calamarichris

Am taking my beloved credit-card touring Schwinn on the train next week to Paso Robles and riding back down to Home-Sweet-Carlsbad and requesting route guidance.
I've done the trip from Santa Barbara, twice, have ridden around SLO & Paso, and have done many motorcycle trips all over (and know that 154 from Solvang to Santa Barbara is not an option), but my knowledge of the bicycling roads around Santa Maria is a little stale. Might have enough time to take an occasional side-trip (maybe to Jalama?) so peripheral side route suggestions appreciated too.

Any suggestions? Ideas? Must-sees?

And if anyone wants to meet up for a ride or refreshment along the way, it's always fun fleshing out the pixel-skeletons in here. I'll be the big goon in my usual La Vie Claire LeMondrian jerseys most of the way and riding this big white Schwinn.

skidder

I did SLO to Huntington Beach in the fall of 2017, fun trip.

I take it you're using the Coast Starlight to get to Paso Robles, not the Surfliner? The Surfliner only goes to SLO. With the Coast Starlight you have to change trains at Union Station in L.A. One daily Surfliner that goes through to SLO, I got on in Anaheim and got to SLO about 4PM; nice ride.

I went from SLO to Avial Beach/Pismo Beach on a road that paralleled the 101. Either town is nice for a 'brunch' stop if you're not into breakfast before heading out in the morning. From there I just followed Hwy 1 south to Guadalupe, from where you can turn to go into Santa Maria or continue south. If you go into Santa Maria you can pick up Hwy 135, go south, and eventually it'll merge back into Hwy 1 (the combo road is 135).

Keep going south and you'll eventually get to the 135/1 split; the '1' goes towards the entrance to Vandenburg, turns south and goes to Lompoc. Going south on the 135 you can pick up Hills Road(?) and take that into Lompoc. Both roads have some hill climbing. The road to Vandenburg is heavily traveled with cars (I've driven it before), while Hills Road is a scenic 'country road' with little traffic and only a small shoulder lane; the regular SFO-to-LA tour route suggests Hills Road due to less traffic, and that's the way I went. The Hills Road turn off of the 135 is about 4 miles south of the 135/'1' junction.

From Lompoc I just took HWY 1 south (hilly as you exit Lompoc, but traffic was light), eventually it hooks back up to the 101, and you ride the shoulder on there until Santa Barbara - you choose where you want to get off of the 101.

skidder

Question for you - how did you get from the South Bay area to the L.A. River bike trail? I went to the south end of the South Bay beach bike trail in Torrance, took Palo Verde drive east (I skipped the Palo Verde Drive loop), then a harrowing 4-mile ride on Anaheim Blvd through the L.A./Long Beach port. Damn,, that's some nasty riding! If I do it again I'll probably take the Google Maps suggestion and use Torrance Blvd over through Carson to the L.A. River.

calamarichris

Even a beauty pageant winner has a spot that has to be wiped after going poo. If there is a pleasant (or even slightly less unpleasant) route from the Korean Friendship Bell to the Queen Mary, I haven't found it yet. Just have to grind through it and try not to inhale too much of Snn Pedro's (aka the Texas of California) toxic blend of diesel, paint-booth, petroleum refinery, ammonia and tar fumes.




Last time we were cruising the terrible bike lane in SP, it abruptly ended.

Chinghis

If you're a W.C. Fields fan, around Lompoc you will want to take the Harris Grade Road. It was featured in his 1940 movie, The Bank Dick (which I will confess to not having seen). This was the route suggested in one of the Pacific Coast route books. I did this a very long time ago, but refreshing my memory with a map, it's after the 135/1 split referred to above. When I rode it, there was a plane spotter looking down on Vandenberg. I've always figured he was a Russian spy of some sort.

nesdog

I think Wildflower in Atascadero/Paso is next weekend. Might impact ability to find a room.

stevepusser

154 over the San Marcos Pass can be avoided by climbing up the old Stagecoach Rd from the east end of Cachuma to the summit, then riding a short distance on the summit on 154 (has shoulder here) to Old San Marcos Pass Rd, which you can then descend steeply into Santa Barbara.

bikingshearer 

I don't live in the area and have not done a ton of riding there. My wife's brother and family live in Lompoc, however (Vandenberg Village area, north and up a short hill on Hwy 1 from downtown), so I have ridden two of the roads mentioned here.

First, Jalama Road. I've only ridden it one way to the beach and met up with family there; my thoughts about the ride back from the beach are based on seeing it from a car. It would be a nice out-and-back detour for you, starting from Hwy 1 a little south of town. First half will be up, second half down in both directions. The return climb is harder than the outbound climb. My recollection says there are cattle guards on the way down to the Pacific, but my memory could be playing tricks on me. There is a developed beach at the end of the road, so you will have bathrooms for sure and I think also water and refreshments of the burger-and-hot dog variety.

Second, Harris Grade. I've ridden that west to east (away from Lompoc), and it is a moderate climb followed by a nice descent into farm country. Riding from there to Los Alamos puts you in a good position to take some pretty roads to Los Olivos and Solvang. From there, you can go over San Marcos Pass to Santa Barbara using the info above. There is also a lovely road called Alisal Road that goes from downtown Solvang south to 101 that goes by Nojoqui Falls Park (I think it is a county park). If the falls are still going, it is well worth taking the shortish walk to them from the end of the parking area. The walk is half a mile or so each way, and it should be easily doable with your bike and in your SPDs; the main part of the park it is a nice, pleasant place to have lunch, assuming you brought it with you. Continuing on that Alisal Road brings you to a T-intersection with the old Hwy 101 - turn right to get the where that intersects with current Hwy 101 at a place you can cross (carefully - it's a grade-level intersection, not an overpass). This puts you on 101 a little bit north of where Hwy 1 comes in from Lompoc , so you'd then have the highway/freeway shoulder to ride to Goleta/UC Santa Barbara.

Another possibility that I have not ridden or seen (but the Google Maps photos look wonderful) is to leave Santa Maria eastbound on Betaravia Road (unpleasantly busy between Hwy 135 and Hwy 101) and continue on. It becomes Foxen Canyon Road, and that looks like a great road to ride. Foxen Canyon and Zaca Station roads eventually split, but they sort-of parallel and you can get to Los Olivos on either one (I'd take Foxen Canyon myself, because it looks to stay less busy longer - Zaca means you have to be on busier Hwy 154 for a bit. You can then ride east on Hwy 154 to San Marcos Pass or head south to Solvang and Alisal Road. Decision, decisions.

Okay, that's it. Other than that, I've got nothing. Have a great trip.

diphthong

i guess it depends on if you feel like doing the obvious choice of the coastal route, a modified inland/coastal route or straight outta coastal and entirely inland until the oc.
i think your window falls before the heavy coastal fog of early may> mid june so coastal is probably best. pretty tried and true. depending on what time the train
drops you off in paso, you can take either hwy 46 or 41 to the coast. hwy 46 is preferred for the epic views (even with an interminable westward climb) on the descent
but either works well and it's relatively easy with the perennial tailwind to lodge in cayucos or morro bay or slo or even old downtown arroyo grande with its' super cute
boutiques and restos east of the 101. slo has the most going on for lodging and grub/grog tho. not much to do in santa maria other than ride through it (if you need bike repair)
or preferably around it on hwy 1. hwy 1 to the 135 then to the harris grade (signed) turnoff and 3+ mile climb and roughly equal descent to lompoc is fairly scenic but no
support for approx 15 miles. if you find yourself double-parked in the hamlet of orcutt near the hwy 1/hwy135 intersection, there's this:

https://farwesterntavern.com/

may just be the nicest place in a 50 mile radius. closed mondays. a dynamite $58 white burgundy from 2010 on the current wine list.

roll through dtown lompoc and stay or fortify then right on hwy 1 for that gorgeous 18+ mile stretch w/o supplies to the 101. the jalama beach rd is along this but will
add roughly 28 miles to your journey and you'll burn all the calories you inhaled from the famous beach burger(s) just reaching hwy 1 again. worthy but tough to justify
unless you're camping there or at gaviota, refugio or el capitan state beach or riding (back) to lompoc. cabins at jalama state beach but otherwise no hotel/motel lodging
around until you hit goleta 3-4 hrs of riding later. you know the way from santa barbara. i do like the little ciderworks in carpinteria as a stop:

The Apiary

inland options include:

taking a few of the wildflower century roads like bitterwater rd to hwy 229 to hwy 58 (some big rig traffic but fairly scenic) all the way to hwy 33 to maricopa, then up and over,
following hwy 33 all the way into ojai, and rejoining the coastal route in ventura. hwy 33 from maricopa south to ojai is approx 40 miles w/o support and two decent climbs.

taking a few of the wildflower century roads like bitterwater rd to hwy 229 to hwy 58, then dropping into the carrizo plain national monument via soda lake rd. the monument
is roughly 40 miles long west > east. i wouldn't recommend this route unless you're rocking at least 28's and even then, you'll find stretches to walk. total desolation tho. soda lake rd
eventually runs into ca hwy 33. don't plan on supplies or water once entering or exiting the cpnm, especially on the east end unless you descend into maricopa. nothing along the 33 from maricopa
until you hit ojai proper-a loong stretch.

either of the above options and then making a left onto hudson valley rd which eventually (after many ramps and climbs) makes its way to frazier park and the 5 fwy corridor. the old ridge route (28's recommended)
south into santa clarita then angling over towards the la river trail into long beach is another possible route but another low support route until santa clarita.

knowing all this..i'd probably hit the coast during this particular time stretch, in your shoes. you have better control over your pace along the coastal route vs inland as there are no giant impediments
and there's more support along this route.

diphthong

this is the best route:

https://www.strava.com/activities/2261043311

once in san pedro waterfront, john s gibson blvd then right on w harry bridges blvd (turns into alameda st) to anaheim blvd then just a few short miles into long beach. this route avoids the skinny/worst parts of anaheim st. but regrettable does nothing to reduce the
road detritus/debris along the route. there are bike lanes but also a few watch out railroad crossings. still...it's the best and shortest interface route thru with a few bridge/overpass ascents. you do not want to take torrance st/carson st. as an alternate route which is even worse imho. less big rigs and road debris but narrower streets and heavier traffic with more intersections and driveways. i'll take anaheim via gibson/ridges/alameda every time. dtown/old torrance is quaint but not worth ditching the coastal palos verdes peninsula route into the point fermin part of san pedro.

2seven0

Confirming the good condition & fun descent of Harris Grade Road- wife & I rode it as part of the Solvang Tour last month. Stay away from Drum Canyon farther east though the pavement is crap. Turned what would have been a really fun descent into a bumpfest. Not dangerous, just unpleasant. We both made it ok no flats or close calls. Would make a great trial-by-fire for someone's new Roubaix though!
Also rode Santa Rosa Road which runs between Hwy 1 just south of Lompoc& the 101 just south of Buellton. Road is in good to ok shape without any bad spots. Very scenic wine country & scant traffic.
Have fun!
West

skidder

This isn't a 'scenic' option, but might be interesting none-the-less. When you first get into Ventura take a ride up the bicycle/recreation trail that runs parallel to Hwy 33 (the road up to Ojai). The area just north of Ventura got burned in the Thomas Fire in late 2017, and the fire burned right across the trail as it marched toward Santa Barbara. It would be interesting to take a 5-10 mile detour up it (maybe up to Foster's Regional Park about 10 miles in) to see how the area is recovering from the burn. You can find the start of the trail on Google Maps by zooming into the 101/33 intersection, then moving inland a little - it starts on the east side of the '33'.

Heck, I might take a long weekend and do an Amtrak shuttle ride from Santa Barbara (or Ventura) back here to O.C. as an excuse to check it out.

And an update to my post #2 above - its not Hills Road, but Harris Grade Road as someone above correctly mentioned. Cheers.

diphthong

^done the entire length of both the "bike path" and hwy 33 between ventura and ojai each way. am i the only one that prefers hwy 33?
i find the bike path nice/convenient but overly bumpy in quite a few places + the interface with walkers/joggers/doggies leaves me a little
meh.

TrojanHorse

I rode from SLO back to Whittier in October... credit card style. Great trip! @tunavic joined me. My daughter will be at SLO for hopefully no more than the next 3 years, so I predict this will be an annual trip for me... really fun. Here's the route, in case it differs from anything you've already done

Day 1 from SLO to Lompoc - https://www.strava.com/activities/1919980915 (short because we started at 1 when the bus got to SLO)
Day 2 - Lompoc to Ventura - https://www.strava.com/activities/1921862416
Day 3 - Ventura to PV - https://www.strava.com/activities/1923764866
Day 4 - PV back to Whittier - https://www.strava.com/activities/1925451401

I loved the route on Day 1
Day 2 was awesome until Solvang and then the preferred route was closed (refugio pass) and we didn't think we had sufficient time to go down the 101, so we went up the 154. Just don't, that sucked.
PCH is great until you get to Malibu, which I am sure you are well aware of...

We made sure to check out the missile park and the korean friendship bell based on your past tour reports. Thumbs up! Ate at a Lebanese joint called Open Sesame in Belmont shores, very excellent. And you're right - getting from PV to Long Beach really isn't fun.

Nachoman

I usually go 'up' the bike path and 'down' hwy 33.

skidder

Good info, might use that next time if I do the P.V. loop. If you don't want to do the Palos Verdes loop, North P.V. Drive through Torrance/northern Palo Verde is pretty nice alternative; the streets are wide enough to include painted bike lanes almost all the way to the Harbor Gateway Park area, after which it turns into Anaheim Blvd with its debris-filled rough roads for 4 miles.

diphthong

^exiting the palos verdes peninsula via pv drive south, the road turns into 25th once entering san pedro (or technically los angeles). you used to be able to hang a
right on s. western and drop down to paseo del mar along the coast. you still can (and it's preferred) but the road is closed because of a massive sinkhole a few years back.
there is a quick workaround tho. at the road closure, hang a left into the white point preserve. there is a use trail that has sprung up around the protective/boundary fence that's
wide enough for roadies to ride. it's about a third of a mile then you're back on paseo del mar heading towards the korean bell/angel's gate park/fort mac arthur and point fermin.
paseo del mar turns into shepard st, then bluff place as it curves towards the harbor. bluff place runs into s. pacific dr which runs parallel to gaffey and is wider/has less traffic
as it heads north past the los angeles air force base. hang a right on west 22nd st. and drop down towards the recognizable harbor along harbor st. the scenery doesn't end until you pass beneath
the vincent thomas bridge and hook up with the john s. gibson route through wilmington.

sounds complicated but only the roadless part through the preserve to bypass the sinkhole requires actually paying attention. the rest is pretty easy just following your eyes as you stay as close
to the coast as possible.