Life is hectic for most people. Furthermore, with the emergence of digital technology, life is exponentially increasing in demands for the average person's day. How often do you find yourself 'surfing' the internet aimlessly from topic to topic on any type of electronic device (iPhone, iPad, PC, laptop, etc.)?? Probably more often than you would like to admit. That is why events such as last week's vacation -- even for a couple of days is critical to our health and well-being. We (my wife and I) got a chance to escape the 'hold' of our devices and rely solely on a bicycle, tent, and a train for transportation and housing. What an adventure that was....I thought that I would share the experience with you briefly. Below are the highlights of the trip.
Doheny State Beach
Dana Point, CA
First, the ability to 'disconnect' from a device -- whether that be your laptop, iPhone, iPad, etc.-- is critical for a short time to enjoy the simpler aspects of life. Or should I say, to enjoy the fundamental aspects of life. The damage that these various devices are doing to our lives is questionable. Some parties feel like there are benefits to using such devices and others feel (studies have shown) that there are disadvantages to using the devices too frequently (device addiction, sleep disorders, addiction, FOMO -- Fear Of Missing Out). Here is a webpage on this site that I made a couple of days ago to serve as a spring board of references. I understand that the choices of references might be incomplete. Which is alright, since I am (along with my wife) a work in progress. Our aim is to present literature and distill down the facts using science.
If you have been a reader of this blog, or a visitor of the site (infrequently), you may have read that the a few members (Mike and Kayla) of Kaiserwellnesscenter have started advocating for greater storage space on board the Metrolink trains in Southern California. In fact, that advocacy is moving along super well and we are happy with the progress thus far. We have been riding our bicycles all around the Southern California region for either day rides or with a hotel component. Recently, we have upped our game to include a 'camping component'.
Up until this camping/biking/train trip, we have been riding one way and then catching a train to return home (or vice versa). In the past, we would either ride our bicycles starting in Glendale to a destination with a range of (20-70 miles away) and then catch the Metrolink train back or vice versa (take the train out and ride a bicycle back). These trips were super exciting. Although, one draw back of the Metrolink train system is the limited hours on the weekends along with the weekdays. Therefore, we decided to take the train down near the beach and camp a few days and then return by train. This was a great decision -- one that we will be replicating in the future. In fact, we are planning to start taking groups of people camping in the future (stay tuned -- and check your to make sure that your camping gear is up to date and ready to join us).
At this point, you might be asking yourself the following question: How does a person go about camping by bicycle and train?
If you are wondering this, then keep reading. If you are not wondering this but like reading, then keep reading. Below is a description along with a few pictures.
Here is how: 1) Plan your trip, 2) Pack in advance, and 3) Believe in yourself -- have fun!!!
(1) Plan your trip:
Packing list:
The first step in preparation for your camping trip with a bicycle and/or train is to study up. Depending on the person (how compulsive you are) the study time varies -- reading online and consulting other riders (who have camped). There are a number of websites with a tremendous amount of advice on bike touring.
Here is a great source from a Southern California resident who has experience: Johnny Lam of Milestone Rides. He has a great website which is creative and informative. He shares his bicycle adventures and discusses lessons learned from each trip. Additionally, he has information on gear and gadgets he uses on his site. Definitely check out his site before going bike touring. Also, there are videos on 'Youtube' that show examples of packing for bicycle camping (example 1, example, 2, and example 3). I will let you explore the world wide web yourself.
In order to decide what to pack ultimately, you have to understand where you will be camping at. Location will define the final list of items that will go into the panniers on the bicycle. For our trip, we chose to start off easy with a trip to Doheny State Beach in Dana Point. There are two reasons for this choice: 1) Metrolink Station (within 4 miles) and 2) Restaurants (frequency in location). Since we were taking our dog (Edna Jo), we decided that we would eat at local restaurants for the first camping trip (w/ bicycle and train). The final list of supplies managed to fill 2 panniers on my bicycle (since I had a front basket with Edna Jo) and 4 panniers (2 front - small and 2 rear - large) for Kayla's bicycle.
Reserving a camp site:
Next, we made our reservations for the camp site. Keep in mind that locations that are super popular (near the beach) or have great weather fill up quickly. Be sure to check when the season of reservations open (which can vary up to 6-12 months in advance). We used the website 'ReserveAmerica'. Below is a snap-shot of the webpage for Doheny Beach:
Here is the layout of the Doheny State Beach Camp ground shown below:
www.reserveamerica.com
We stayed in campsite number 48 which is near the water -- across the street. The camp site turned out to be great. Sites vary in price with location (tent camping vs. trailer camping). The site accommodates up to 8 people. For $35 dollars, potentially with 8 people, each person would pay just over $4 each/night. Super cheap -- considering waking up to the sound of the ocean. We were literally around 50 yards from the water.
Check the train schedules:
Metrolink is a great way to travel around Southern California. We are true believer of this statement and as a result are advocating for greater 'on board' bicycle storage (i.e., a bikecar) on each line. With that being said, there is always rooms for improvement. Improvement needs to happen on both ends: on one hand -- metrolink needs to change current infrastructure (frequency, consistency, etc.), while, on the other hand -- the public needs to participate in using the train (increase ridership -- which changes the demand). More about this a little later.
When using public transportation, a careful inspection of the Metrolink train schedule is HIGHLY SUGGESTED!!!! Train schedules vary widely in times depending on direction. I emphasize the point of checking the schedule in advance for two reasons: 1) Arriving too early before check-in and 2) Missing the last train home.
Metrolink is a commuter based train system. The train schedule and routes are designed for commuters getting to Los Angeles Union Station on a daily basis. Therefore, you should not be surprised to see that there is only ONE train leaving LA Union Station to Oceanside (Orange County Line) in the morning. The outbound schedule for Monday-Friday is shown below:
At first glance, there would appear to be a bunch of trains during the day. Although, upon a closer inspection, only one leaves LA Union station that reaches down to San Juan Capistrano. There are two trains in the afternoon and evening. These five options are highlighted below:
Similarly, if you are traveling into LA Union Station, their are limited trains. The Monday-Friday inbound schedule is shown below:
And last but not least, Metrolink trains have weekend schedules that are different from the weekday schedules. Note: some lines (like Ventura County Line) do not run on the weekend. Others have limited running times. This is a warning -- not to scare you -- but to assist you in scheduling your vacation. Shown below are the schedules for Saturday & Sunday for the Orange County Line:
I think that I have driven the point home of checking the schedules of the Metrolink train. Part of our advocacy at Bikecar101 is to elevate the use of the train with bicycles. This depends upon the consistency of the train. Over the next few years, we would like to see ridership increase which would increase demand for more trains going both directions. This change in schedule would change the image of Metrolink from a strictly 'commuter' train system to an 'all encompassing' adventure -- for business and pleasure. Lets make this happen!
Educating the public on the reach and benefits of the Metrolink system is the first step in realizing a change in image. Components of 'education' include: leading rides, writing blogs, advertising on social media. Of course, the education will take the effort of all bicycle coalitions and supporters of bicycle touring along with people interested in using more active modes of transportation.
2) Pack in advance:
Sorry for the tangent on riding the train. Once you have the schedule down, the packing begins. As discussed above, the packing list is defined ultimately by your destination. For us, Doheny beach had a weather forecast of cold at night and barely warm during the day. Even our dog -- Edna Jo -- needed to pack a sweater (which she would normally never agree to wear) with exception. Here is a picture of her below in the tent:
She does have eyes -- we were just messing with her at the moment in the picture. You might be asking, how did you get from the Metrolink station in San Juan Capistrano to the camp ground in Doheny beach?
With a happy riders:
Edna Jo got 'Press' on Facebook -- she is thankful to Metrolink!
Well, here is an image of the google map of the ride shown below:
Part of the choice to try this camp site out first was both the proximity (< 4 miles) from the Metrolink station along with the amount of restaurants nearby. The San Juan Creek bicycle trail dumped us literally right into the Doheny State Beach park -- which was super cool. No roads to deal with on our ride from the station to the camp ground. This is a great place to practice camping for just one night. There are plenty of hotels around -- just in case your plans fall through or 'go south.'
As I mentioned, we did arrive early in the morning -- around 10 am. This would not have been an issue had we not had all of our panniers and dog carrier to lug around all day. In the future, we will catch the first train in the afternoon -- seeing that check in is not available til 2 pm (1400 military time). Keep this in mind.
Of course, we just hung out around the beach until check in time. We were super happy to settle in by the time that check in rolled around. We brought tents and pillows along with sleeping bags. We did not have firewood. But wood is available for purchase from the 'camp hosts' -- people who stay for lengthy stays and watch the camp site for a reduced fee on their stay (3 months at a time). The cost for a bundle of wood is around $7 depending on the camp site (Doheny might be different than say Leo Carillo -- up near Malibu).
3) Believe in yourself -- Have Fun:
Once we set up tent, the real relaxation began. Here is a picture of our camp site:
As you can see, the set up is rather simple. Remember to bring a lock to secure your bicycles to the 'Picnic table.' The relaxation began with walks along the beach. Here is Kayla and Edna Jo below:
We stayed a total of two nights which was enough for the first experience with our dog. Afterwards, the reverse (as described above) was done to get back home. Here are a couple of pictures waiting at the San Juan Capistrano Metrolink Station:
and all of us huddled together....
The lack of pictures in between is reflective of our desire to 'disconnect' from all of our devices. That act in of itself was transformative, therapeutic, and a much needed phase to 'reset' for the year. In this year, we are actually planning a couple of trips (bicycle, camping, and train). We might have extra space at our site for those interested. We will keep you informed. I will leave you with this concluding thought...
It is our belief that every person deserves to be happy and feel great in life. Part of that requires work on all of our parts. Each of us need to look within ourselves and ask "How can I elevate my health and wellness?" For Kayla and I, we have found that bicycle commuting and bicycle touring have been a great source of reduction of stress in our lives. This has had a very positive effect on our health and wellness along with our relationship. Additionally, taking the first step and trying out vacations that challenge you are a good source of removing stress from your life that is not important. In a future post, I will elaborate on the last sentence.
For now, Happy New Year!