Day 30: Leo Carrillo Campground to Long Beach Hilton. 63.4 miles

For the last three days I had been trying to figure out where I was going to sleep in Los Angeles.  The city and its suburbs are so large it takes two days to ride through it.  There are no campgrounds and hotels can be very expensive.  Fortunately last night my sister saved the day!  She got me and Hank a room at the Long Beach Hilton for the night.  I was super relieved to find a place, especially one with a real bed and showers!

Knowing that we had a 60 mile ride in the morning Hank and I went to bed early last night so we could get up early and hit the road.  We wanted to get through the city as quickly as possible before the heat got really bad.  We got up around 6 am, had breakfast, packed up camp, and were on the road by 7:45.

Right away Hank and I could tell it was going to be a great day for riding.  We had a tail wind, the road was mostly flat, and we were flying!  Before I knew it I looked down and we had done 20 miles in the first hour and a half!  Shortly after noticing that Hank and I came up to a side of the road parking lot type of thing where there were a group of about 10 or 12 guys on the side of the road eating breakfast burritos and watching the waves crash on the beach.  Hank and I were on somewhat of a hill so we were going slowly enough that I could say good morning to the guys as we rode by.  One of them asked how far I was going and I yelled "Mexican Border."  They all cheered and wished me well.  Then the coolest thing ever happened!  About 10 miles or so down the road I'm passing through a long row of cars stopped in traffic and I see the van load of guys again.  This time they are holding a foil wrapped breakfast burrito out the van window for me to grab on my way by!  I grabbed it and slowed down enough to say thank you.  It was so cool!  They cheered for me and went on their way.  A short while later I stopped and ate the burrito.  It was awesome!

 Of course Hank had to have his picture taken...again...he remembers the days of modelling on the REI showroom floor I think.

       Today most of our riding was on the best bike path ever!  For around 35 of the 60 miles today it was like the path in this video I shot...

https://youtu.be/ZdP1-E48LB4

One of the beaches we went through was Venice Beach.  It is beautiful and there are a lot of shops selling California souvenirs. We didn't buy anything because Hank didn't want to have to carry more than he already is.  Her is a picture of Venice...

 
We rode for miles and miles on the awesome beach bike path with a tail wind.  I rode with a local guy for a few miles.  He was very cool.  We talked about bike touring and the local bike scene.  He gave me some good tips on where to get a good burger along the way.  He also told me he was cycling last week and got rear ended by a car.  It must have messed up his bike because today he was riding a REALLY nice bike that I could only dream of owning.  Hank really wanted to get to know this other bike, but we had to be on our way.  At the end of the beach bike path we had to get off and go into the city for the last 15 miles of our day.  I shot this picture before we hit the city streets...

I did't stop to take any pictures while we were riding the city streets.  It was very hot and very bumpy.  Hank is so tough!  I am so proud of him for doing so well with all of the bumps and jolts along the way.  Here he is in front of the fountain outside our hotel...

we were both excited to get to the hotel and start resting, doing laundry, showering, and eating.  Here is the view from the 9th floor.  Hank was a little scared at first, but I helped him calm down.  You can see the hazy smoke in the distance from the wildfires.

Here is the sunset tonight.  It was gorgeous!

Only three more riding days and two more camping nights before the border!!
Time for rest!
Miss you all!