Sunny and 70’s
I flew in to San Diego on a Friday night for a conference. My real priority of course was not the conference but the bike ride, and I already knew what I wanted to do. It was called the Bayshore Bikeway and it contained a nine mile section of pure Beach Cruising. That was how I always wanted to roll in California; no need today for the wild and breathtaking mountain biking venues of Tahoe or Downieville. Give me a flat, sunny path with sandy beaches and ocean views.
On Saturday it rained, an incredibly unlikely occurrence in San Diego. Rain was not allowed on my Beach Cruise. Instead of biking I indulged myself in a different pastime, spectator sports. I watched the San Diego Seals take on the Vancouver Warriors in my first National Lacrosse League game. It had all the elements of American professional sports; Balls, brawls, beer, and babes.
Sunday morning came and it was crystal clear, sunny and 70s. I took the light rail into town and walked to the marina where I found a bike stand, Wheel Fun Rentals, https://wheelfunrentals.com/. There I rented a classic Beach Cruiser, the only real option for the ride. Then I took a ferry across the bay to Point Loma Peninsula. Unlike the flashy, modern cruise ships and yachts docked all around, the ferry was an old fashioned wooden vessel with white chipped paint. There were wooden benches, no cushy seats.
Beach Cruising
I knew there was a Naval base in San Diego but I didn’t realize how big its footprint was on the city. The occasional helicopter flew overhead, and Navy ships were everywhere. A few hundred yards from the ferry a Navy Seal trained in open water, his boat following closely behind. As we approached the peninsula dock a man paddled by in a kayak sporting an American flag. The patriotic spirit is alive and kicking in San Diego.
I was the only biker on the ferry, but there was a long line of cyclists decked out in yellow-green vests waiting for the return voyage. They were doing a YMCA charity ride. I harnessed their enthusiasm and began biking on the Bayshore Bikeway. It was a beautiful path and it took me through an affluent neighborhood. There were golf courses, wide roads, expensive homes, Teslas, and palm trees. After the ritzy neighborhoods came the ritzy resorts, and beyond that came mile after mile of unadultered beach cruising.
There were beaches on both sides, and ocean views abound. Some stretches of sand were fenced off for the Navy. The Seals mingled here and there, some training and some walking outside their fancy apartments. There was a grassland leading up to a beach on San Diego Bay to my left, and to my right were the Pacific Ocean beaches. I stopped at the bayside beach for lunch and gazed at the San Diego skyline. There were tall skyscrapers to the North, Naval vessels and container ships to the East, and far off in the distance, mountains. Gazing is an underrated recreational activity, as long as it’s not directed at women.
Cooling Off
Later I stopped at the oceanside beach for a swim. Oceans are also great for gazing. I put my treasures in my bag and ambled into the deep blue. It was cold, but refreshing. The waves crashed against my knees as I walked out, taking the occasional backwards glance to make sure a beachcomber wasn’t nabbing my stuff. I ventured far enough to get some good waves, but stopped once my inner fear monger started imagining sharks swimming and looking for limbs to bite. After riding the waves a bit I got out and continued pedaling down the peninsula.
Beyond the peninsula the path bent east. There is a biker’s oasis on the south shore of San Diego Bay, just off the Bayshore Bikeway, that has a bike shop and a place serving iced coffee. I passed on the coffee but found a random pull up bar outside and did three good pull ups. I doubt anyone suspected I was a Navy Seal. Doing my pullups I could see as far as the Latin Sprawl of Tijuana, Mexico.
The south shore trail goes through a wonderful nature preserve full of wet grass, mud, streams, and birds. It was also the last stretch of near continuous bike path. Heading north I was on roads and going through industrial parks. I wasn’t keen anymore to sightsee but after a few unmarked forks in the road I stopped at a bayside park to make sure I was still on the right path.
Is stingray on the menu?
This was the busiest park I had stopped at all day. Tons of families and friend groups were walking around, talking in Spanish and playing Latin music. I walked my bike out on a pier to see if anyone was fishing. Several people had lines in the water but all the buckets were empty. I turned around to leave when I heard a man yelling “Whoah Buddy!” His pole was bent like a Shepard’s crook. He was struggling to bring whatever it was up, so one of his crew scaled down the ladder at the end of the pier to the water.
There I saw them surface the beast- a huge stingray. It was four feet wide with a long, whipping tail. The guy on the ladder had a clamp and managed to grip the ray’s mouth. He hoisted it up only to have it fall right back down into the ocean. I decided to leave the show early and started biking north.
The San Diego skyline was in full view as I biked closer to the city. I passed a Naval Shipyard. The war boats were monstrous and fully decked out with high tech navigation equipment. This trip foreshadowed my future, as I started a job as a metallurgist at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard only five months later. Now dog tired, I slowly pedaled by Petco Park and the convention center. Finally, I found the bike stand again and ended my ride on the Bayshore Bikeway. A solid 24 miles of beach cruising was complete. I rejoiced afterwards in fried seafood and two glasses of beer. Next time I’ll order the Stingray.
