Venice Beach in August

This morning, I rode my bike out to Venice Beach. Amy and I brunched at the Sidewalk Cafe, and then strolled the beach just as the sun came out. It takes moments like these to remind us that, yes, we do live on the Pacific Coast.

Endless Summer

What better way to start off the first day of summer (and the third day of an LA heat wave) than a morning ride to the beach?

I snapped this with my cell phone camera on Venice beach around 10 am, after I had pedaled up to the beach, had breakfast at the Sidewalk Cafe, and biked up the beach path to north Santa Monica and back.



When I first got to the beach (about 8:50 am), it was sparsely populated. The users increased as the morning went on and the weather got hotter -- although there were still plenty of empty parking spots in the lot next to the SM pier. I suspect gas prices are making folks more reluctant to head to the beach.

As on previous trips, I marveled at the number of people, foreign and domestic, who are unable to read the "BIKES ONLY" markings on the path. Perhaps they read the markings as saying, "BIKES, ROLLERBLADES, SKATEBOARDS, PEDESTRIANS, STROLLERS, TODDLERS, AND FAMILIES STOPPING TO TAKE PHOTOS ONLY."

Most absurd moment: the southbound lane on the bike path was blocked by an SM police officer in a dune buggy, who was explaining to two guys that only bicycles were allowed on the path.

Sunny September Saturday

On Saturday morning, the sun was bright and the weather in the 70's -- perfect weather for a beach bike ride. So I rode out to Venice Beach. Amy met me there, and we had breakfast at the Venice Sidewalk cafe. I had thought that because summer was nearing an end, there'd be fewer people there -- but no, the boardwalk was full of (often strange) humanity. Fortunately, I also gave my new camera a ride there.

Beach Blogging: The North End of the Trail

This morning found me bicycling out to Venice Beach and then north on the coastal bike path. For the first time, I rode the path all the way to its northern terminus, at the intersection of Temescal Canyon Boulevard and PCH in Pacific Palisades.





As these photos (taken at 10:20 am) show, Will Rogers State Beach was amazingly deserted for a Socal morning in July. By contrast, parts of Santa Monica beach were fairly crowded at 9:20 am.

Beach Blogging Part Deux

I had a terrific ride along the beach. I rode the Santa Monica Beach Bike Path from Venice Boulevard up to Will Rogers State Beach in Pacific Palisades (about 6.1 miles), then back south to Pico. Next to the Santa Monica pier there's a ramp with 180-degree switchbacks (forcing you to either walk your bike or ride it very short distances) that takes you up the seawall to street level.

The bike path is terrific. It's flat and clear (except for the other users -- and there were a lot), and you feel like you could ride forever on it. It's for all levels of experience (it has to be, with all the bike-rental stands along the way), so you'll encounter all ages of bicyclists out there. And although the path is periodically marked with "Bikes Only" legends, this being SoCal people flagrantly ignore it. They blade; they walk; they stand absently in the middle of the damned path with a vacant expression on their faces.

My ride to, from and on the beach afforded me my expected portion of stereotypical SoCal sights: One old bag-lady who laid a curse on me as I rode by; one young woman roller-blading in a bikini; one young man strumming an electric guitar with no amp attached; one meditation class; one setup for a beach wedding; several beach volleyball players, in various stages of scantily-clad-ness; and lots and lots of views of that big blue wet thing that's always present just west of here.