April 1

Today got off to a ceremonial start with Susan taking my picture at the Santa Monica Pier, where the ride began. A lot of my preparations got left to the last minute due to my sister Mary's funeral (see Prelude), so I got a later start than planned. Originally, I intended to do the ceremonial stuff at the pier yesterday, March 31. I would then ride the 12 miles from Santa Monica to our house — which is about a half mile from the designated route that I'm following.  I would have then returned to the route today and headed east to Fontana (with 12 miles less to ride).  That didn't work out, but at least I could start today.

After Susan took the picture below, an Australian couple on vacation with their two children stopped to ask what we were doing. When Susan told them, the woman said she would friend me on Facebook so she could follow my adventure.

I rolled away from the pier at about 9:30 a.m.

With Mary's passing, I also hadn't had a chance to take my bike for a test ride after I got it back from the bike shop. As I was riding through Santa Monica and West L.A., I could tell my gear shifting needed some adjustment. I was going to make a quick stop at Golden Saddle Cyclery anyway — it's where I bought my bike and got help with preparing for the ride —  so I would just ask the guys to make a few tweaks.  Golden Saddle is a cool shop. It's always busy with cyclists hanging out and milling about. When I pulled up to the front door of the shop, which is a half-block off the route, one of the guys exclaimed, "Hey! Is today the big day for your coast-to-coast ride?"  All heads turned. After pictures and lots of well-wishes from the staff and customers, I got back on the road at about noon.

Man, was I behind schedule!

Getting through Los Angeles and the suburbs to the east, in the San Gabriel Valley, proved frustrating. I spent most of the day starting and stopping at stoplights — which requires a bit more effort with a loaded touring bike. I never was able to get into the meditative rhythm I love so much. I enjoyed riding through the cities of Arcadia, Monrovia, Duarte, Azusa, Glendora, San Dimas, La Verne, Claremont, Upland and Rancho Cucamonga. It was the first time I had seen them up close. I was surprised to see all their tree-lined streets and beautiful parks. Things you don't see from the freeway.

The last section of my ride was on the Pacific Electric Bike Trail, a beautifully designed and maintained path that runs through the communities mentioned above. The only knock on the trail is that it crosses so many busy streets. You do a lot of stopping, pushing the walk button, waiting for the light to change and then starting up again.

As a result of my late start and slower pace, I arrived at my kitschy destination — the Wigwam Motel in Fontana — just after sunset, at about 7:30 p.m.   I rode 82 miles.  I wanted to stay at the Wigwam because I thought it would be a great way to start my ride, which is following the route of the old Route 66 — now a designated national bike route.  

The guy behind the front desk, who checked me in, asked where I was traveling. When I told him, his eyes lit up and he gave me a fist bump. He then told me he was registering for a pass to walk the Appalachian Trail. "Or maybe I'll just walk coast-to-coast," he said. He then comped me the two cans of Coke I had pulled out of the refrigerator in the lobby.

After getting into my teepee and cleaning up, I walked across the street to a strip mall that had three Mexican restaurants. From the one that looked best I got a taco plate and two bean-and-cheese burritos. I devoured the tacos and one of the burritos. The second burrito would be breakfast the next day.

Despite some of the frustrations of metropolitan Los Angeles traffic, it was a great day. I'm excited to be on my way.

Contact me: Thoughts or comments? Email me at richardridesusa@gmail.com.

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