We're closing in on our destination...only 2 more days counting today...hate to see this one come to an end.  It's been a great ride with a great bunch of folks.  But enough of the pining...we've got a ride to do today.

We had a leisurely breakfast and loaded and departed at 8:00.  Being a Sunday, the traffic wasn't bad at departure but as the day wore on, the traffic picked up as people were heading to the beach along the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH).  Early in the ride, we were riding back roads until about 9 miles where we got on PCH.  We had a great shoulder to the first SAG and a great view of the shoreline, albeit slightly foggy, as our route rode right through Malibu.  It's hard to believe some of the real estate out here...and where it's setting.  Many have great views of the ocean, but it appears they could be part of the ocean if the land gave way...and it does that sometimes.  Sorry, I didn't take any photos of Cher's house (I can't believe she didn't come out and say hi as we rode by...I hear it's up for sale for a mere $45 Mil) or did any other tenant of the multi million dollar mansions that overlooked the ocean.  Just know that the landscape was pretty impressive whether or not we saw celebrities.

After the SAG the route got busy with traffic.  The good news is that cyclists ride this section all the time so everyone is used to seeing riders, but the wide shoulder was packed with parked cars.  Surfers and sightseers packed the lanes which made us ride a bit closer to the traffic than we'd like in some cases.  When we could find a wider shoulder and room to "gawk" at the scenery, we were presented with awesome views of the Pacific shoreline accentuated with large waves crashing the boulders below.  We even saw a dolphin or two frolicking in the surf. 

Even though the traffic was heavy, our greatest concern was the foot and bicycle traffic that seem to just come out of every nook and cranny around the highway from between parked cars.  I remember driving the van on this portion last year and it was pretty nerve wracking.  Trying to watch for our riders, having to mingle with the heavy traffic, and being forced to watch out for the local riders many of whom didn't care about traffic rules, made my day a bit more challenging than normal.  But somehow on the bicycle it seems much easier to negotiate all the wackiness that's going on around you.  We only had about 10 miles that were a little challenging, but after that were able to get on the coastal bike path that meandered along the beach and presented us with another set of challenges...walkers, social riders, fast riding locals, kids, rollerbladers, and visual distractions like bikini volleyball games.  I pretty much just meandered along the path taking in all the sights.  I stopped for a bite of lunch at a pier and boardwalk on the outskirts of Venice Beach...lots of craziness going on there too.

All in all it was an early finish today.  We are having our final dinner tonight and will do our final day tomorrow.  Can't believe this ride is coming to a close and this time next week we'll be in Alabama trying to detox from a long summer of bike tours.  But first, we'll try to focus one more day and get 'em all in safely tomorrow.  I'll try to wrap it all up then...see you tomorrow.

PS:  Nice to see the J-Birds, Jill and Judy, who live in the area and came out to ride with me into town.  Also, saw Paul Trent and Mark Tokar yesterday.  Always good to see alumni...take care folks.