How quickly things change. Everything have been going so well. L.A. was a breeze; the weather was great; my body is fit. Then I get today.
I have biked over 40 miles yet have travelled just a little over 10 miles from Dana point! Granted, I did take a side trip to San Juan Capistrano Mission earlier in the morning (which did delay me somewhat since I had to wait a couple of hours at a city park for the Mission to open at 8:30 A.M.). But what's gotten me so down was that Camp Pendleton was closed (the Adventure Cycling map warned of this possibility, but I thought that scenario was remote).
The first warning of things to come was a "South Gate Closed" warning sign that I saw (but ignored) soon after leaving San Clemente. When I finally got to the "South Gate," the gate at the south end of San Onfre State Park going into Camp Pendleton, and found that it was really closed, I knew I had a problem. The only way I knew of going to San Diego was either through Camp Pendleton or on busy Interstate 5. According to the Adventure Cycling maps, the California Highway Patrol says that bicyles are allowed on the freeway if Camp Pendleton was closed for the purposes of bypassing Pendleton. Since San Onfre is a narrow park stretching over 4 miles long, the roundtrip to and from the gate would have meant a wasted 8 miles. I really didn't want to turn my bike around . But after unsuccessfully trying to find a break in the fences separating the freeway, railroad tracks, and the San Onfre Park, I finally did turn back.
Bravely charging onto the busy freeway near noon, I was quickly, within 1/2 miles into the freeway, waved off the road by a cop on the adjacent road paralleling the freeway. Speaking from opposite a fence, the cop told me that riding on the 5 was illegal. I tried to explain my predicament, but the cop only got more agitated. Soon her was hollering: "I don't care how you can get there [to San Diego], but you can't ride on this stretch of the freeway." Later, "Are you trying to argue with me? ... You have already committed a misdemeanor which I am ready to overlook. I can arrest you now..." I wasn't really trying to argue, but I started to walk back without saying much afterwards...
Off the freeway, I tried to hitchhike at the freeway onramp, but hitchhiking was much more difficult than I thought, and there were no takers. I then rode back to the San Onfre Park kiosk, hoping to find when Pendleton would be open again. The rangers said simply that they knew nothing and that Pendleton never communicated with them. I then called Sis for some Pendleton numbers. After trying a few, I finally got someone (a commander something) who told me that the camp was actually open but that I needed security clearance in the aftermath of 911. This didn't make sense: I was not turned away at the South Gate because of a failed ID check; I was simply turned away. I eventually decided to ride back down to "South Gate" to see if I could clarify the situation with the guard posted there. The guard told me that the camp was "closed" and would remain closed for the rest of the week for maneuvers. However, if came I came after 4 or 5 P.M. or before 6:30 A.M., he suggested, no one would be there to stop me from passing through.
I was very skeptical because of all the conflicting answers I had gotten. Nevertheless, I decided to take a gamble and to take an early start tomorrow. I didn't feel like biking anymore today anyways. I couldn't believe that my trip might be cut short by a stupid maneuver! Later I tried to calm myself by rationalizing that the worst that could happen was for me to ride back to San Clemente and take the train to bypass Camp Pendleton...
Against a howling wind, I rode back to the Ranger kiosk at the north end of the park to get a hiker-biker pass. I also made a few phone calls to see if there were any affordable hiker-biker campsite in the San Diego area for the next day. I thought I might divide up an otherwise 90+ mile day into two more leisurely days in San Diego. Silver Strand State Park would have been ideal, but they allowed only RVs. The privately operated Mission Bay cost obnoxiously around $40 per night (compared to $2 at State Parks). Other options such as hostels and hotels would cost even more. Since I have to leave for school on the East Coast soon anyways and since I am on a tight budget, I later decided to end my trip at downtown San Diego instead of the Mexican Border some 15 miles further south.
The day did not get worse but did not get much better either. For example, for the first time in the trip, I couldn't find the Hiker-Biker site. I was too lazy to bike up to the north gate to ask again - so I pitched camp at a semi-legal spot. Later while cooking dinner, as another first in the trip, I accidentally burned a hole in the tarp. And finally after dinner, since I had no veggie or fruits the entire day, I began to feel a little constipated (yes, another first for the trip). I tried to enjoy the day nevertheless. This is my trip and my last camping day. I looked out to the ocean; I observed the manuvers (might as well); I felt the ocean breeze. I did everything but refused to be let down despite a very bad day indeed...
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