^there are 6 spots for bicycles in the northernmost car. usually not an issue for a lack of bike space on a sunday unless there’s a bicycle-related event and nothing’s coming to mind in december. amtrak has an app but it won’t let you book a trip with a bicycle. to do it, you’ve got to go old school and go on their website. irvine is the closest train station to newport beach and then it’s a flat 10 mile ride back to the john wayne airport area.
the newport beach to san diego coastal ride is a must and approx a hundred miles. taking off early from newport beach would find you easily past the worst/tightest traffic (laguna beach>monarch bay) along pacific coast highway (pch) and missing the busiest times after 10am.
a significant issue riding to/from san diego (county) along the coast involves the camp pendleton marine corps base. unless you have appropriate military clearance or the civilian id (free of charge and takes about 10 mins but is issued on the southern/san diego end of the base), you won’t be able to ride through the base. instead, you’ll have to ride southbound in the 5 freeway for approx 8 miles. wide shoulder but obviously high speed traffic directly adjacent. the good news about the freeway stretch is that there’s usually a solid tailwind heading north to south and that there is a scenic view point turnout and also a large rest stop if you want to take a break and decompress. if you decide to do the freeway section, there’s no other off ramps if you change your mind so it’s an all or nothing proposition. if you’re the kind of rider that’s okay (when necessary) with riding in traffic and along busy streets, you’ll be fine. if you’re the type of rider that only rides mups/bike paths and avoids traffic as much as possible, it’s not recommended.
Last edited by diphthong; 11-30-19 at 03:20 PM.