6 miles". Only 6 miles? No problemo we thought as we started more climbing. Dave with his triple chain-ring and me with 10-42 cassette driven by a 30T ring up front had enough gears for this one. Mac had cross-gearing on his Ibis and even John with his gravel bike had traction slippage. A little HIB encountered on the 17% section and with a few rocks thrown in made for a tough climb. When finally reaching the "top", time for some photos & deep breathing.

Mac & John find it hard to restart on steep gravel slopes!

A few miles of gravel downhill weren't the easiest with scattered rocks and loose stuff. Dave tipped over after sliding in loose gravel and had a few scratches. A long time later, we reached the gate and smooth riding again on the tourist looped Wiggly Road. A few marked photo overlook stops for views of the harbor before we looped down and were back near the water again. Time for lunch.

Dave hit a small roadside shop straight away. Mac and John rode around and found a deli across from "Von's Express" store. We ended up sitting dockside in the shade gulping our overpriced colas from a nearby machine. Later on, I suggested a short ride around Lover's Cove to check things out. On the wind aided ride back, we could see our return Ferry coming into Avalon Bay. Line-up time.

Leaving Catalina Island, John reflects on a good day.

Deploying the same "last on, first off" theory, we waited for the return crowd to clear before boarding. Soon we were departing the now sun-drenched island for Dana Point. Thirty minutes out, we were all relaxing and enjoying the hum of the engines. Smooth passage all the way back, arriving at 3:15 to partly cloudy skies and warm temps. After a bathroom break and water refill we were off to San Clemente.

Mac & I decided to jump the Metro to Oceanside. John rode with Dave via the busy I-5 down toward Carlsbad, where they parted company as John rode home and Dave went back to San Marcos. With all the hub-bub stuff in Oceanside, I split with Mac as he rode south to Solana Beach and I took the SLRBike Path back to San Marcos, arriving well before dark.

With the early start, ferry ride and unique cycling on the island, this day was a good one. More adventures to come.

Full Ride Video

- randorides