Pipeline...Day 15: Santa Barbara to Santa Monica

Wow! For the first time, I hardly needed a second layer...it was already about 15c and only going one way as I rolled along the suspiciously quiet Santa Barbara sea-front.

It's all mine.

Sure enough, once rush hour kicked-in, it was noise central: just how many cars does a county need? Lots, apparently.

Oughta be easy, oughta be straightforward enough...

I stopped at a McDs about 15 miles in and then picked-up the most fabulous cycle lane that paralleled Hwy 101 and ran through terrifically-named places like Mussel Shoals! Because of this cyclist-friendly environment, I saw loads of them about...always good to instigate and get a wave.

Alright then, after you.

Not as much fun as it looks, in all honesty.

 As I have noted previously, things can change pronto: my route took me through a 90 degree turn and for no good reason, so did the wind: hello struggle! And it also coincided with routing through the least-scenic part of the ride for probably 15 miles: it was a bit of a dust-bowl at times, boo-hoo!

Well, it gave me a chuckle!

The fun was at least broken by an excuse to stop and wander around Point Mugu Missile Park. Bit of a dark thrill in these times, but hell, any excuse to stop.

Top Cat er, Gun! Big old bus...

The size and weight of these things...

I couldn't delay much beyond 15 minutes or so, and then it was off again at a steady and difficult 11mph: and no, I saw other cyclists. Splitters!

 After a few miles I did a double-take: you expect to see RVs, cars and motorcycles parked-up, but you don't really expect to see/hear a guy playing the drums. Well, it *is* California after all...

What the? I did ride on for a few hundred yards before turning back for a speculative photo-op!

Anyway, turns out Dave plays in a band and comes out here to practice regularly as he doesn't get bothered: he muttered that he might review that policy...nah, he was a diamond and didn't mind taking a photo. Cheers!

Drums into the sea shortly after this.

Safe to say that I did not expect to be doing this today, hah-hah!

Bizarrely, the wind changed then direction a little to allow happier progress towards Santa Monica although all the while the traffic density increased. Keep concentrating, please...

Getting there!

Never knowingly undersold, hah-hah! Does look fine though.

Trancas: not a bad spot to buy a place, Keith. Oh, and your neighbour was Steve McQueen too!

It was a thrill to finally see the Big Wheel on the pier and then to join a bike path through the beach. Before that though I was passed at a rate of knots by the bloke above who said zero, even when I said hello. I let the gap go before thinking better of it, and gave it the beans, well whatever remained.

I did catch him and sat on his wheel for maybe 200 yards before going past him and leading him until the traffic lights went red. Childish but necessary, by me. He never said one word- the misery, hah-hah!

Terribly, terribly serious.

Oh yes indeed!

Every bench is adorned. Excellent!

You gotta be kidding me!

Not quite yet I hope.

It was easy enough to find my hotel and then it was a case of get admin sorted and head-out: last time I was here was in 2005. The ban has now expired, thankfully.

Old School. Excellent!

The bloke fishing did feed a Sea Lion...

"Oh come on, I know you've got more up there!"

Cliché again, but I love it. Cheers!

This leaves about 140 miles to go: we'll see how that goes...in the meantime, here are the usual links: to help Bloodwise and The Royal British Legion then please click here-here!

And if it ain't on Strava, then it didn't happen...on this!

T.O.T.D. features two guitar legends...

Outrageous show-boatery!