TR - Tour de Los Padres 2022

[evdog]

I headed up to Santa Barbara a couple weeks ago for the 2022 edition of the Tour de Los Padres bikepack.


I did the rat flu edition of this route two years ago. It was a great loop route and one I wanted to do again.

When I found out this year's route has been expanded into a long point to point visiting the length of the Los Padres National Forest from Big Sur back to Santa Barbara, I was in.



Thanks to Nancy for organizing a shuttle for many of us! 15 riders plus drivers showed up at Arroyo Seco campground ready to roll southbound. Pic by Erin's mom (I think). Good mix from Socal, Norcal, MTB, gravel bikes. No SS as far as I saw.





And they're off, rolling around 7:45.




The day would start with one of two major climbs, close to 2,000ft up the Arroyo Seco-Indians Rd.




The road is cherry stemmed through the Ventana Wilderness with rugged terrain on both sides.




Despite the name Arroyo Seco isn't dry. There was a pretty nice river running below. Some lucky campers had a tent set up on a small beach below where I took this shot. Would be a rad place to camp! We had a long way to go before we could think about that however.




After a few miles the road started getting very primitive, basically singletrack in spots.




Getting close to the high point and still in the shade. It was going to get hot later once we drop down the far side with a long pavement ride and then climb out of Fort Hunter Liggett.




I was the last rider, and the only one who stopped to grab the birthday balloon.




Despite fire a few years ago the ride was very scenic, very green. Some nice campgrounds down below in this canyon.




And some nice swimming holes. Didn't need those yet though.




Caught up to Brandon who had sliced a side wall on a rock and had to put a tube in




Some cool granite slabs above the road out of Santa Lucia campground




We rode through a really beautiful valley below that with grasslands and big oak trees. The road had been paved for a while but we caught a short detour on dirt that was a nice diversion




Crazy flowers along the road as we got into Fort Hunter Liggett.




I'd been hoping for a swim at one of the river crossings but signage once on the army base clearly said stay on pavement, no stopping, no swimming.




We turned up the Nacimiento-Ferguson Rd and climbed our way out of the base. I caught up to Brandon again along with Braden, Alissa and Marin at the Ponderosa campground. Had lunch in the shade and got my swim in. Well, more of a half dunk, really. It was hot...high 80s to low 90s.


Fortunately there was decent shade on the climb up to the ridge top, but it was still hot and not a lot of breeze.




I caught Brandon and Braden at the turnoff onto South Coast Ridge Road. Brandon was napping and Braden wasn't feeling well. I kept going and had a tough time of it the next hour or so. The first few miles went through a burn area with minimal shade and some steep climbs.




Camping up top on the ridge was an option and promised great views, but I'd been hoping to get down to the coast or a ways along it for day 1.

It was about an hour before sunset when I caught up to Alissa before the turn onto Los Burros Rd.

There were some annoying stinger climbs toward the end and once on Los Burros, but once the road pointed downhill I took off hoping to make it to the store in Gorda before closing time. It was now golden hour but not much of the Los Burros Rd had an ocean view.


Caught the last sliver of sun dipping below the horizon lower down.




Getting near the bottom there were quite a few people parked for sunset, or maybe trying to stealth camp. If the latter, they were not doing a great job at the stealthy part. The roads we'd been riding were all signed closed to vehicles but there were plenty driving around, so it appears enforcement is pretty lax.




Made it to Gorda and could see the store was still open.




I'd been warned it was expensive here but was shocked at the prices as my items were rung up (no price tags on half the stuff in store - should have known). Care to guess at the final bill for 5 items? The beer was expensive but was the only thing I considered reasonably priced.




Ben had been sitting there eating dinner also. The store owner asked if anyone else was coming and I said Alissa should be not far behind me, so she kept the store open til 830. Alissa blew past without stopping around 815.

I hadn't been enthusiastic about riding Hwy 1 in the dark but someone pointed out that there would be minimal traffic, it would be easy to see drivers coming, drivers would have no views to distract them. Had some miles to lay down before the first possible camp spots, so we headed off in the dark to the sound of crashing waves.




After about 7 miles on Hwy 1 we had the option to take the Soda Trail, which climbs up above the highway for a couple miles but stays below the wilderness boundary. It was a tough climb up - steep and with heavy brush on either side. I think it was more mentally tiring than anything as there was poison oak mixed in which I was trying hard to avoid. Made it through there. Erin said he was camped near the high point of the trail and heard us go by, but we didn't see him. Ben opted to camp near an old USFS cabin back down at the highway while I continued on a few miles further.




I was feeling pretty ragged by this point but still had a little ways to go. Found my spot, got set up quick and had a bite to eat before laying down. Pretty happy about progress for day 1.




Day 1 stats - 86mi, +10,600/-11,500

[evdog]

Day 2


I was up as soon as it got light out, wanting to make progress early as there was a heat advisory along the coast. And we'd be heading inland just in time for the hottest part of the day.




It was chilly at first, but layers soon came off once the sun appeared and there were a couple short highway climbs




Things you don't see from a car - seals playing in the rivers below the highway




Stopped in at the elephant seal viewing area




Erin caught up to me there




We picked up one of the few bluff side singletracks that doesn't have a no bikes sign. Much of the coast here is State Park land which doesn't allow bikes. Other trails exist but have too much poison oak to ride.




More elephant seals




Erin kept going, I pulled into a picnic area off the highway to refill water, have breakfast and dry my stuff out. I like Hershey dark chocolate bars for bikepacking, except they don't fare well when hot. Mine re-solidified overnight so I broke it up and added to instant oatmeal for breakfast.




More side trails as we get to Cambria




Some really nice singletrack in there too, with a few short steep climbs. I stopped in at a Mexican restaurant for tacos and to refill my water again.




There was an optional beach ride in Cayucos that I skipped as it was not getting any cooler out. I didn't want to wear out my legs in sand right before a big climb. That next climb took us to some trails next to Whale Rock Reservoir.




Trails there were ok until we split off on a service road that got crazy steep for a short section. So steep, my feet had trouble keeping traction. Push, hold brakes, step, slide, re-step, plant feet, repeat.




The kicker was getting to the top and having to lift the bike over this gate. Gaps and lower fence sections had barbed wire so it was already pretty tall to lift a bike over.

This is where I found the downside of my pannier setup. Being positioned so far rearward leveraged the weight making it really hard to lift the bike. I ended up removing the panniers and handlebar bag for a minute, then it was an easy lift.




Next up was the climb up and over Santa Rita Road to Templeton. Thankfully there was little vehicle traffic and decent shade cover. Near the top I passed another rider Eric who was bailing back down to the coast with shifter and saddle sore issues.




The top. Super scenic hills, and all private property on both sides. There was a stream along the road a lot of the way as well, but the roadsides were choked with poison oak so I didn't notice any chance to get down to the water. I had enough water though, and a Trader Joes for resupply was not far away.




Bought some snacks and drinks at TJs and continued on into more private property land. Tons and tons of deer. They were everywhere. I caught up to Brandon again somewhere in this area.




The highlight of this segment were a couple cool community trails that dropped from one road down to another. Unfortunately they led to the steepest climb of the trip so far, about 700ft in a mile on pavement through a new home community. Gotta love paved hike a bike!




Lights came on during that steep climb, and there was more neighborhood riding to go before we hit a few downhill miles on busy Highway 41. It was a good thing that section was downhill, we made good time to Cerro Alta campground.

My goal for the day was to get to the top of the Cerro Alta climb to catch sunrise, but we were both beat. It was Friday night and the campground was full with lots of noise so we had no choice but to start up the trail. I've done this climb before and didn't remember it being so steep. There were even a few hikers coming down who must have hit the peak for sunset. We were looking for any spots wide and flat enough to sleep but not having much luck. Finally found a spot that Brandon took. I kept going and found another spot a few turns further up the trail.

Done and out after a bite to eat.


Stats day 2 - 81mi, +5,800/-4,500ft.

[Peruvian]

Great report and pics. Looking forward to the final portion.

[evdog]

Day 3


I didn't sleep well. Battled random cramps all night depending which way I tossed and rolled. Finally got up before 5 walk off a quad cramp and figured I might as well walk it off with some hike a bike. It would be another hot day today, so better to get as much out of the way this morning as possible.


Green hills and mist slowly appeared out of the darkness as I pushed uphill toward Cerro Alta peak.




So peaceful and quiet




Sun came up just as I hit the summit. Perfect.




Had some breakfast while I walked around checking out the views




Dropping off the summit I soon found Erin, Ian and Ben packing up camp. I kept going along West Cuesta ridge knowing they'd catch me.




Stopped to eat the last of my breakfast burrito as everyone rolled through




The trails were fun and a nice change from the rolling fire road on the ridgeline




I got ahead of the others as they took a wrong turn, possibly intentionally




And then they were back.




Can you tell which way the wind was blowing here?




At the bottom we picked up a rail trail that would link us around to Santa Margarita. I was really slowing down by this point. It was getting hot and the riding along the railway kinda sucked, especially after crossing under Hwy 101. Made it into town and caught the others just as they were leaving a local cafe. Brandon caught up there too so we ordered a bit of food and topped up electronics.




Wasn't really looking forward to the paved miles over to Rinconada trailhead, so just took it slow and kept moving.




Rinconada was pretty nice, at least the trailhead was shaded. Took a bit of a break there before continuing up the trail.




I thought Rinconada was a moto trail, turns out it is hike/bike/horse and was pretty nice for the most part.




Took a couple breaks in the shade, otherwise kept the slow and steady pace up to the top. Views were nice up there, and thankfully some breeze.




Dropped down the road on the far side, snacked and filled up water at a ranger station. Then more paved miles across to Turkey Flat OHV




Brandon stopped at the trailhead to make dinner. I wanted to keep going far as I could til dark. The route notes mentioned this next section would be sandy, and boy was that true. Think 6" of sand and silt on a steep grade. The going really sucked for well over a mile.




Up next was Howard's Bypass moto trail. It was getting cold and windy and I didn't really want to keep going, but wasn't finding any good places to camp. Ended up doing about half the moto trail before my headlamp went on. The end of the trail had some very steep pushing.




Ended up riding the whole moto trail. Finally found a somewhat sheltered place to camp on a side road. Made quick dinner and then tapped out. Wasn't feeling terrible but also not great, just really tired from the heat and previous long days' efforts. Despite it being a fairly easy day the miles hadn't clicked over very fast. I figured an early sleep would get things back on track.

Stats day 3 - 54mi, +7,750/-6,350 ft

[evdog]

Day 4


Had a much better sleep this night despite the wind. I was up before sunrise again and climbing soon after. A mile or so of dirt, then a bit of pavement to get to the top.




Fernandez Trail is one of the segments I was really looking forward to and part of the reason I wanted to stop where I did the night before was to be able to ride it in daylight.




It is around 5 miles of sweet backcountry singletrack.




Riding it in the early sunshine and cool temps was pure bliss.




Until the poison oak showed up. It had been avoidable until now. But no way we were getting through this section without some contact.

I caught Brandon a short distance before this, and he found a stick for me. PO tends to have a weak stem that is easy to break off if you hit it with a solid stick. I went to work whacking the oak back. After a couple minutes we had clear passage. Sounds like others who rode through in the dark weren't so lucky.




Back on dirt road we headed for Navajo Flat staging area where there are bathrooms and picnic tables.




This was my planned brunch spot for the day. I had some leftover instant mashed potato that I wanted to try in a wrap with tuna. Turned out the potato is a really good complement to the tuna.




Brandon was faster on the gravel bike and soon disappeared. Thought I'd see him refilling water at Queen Bee camp but found out he didn't stop there. I missed the spigot but found this tank a couple hundred feet below the campsite with clean water pouring in from the tap.




Old mine entrance guarded by poison oak




It hadn't been a tough climb up to La Panza Pass, which also meant there wasn't much payoff on the descent to Hwy 58.




Lots of paved miles ensued. After a couple miles climb up to Carrizo Plan the road became flat and straight. My least favorite kind of riding. After refilling at a Cal Fire station I soon crossed into the National Monument.




We had to navigate around the south end of (dry) Soda Lake. Kept seeing small twisters off in the distance.




Soon enough I was back on dirt with just a short climb up to Elkhorn Rd, which traverses the monument from north to south. Took a break in the shade of this water tank.




I leapfrogged with a convoy of SUVs and sprinter for a while. It was the van owner's first time out and he was being super extra cautious (meaning - driving painfully slow) on the dirt road. Finally they pulled into what appeared to be the suckiest possible spot to camp I'd see all day, and I was on my own after that.




Didn't need a lot of water but I figured I'd filter a couple bottle full from this tank that Erin had found. Not the nicest looking water but I tasted it after filtering and it seemed ok. Using it for cooking later a nasty taste came through more, and it pretty much ruined my backpacker dinner. Yuck. Poured the rest out.




20-some more miles to go before I'd get to a stretch with no legal camping.




At one point I scared up a blur of fur on the side of the road which turned out to be a badger. Cool to see!




Sunset wasn't looking promising but some nice color appeared in the end.




I spotted a couple other bikepackers way off the side of the road near last light, but turns out they weren't doing the same route.




Continued on in the dark, crossing Soda Lake Rd again and continued onto a pipeline road. Conditions kept changing from blasting cold wind, to still wind and warmer temps up high, to frigid cold down in a canyon. I decided to camp up near the next high spot hoping it would be warmer again.




Passed Brandon sleeping off the side of the road around 10pm and found a spot around the next corner. I couldn't spot a road where the GPS track showed us to go but figured the road I was taking would reconnect just around the corner.

Day 4 turned out to be a pretty good one and I was pretty much caught up to where I wanted to be at this point. Happy to finally get to see Carrizo Plain as well, although I still need to check it out during a peak bloom.


Stats day 4 - 87mi, +5,750/-5,000 ft

[hball]

Great TR evdog!
Nice beta for me on the Indians road - Nacimiento road section. Spent a couple months vanlifing and riding this winter. We saw your group in Kelvin AZ at the trailhead as we were packing up after Gila river ramble and y’all were doing queens ransom. Also camped and rode some days on south coast road in Big Sur and also San louis obisbo areas.
Keep the stoke coming!

[evdog]

Great TR evdog!
Nice beta for me on the Indians road - Nacimiento road section. Spent a couple months vanlifing and riding this winter. We saw your group in Kelvin AZ at the trailhead as we were packing up after Gila river ramble and y’all were doing queens ransom. Also camped and rode some days on south coast road in Big Sur and also San louis obisbo areas.
Keep the stoke coming!

Right on! You probably didn't see me at Queens ransom, I was waaaay off the back of the main group as usual. Need to go back to Big Sur and do more riding!

[evdog]

Day 5


Up with the sun. It was a bit windy and chilly out but not terrible. I rolled out after a quick bite to eat.




A short climb past a couple water tanks brought me to the top of the hill.




The descent down to the valley was chilly. Hands were soon frozen.




The dirt road became more primitive the further it dropped down, eventually crossing and then joining a stream bed before teeing into a fence line with agricultural farmland on the other side. Highway 33/166 was tantalizingly close with easy access straight across, but that wasn't where we were going.

Instead we followed the fence line east and the doubletrack continued to fade until it disappeared completely. Bushwack time, following the line on the GPS down into this steep gully, over the pipe and up the other side. A farm worker in a truck had been watching me hike a bike up to this point and was probably scratching his head wondering where I was going.




Soon back on pavement, but this whole section had taken a couple hours, longer than expected. Rode 20 miles of pavement into New Cuyama. The burger place was open so I ordered lunch plus a breakfast burrito to go. The market next door is the last resupply on the route, so I stocked up on snacks and food for the final 100 miles.


Apparently there was a faint double track through here. All I could see were the tracks of those ahead of me.




Mid day is not when you want to be rolling out of New Cuyama. It is normally 90F through here, as riders doing the shorter tour version of TDLP found a few days before. But with the cool weather today it was pretty nice.


The cattle in that field chased after me a bit in 2020. No such excitement today.




Instead I got a low altitude flyover by this plane. Not sure what the deal is, maybe a fire water tanker? It flew right over, then along the mountain range and back down the middle of the valley. I would see it the next day as well, flying down the valley above the Santa Ynez River.




It is a solid 3,000ft climb from the highway up to Sierra Madre Ridge, two thirds of which is on dirt. Much of that is on the Aliso Trail. You can ride some of it, but it's pretty short so I hiked most of it.




Pretty nice trail. It was got dark around this point last time, so I was happy to check out the views today




Caught up to Brandon on the climb. This had become a pattern. He'd get ahead on road sections being on the gravel bike, and I'd catch up on the descents, singletracks and hike a bikes.




Forecasts before the trip were showing up to 60% chance of rain in the area for Sun/Mon/Tues. It was definitely raining in the distance. Fortunately, we were heading south and this storm was heading north/east.




Lots of flowers out on the Sierra Madre ridge




First time seeing this view in daylight. Painted Rock campground is on the left just out of sight. It was still early afternoon so we won't be stopping today except to get water.




There is a water tank behind this old cabin which is the last reliable source until we get to Bluff Camp on the other side of Big Pine Mtn. So I stopped in to fill up.




No need to filter spring water coming out of the tap, but it was a little hard to access. Glad I had a plastic water bottle with me.




These rock formations are super cool. I'd like to come back and explore the area on foot some day.




No time for that today. Pedaling on. The road for quite a few miles was extensively post holed by cattle and sucked to ride. A bit of respite here passing these rock formations




Shadows from clouds made the views up top even better




Leap frogging with Brandon again, caught him here for a pic. One more descent coming up before the big climb to Big Pine Mtn




Flowers a bit past their prime here, but still pretty




Climbing into the pines. Normally i'd say cool pines. But with today's weather it was downright chilly. Forecast called for low along the ridge of 30, or 15F with windchill and gusts up to 55mph. Fortunately the climb was keeping us warm for now.




This road is cherry stemmed between Wilderness areas and isn't maintained for vehicle traffic. Lots of rockfall and debris on the road.




Big Pine Mtn is the highest point on the route. We had already climbed into the clouds, and as we neared Big Pine the wind kicked up and we felt rain drops. This could get interesting. Or just very, very cold.




More layers went on at the top including the rainjacket I was now glad I carried all this way. Long pants as well. Slow steady rain continued for a little while but stopped as we descended out of the clouds.

The goal was to get off the mountain and drop 2,000ft to Bluff Camp where we would hopefully find better shelter from the wind. Only 5 miles to go.

I'm a much faster descender on rough terrain like this road, but we agreed to stick together on the descent for safety. Being stuck on your own up here in this weather with an injury or mechanical would not be a good thing. Riding slower would also help keep my hands from freezing, so I had no problem with the slower pace.


It was a dark and stormy night....




The descent seemed to take forever but finally we got there. Unfortunately the wind seemed just as bad at Bluff Camp as it had been higher up, with heavy gusts that were really cold. There is a cabin at Bluff Camp I was hoping we could sleep in, but it is a USFS cabin for admin use, and was locked. No dice. But it did have a front porch that was partially walled in with enough room for each of us to have our head behind one side of the wall for a bit of protection. So that was us for the night. I had hot ramen noodles and then straight into the bivy. Not a great night to sleep as the wind gusts kept up all night long. But with all my clothing on, I was warm enough.


Stats day 5 - 73mi, +8,500/-6,600 ft

[Jax]

Awesome tr, looking forward to more pics as you get around to it!

[evdog]

Day 6


With cold wind gusts continuing to blow it was tempting hang out in the warm bivy. But we also wanted to finish today, so we had to get moving.


Deluxe accommodations at Bluff Camp






Chilly. I kept my water filter in my sleeping bag with me overnight so it wouldn't freeze




Bluff Camp is down below. I'm surprised it wasn't more sheltered from the wind.




Brandon all layered up. It seemed calm and looked warm but the sun wasn't doing its job and cold gusts of wind continued to hit us




The road below Bluff Camp is more travelled, mostly by MTB so there was a line through the debris.




Looking east over the Dick Smith Wilderness




The first ten miles from camp is a series of uphill/downhill. I was just past the last climb when I spotted a long tail and booty running down the road ahead of me. In a split second, it disappeared off the road. Mtn lion. Cool to see!

A few corners later I came across a USFS dozer crew working on the road. They were headed to Bluff Camp that night which is as far as they would go. They said another crew normally comes in from the opposite side but that wouldn't happen this year. So the road will stay in its current rustic state.




There is a singletrack heavy option to the route that includes Little Pine/Santa Cruz Trail, Matias Trail, Gibralter Mine and lower part of North Cold Springs Trail. I wanted to ride these but also wanted to finish today. The compromise was to hit Santa Cruz trail since I was already up high, and then rejoin the main route after that. I could ride the other trails on a day ride. Doing Santa Cruz today made sense as it would avoid a 2,000ft climb back up when I was already here.




Sweet singletrack




Santa Cruz trail is notorious for steep slopes and exposure. It was heavily damaged in the Thomas Fire and has mostly been rebuilt by Sage Trail Alliance and Los Padres Forest Association. This slide section is all that remains to be fixed, a couple hundred yards with slope falling away from broken and burned out supports. It is crossable with careful steps.




I was fortunate to meet a hiker at the Cliffs of Insanity here who took a photo for me. Really glad to get back on Santa Cruz. It's a killer backcountry trail with outstanding views.




After a climb up Nineteen Oaks trail and a mile up Buckhorn Road I rejoined the route at the top of Old Camuesa Rd. This was one of the most pleasant surprises of the trip. A fast rip down flowy OHV road gone back to singletrack.




The road got more primitive with more washouts and stream crossings the further I went. Really glad I was able to check this out.




I was making pretty good time but there were still many unknown miles between me and a familiar part of the route. So my finish time was still a question mark. I wanted to hit Little Caliente hot spring since I was nearby, but also wanted to finish in time for food at the Brewhouse. I didn't know if skipping the hot spring would make enough difference. Worst case, if things took longer than expected, I'd catch the sunset from Romero trail which would also be pretty cool.

So, hot spring soak it is. I didn't stay long but the water was nice and helped relax tired legs.




More nice forest road followed.




There were a few steep climbs and descents, but I was able to keep a good pace




There are some really nice campgrounds along the route. It would be an awesome weekend bikepack to ride from Santa Barbara, camp down here and hit the hot springs




I hadn't seen a rattler yet this year, and figured I would on this trip. This one was tiny, but I guess it counts.




By the time I reached the bottom of Romero Camuesa Rd it looked I could make the Brewhouse in time if I kept moving with minimal stops. Made it to Romero pass at 6:10. Thinking the Brewhouse was open til 8 that should be plenty of time.




Quick stop to rest my hands on the descent




There were quite a few after work riders climbing up, and a few hikers at the bottom. Romero is a great way to finish the route




Some road miles, a neighborhood trail and a bit of bike path brought me to the beach. Just a few more miles to go!




Made it to the end at 7:45, pretty much 5.5 days on the dot. Brandon had finished a short time before, and he a friend were there eating. Nice riding with you dude, good job!




It turns out the brewhouse was open until 9 and had a nice saison on tap. Perfect, I'll take two! Killer burger and fries hit the spot as well.




Stats day 6 - 60mi, +6,500/-10,840 ft



Aside from a few spots that have reportedly been updated already, I really liked this route. The shuttle logistics were a bit of a pain but it's hard to beat traversing such a large part of the state, and visiting such a variety of landscapes. This is an awesome springtime route. There wasn't a great bloom this year but the flowers were still pretty awesome in places. Everything was green, and water was not much of an issue. It would be a lot drier in fall. Too hot in summer.

I was well prepared for the ride overall. I failed to throw in warmer gloves which sucked the last couple days. I brought an ultralight camp chair as a luxury item, and that was very nice to have when legs were tired. My micro pannier setup was also new for this trip. I give it mixed reviews. It is convenient to have and is billed as a setup ideal to carry heavier weight items. It carried things well, but it does not help you when steep hike a bike is involved. Because the weight sits lower on the frame the pannier makes it harder to lift the front end or push the bike up very steep grades. By comparison without panniers, the dry bag sitting on top of the rack alone is high enough that it acts as a counter balance whose weight actually helps lift the front end of the bike. I'll probably leave the panniers behind on something like CO trail and bring them on other trips with less steep hike a bike. Or just carry bulky but light items in them. Aside from that, it was a solid setup. The spur rode great as always.

I'll be back again to do this route if I can get the time off. If not, I'd like to do more exploring of Big Sur coast and the Sierra Madre ridge area. Both are really cool areas worth visiting.

Big thanks to Erin and a few others for putting this route together!

[evdog]

Awesome tr, looking forward to more pics as you get around to it!

Thanks! I did a few more days in SB and Ojai after the bikepack and will post those as well next week.

[Norseman]

Sweet TR, thanks for sharing.

[chaka]

fantastic TR. thank you! what was the G.O.T.O.S. score for the cautious sprinter

[babybear]

Thanks for sharing - that was a great TR
So many highs and lows on long days!

wish people would post more of these.

[evdog]

fantastic TR. thank you! what was the G.O.T.O.S. score for the cautious sprinter

Not very good if I recall. It was some model of new Winnebago and had all sorts of racks everywhere but I don't recall much mounted on them.

[climberevan]

So. Excellent. Thanks for taking the time to take us along!

[springsproject]

Nice one, looks like a sweet route. That badger was super cool, I've only ever seen one alive, they're usually just dead on the side of the road.

[Boissal]

Outstanding.
Any chance you can post a map of the route? Curious how far inland it takes you, I looked up a few of the more obvious locations but have a hard time seeing the whole thing.

Nice one, looks like a sweet route. That badger was super cool, I've only ever seen one alive, they're usually just dead on the side of the road.

Truth. So sad to only ever seen them dead. Same for skunks, although at least badgers won't poison you. They're badass animals and look way rad in real life, much cooler than their flattened shape would suggest.

[406]

Nice work and TR. Double impressive with the temperature extremes you had.

[evdog]

Can't post a link right now but if you Google tour de los padres there is a ride with GPS map on the website under race info. If you can't find it I'll post up when I get home.

Yeah, been a long time since I'd seen a badger so it was pretty cool, especially since he stopped to pose for me. The Mtn lion wasn't as courteous.

[Boissal]

I was plugging stuff from your writeup into google maps but not once did I think of just googling the name.
I don't feel like a dumbass at all...

[Whiteroom_Guardian]

Another epic TR. Bookmarking this one for sure. Looks like a great ride to do someday.

[El Chupacabra]

Finally got to read all this on a computer (bigger screen, bigger pics). Thanks for posting all this! Fantastic.

[chris_the_wrench]

Dang that was awesome! I lived in SB for a couple years(20 years ago) and we used to do epic rides out around big pine mtn(NOTHING like you guys did though). Amazing terrain out there! Sweet pics.

[Yanos]

Sweet TR, Thanks for sharing!