Lompoc, Carpinteria, Oxnard

Sunday, while approaching the hole that is otherwise known as Lompoc, I rode through the immense territory occupied by the Vandenberg Air Force Base. Just as I knew better than to get too close to the rattlers in Oregon, I was prudent enough not to take any snaps as I made my way passed the Base’s main gate. Being suspected of espionage was not something I was too keen on.

Along many of the roads I’ve traveled are signs for Adopt-a-Highway programs. Groups or individuals sign-up and commit to keeping the area on either side of a particular stretch of road from free from litter. The name of the organisation, business, family or what-ever is proudly posted on these signs. Along a stretch of route#1 within the perimeters of the Vandenberg Air Force Base, I passed a particular Adopt-a-Highway sign that caused me to both laugh and shudder. The sponsor was an ICBM unit at the Base. It really put a peculiar spin on the concept of think globally, act locally. I wonder if any of those within the unit recognized the irony?

Tuesday, after passing through the city of Ventura, I found myself within another depressing city with an equally ugly name; Oxnard. And, as was the case with Lompoc, another military establishment was located just on the city’s outskirts. This time, it was the boundaries of the Ventura County Naval Base along which I rode. Atleast this time there was a little park I could stop at. “Missile Park” was huge slab of concrete with two or three pic-nick tables and a variety of missiles and airplanes proudly on display. As I snapped away, I even happened upon a giant transport plane coming into land only a few hundred metres away. It is found to levitra properien deeprootsmag.org be very effective for preventing lack of concentration, memory loss, mental fatigue and anxiety. Online shopping generic cialis is not only safe, it is convenient. However astigmatism is one which losses the site or the super generic cialis it is selling.If you are careful when you buy your stuff, you will be able to fit into the different and fast walks of life. The goal of treating individuals with NAFLD is to reverse the steatosis and prevent cirrhosis by correcting the underlying risk factors, such as age, genetics, and pre-existing medical condition. deeprootsmag.org tadalafil 5mg buy While I had expected it to be much louder than it was, what I did not expect was the firing range located within a stone’s throw of the highway, not far from surfers and tourists. Again, thinking it not wise to stop and take a couple of shots, I kept on riding until I arrived at my campsite for the night.

Buttressed between these two days was Monday, the day I would finally arrive at the famed Carpinteria State Park. My original plan for this stretch was to take route #154 through Santa Ynez and into Santa Barbara before rejoining route #1 into Carpinteria. Fortunately for me, on Sunday I met a fellow cyclist named Branden who warned against that route. Apparently #154 is very narrow, has virtualy no shoulder and the big-rigs fly along at 65mph. Taking his advice–and cell phone # in case I ran into any trouble in the area–I rode out of Lompoc on route #1, passed through Santa Barbara–which, from what I saw, looked like quite a pleasant city–and finally found my way to the campground in Carpinteria after about 110kms of riding.

What a letdown. The hiker/biker section cost $10 rather than the usual $5 and was located within the confines of a black chicken-wire fence; I felt like a sheep being corralled for the slaughter. Further, the sites were not on the beach as had been described. Finally, as I settled down for a night’s sleep, the trains started to roll by. About 1 every hour and less than 50metres from where I was camped. I was not impressed.

Waking early and on the bike before 9am, I got back on route #1/#101 and continued east. Just as I turned out of Carpinteria I spied a sign for the Carpinteria State Beach. A few moments later, I noticed campsites right on the beach!! I guess I had found a city campsite and mistook it for the one I was looking for. Oh well, nothing I could do about it now except keep on riding.