South Bay Bike Camping
Somehow May came and went and I never got outside overnight. It's been a crazy couple of months and the time just wasn't there. So much for that new year's resolution! I have a bike tour in Europe coming up though, so I've been wanting to get out and test my setup before the trip. We chose a quick, sub 24 hour trip as an easy way to get out. It was perfect for summer, as much of it runs along the coast so the heat wasn't too bad. Three of us met up on Coronado Island on Saturday afternoon, then took the ferry across the bay to meet the 4th member of the group in downtown San Diego. Not wanting race through and to get to camp too early, we took the time to check out the waterfront, and then the murals in Chicano Park. I'd driven over these my whole life on the Coronado Bridge, but never actually went down in the park to check them out. They are AMAZING! Such beautiful work. It really is incredible standing among them.
The rest of the route took us along the bay, crisscrossing along canals and under highways until we cut inland towards Bonita. From there we dropped into some horse trails through a "palm tree jungle" which was a stark contrast from the masses of concrete we rode through on the first half of the ride. It's funny how quickly it can feel like a nature experience, even though we were still completely surrounded by urban sprawl.
Instead of packing tons of food and cook gear, we popped out of the trails and got some mexican food from Jalisco's, and a couple cold beers to bring to our campsite. My new panniers worked great and had plenty of room for a meal and a few items. Dinner at camp was spent trading adventure stories and watching the sunset. In the morning we broke camp, rode back out to the bay, and were back up in Coronado before noon. Quick and easy. My whole setup worked even better than expected and I'm feeling ready for Europe!
Route:
