Pacific Coast from Oxnard to Watsonville

[nobachi2000]

On April 28 to May 1, I'm planning to ride from Oxnard to Avila Beach.  I'm staying in a hotel in Goleta, camping out at Riverpark campground near Lompoc, camping out at Avila Beach, and staying at a relatives house then taking the train back to Oxnard.  Is there anything I need to be aware about during that week?  On September 29 to October 2, I'm riding from San Luis Obispo to approximately Watsonville/Salinas. Is there anything I need to be aware about during that week? Any comments are welcome.

[valygrl]

You may not know that the prevailing wind on the coast is Northwest, which makes cycling southbound nicer than northbound.  

I did Santa Barbara to the bay area in April a couple of years ago, and got some pretty strong headwinds, esp. in the Santa Barbara to San Simeon stretch.  Got lucky that it backed off for the hills at Big Sur.  I southbounded in October/November, and had nothing but tailwinds.

Northbound is do-able, but it's a lot more fun if you southbound.

For the SLO to Watsonville portion, you should know that is a world-class ride.  Try to camp at Kirk Creek in the middle of the Big Sur coast, it has a hiker/bike site perched on a bluff over the ocean - spectacular.  The other options around there offer more amenities, but less view.

[nobachi2000]

Hi Valygrl,
I had a feeling about the wind when I rode from West Los Angeles Buddhist Church to Oxnard Buddhist Church 27 years ago. Thanks for the info.  I will keep it in my notes when I go from San Luis Obispo to Watsonville for my next trip in September.

[nobachi2000]

Wow! What a trip.  I just completed my trip.  Monday was warm from
Oxnard to Goleta.  Tuesday was cold and windy from Goleta to
Lompoc.  The "wind tunnel" at Gaviota Pass was impossible to bike thru
so I walked it.  It was cold at River Park campground at night and still
cold and windy next morning on Wed.  The trip thru Guadalupe was
windy and cold.  It's a shame there are no trees to protect you against
the wind.  Once I arrived in Oceano and Avila Beach it was warm again
and the wind died down and there were plenty of trees to break the
wind.  I stayed overnight in Avila Beach campground but it smelled like
a sanitary waste dump.  The next night I stayed in Pismo Beach at a
friend house.

[nobachi2000]

I changed my itineary.  I finished Pacific Coast route section 5 Sept 22
to Sept 26.  I'll be planning to ride from San Luis Obispo to Watsonville
April 2009.