Route to San Francisco (and rain)

This morning I had planned on loading up the Ibex with about 20 lbs of weights and train on some hills, but when I woke up this morning at around 6:15, the clouds were quite nebulous, as were my chances of riding. Sure enough, it started pouring rain about 10 minutes later. The weather forecast says that it'll clear up by around 11 or 12; I have to swing by REI in Santa Monica later to grab some more gear, so I'll probably turn that errand into a short, but hilly ride up and back on Sepulveda. I know that on the ride to SF the chances of it raining like this are quite high, so I might as well get accustomed to it now, but I wanted to get used to the Ibex a little more. (I'm counting on necessity to be the mother of motivation.) Plus L.A. rush hour traffic is an added element of danger in itself; and I really can't risk getting sick/injured before the Solvang Century. Yes, I know these are just excuses and "they-make-an-ass-out-of-you-and-me" but that's the way it's going for me this morning.

Solvang --> SF

I thought I'd write a little about my proposed route to San Francisco, tentatively scheduled to leave Sunday, 3/15. Here a general overview:


View Larger Map

After the Solvang ride, the plan is to find a campsite around the area, relax, eat, and get a solid night's sleep before setting off. I somewhat fear that I'll be too exhausted after the 100-miler to put in the 60+ mileage I have planned for the trip, in which case I hope to at least put in 30 or so miles just to get myself going. As you can see, the Google map is just a general overview of my route. I'll be using a Santa Barbara-San Francisco biking map I purchased from Adventure Cycling Association, which is extremely detailed and contains info about campsites and the best/safest bike route to take, as well as some road maps from AAA. I plan on taking Route 1, a drive I've done a few times before; highlights I'm looking forward: Hearst Castle (funny, I just watched Citizen Kane), a crazy elephant seal colony on the beach, camping in Big Sur, and Santa Cruz. If I can do 60-80 miles a day, it'll take me about 4-5 days to complete the 280-320 mile journey. I have to keep in mind factors such as hills, wind, rain, spectacular views, hiking trails, and good seafood that will only slow me down.

That's it for now. The rain doesn't look like it's letting up, but hopefully it will this afternoon and I'll be able to put in a few miles with the loaded Ibex and get to REI.