VENTURA TO REFUGIO STATE BEACH

October 22 - 23, 2005

Sometimes the best part of a bicycle tour is the people that one meets and where the scenery takes a back seat. That was the case on this weekend's trip that has been offered many times because of its excellent and diverse scenery, but we didn't see much of it due to low fog and drizzle. After passing Carpinteria, the route took us up in the foothills above Summerland, through Montecito, along Mountain Drive to the Sheffield Reservoir, and down to Goleta before reaching El Capitan Beach and Refugio State Beach, our home for the night.

At the bike and hike section of camp we met Angus, a resident of Cerritos who was cycling down from San Francisco. He proudly showed us his hand-made Rivendell touring bicycle and told us his stories. We also met Pit, a resident of Germany who was on a five-week cycle tour that started in Washington. He also had some fascinating stories to tell.

Two riders new to the Bicycle Touring Committee came on the ride, Alex and Carl, so we had the pleasure of meeting them also. All told, we were a group of five who never saw the sun the entire weekend and who instead enjoyed each other as well as the cool temperatures and misty atmosphere. The return trip twisted us along the many bike paths in and beyond UC Santa Barbara at Isla Vista, took us through lovely Hope Ranch, and lastly, paralleled the various beaches leading back to the city of Ventura.

Participants were Rick Adams, Carl Pytlinski, Alex Costa, Mike Wolfe, and Ellie Antonio.