Friday, April 23, 2010

Seal Beach to Dana Point

We continued the tour of the SoCal beaches today. After having a normal breakfast, I took off at 8:40 with several of my cohorts. Soon, Deborah and I pulled away going at a slightly faster pace. The weather was sunny and a little warmer than the day before. We rode on bicycle paths when they were available on on mostly quiet streets when they weren’t. The sand on the paths was gone so we could set a steady pace.

IMGP0162 We passed Huntington Beach where I got a photo of the pier. Then it was on to Newport Beach and all of its cramped beachside houses. The Balboa Pier was next where we stopped and I had coffee and and a cinnamon roll. We made a short loop here to view the Wedge – a famous surfing spot. IMGP0167 Surf must not have been up because we saw no surfer dudes. Then it was on to Balboa Island via a ferry from Palm Street. We rode through the island, crossed “The PCH” and rode an optional loop around Upper Newport Bay. We probably rode close to Hoby and Alanna’s house but I was reluctant to stop and interrupt the routine with their new baby. At the end of this loop, we bought a sandwich at a grocery store in Newport Dunes, a fancy RV park.

Back to the beaches, we passed some of my old college haunts – Corona Del Mar and Laguna Beach. (The house below is the colonel’s childhood home on Oak Street).

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From Laguna Beach, we powered our way into Dana Point and the Dana Point Marina Inn. We check into our rooms and moved our luggage into them. Then we took off to San Juan Capistrano and explored its historic district. We didn’t go into the mission or see many swallows. I got back to the hotel at 4:00. Deborah decided to ride a little farther to reach 100km for the day.

Here is a link to my route today.

I had dinner with Kathy and Chip at the Harbor Grill. I had a dinner salad and fresh seafood brochette. Chip forced Kathy and me to share a mud pie.

It’s now after 9:00. I finished my last book so I might try reading one with Kindle software on my netbook.

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