Last Overnighter Of The Year-Topanga Canyon

Bruce and I were able to squeeze in one more trip this year. I had originally planned on a crazy epic ride, but changed my mind and opted for something shorter. Our plan was to make it to Leo Carillo in Malibu, but instead we camped in Topanga Canyon again. Bruce was trying out a new packing system utilizing the Salsa Anything Cages on his Rivendell Bleriot. I think it worked out a little better, but he still has some refining to do. My setup worked out pretty good. I still need to lighten up the backpack to shed some weight, but I’m getting there.

We opted to meet at in the valley and then ride up Sepulveda to Mulholland. I took the river path and enjoyed the views of the freshly cleaned river bed.

Bruce has a friend that lives just south of where the dirt starts on Mulholland, so we stopped by his house to visit for a bit. He has an amazing view of the valley. With the clear air we could see the mountains on the far end.

Once on the dirt I felt great. The road was mostly dry, but the ruts were still somewhat soft. I should’ve stopped to take some pics but I was just enjoying the ride. There were still some muddy spots but we made it through everything unscathed. Once down in Topanga Canyon we had lunch at the Inn of the Seventh Ray. A very fancy spot that Bruce suggested. It was very good, but I felt underdressed in our cycling gear. Luckily the place was empty so they let us bring our bikes onto the patio. I had my first ever Buffalo Burger, which was pretty good. After lunch we stopped by the market and I shoved two bottles of Guinness in my backpack and we climbed back up to the campground.

It was a pretty cold night and once the sun went down we both decided to climb into our bags. It was only 6:30 though and so I wasn’t quite ready for bed. I wasn’t tired yet and laid there wide awake for a while. I thought about the rides I’d done, and the challenge of this coming year. That kept me up and made things worse. After some time I must’ve worried enough to sleep. Next time I’ll make sure I’m more tired before I climb into bed.

For breakfast Bruce made a Chicken Teriyaki meal. I’m not one to pass up a free meal so I enjoyed a bowl too. It was actually pretty good so I think I’ll add it to my list for next time.

Before long we were loaded up and ready to head home. I was able to strike my camp a little faster this time. I’m starting to work out a system for packing. This was really helpful as I was able to find everything quickly on this trip.

Here’s a shot of Bruce’s Rivendell Bleriot with the Salsa Anything Cages.

We rode PCH back down the coast to Santa Monica. We headed to the Library Alehouse were they were having a fundraiser for the Los Angeles County Bike Coalition. Along the way I spotted this Baywatch Boat. It brought back memories of a golden time in television.

Here are the stats. I’m not going to be able to complete the Rapha Festive 500. Damn holidays got in the way of the riding. I’ve only managed to ride 180km out of the 500k.