Hi everyone!
I was thinking of cycling from San Fransisco to San Diego in the end January to half of February and was wondering about the weather conditions especially precipitation and wind direction.??
I'll be alone and will probably warm shower as much as possible along the way. If anybody is interested on joining me please also let me know.
Ciao ciao and see you soon maybe
Victor
I live near San Francisco and ride on Highway one frequently. It turns out February is often our wettest month. Spring starts in February here, with new growth and flowers appearing. However, we also get large storms coming off the Pacific at that time. They can last for two or three days with lots of wind and rain.
The weather will generally be clearer and warmer as you head south. By Santa Barbara it should be much drier...though storms still reach this far south.
The prevailing wind almost year around is from the NW. So you will have wind to your back if starting in SF.
I would enjoy riding with you between SF and Santa Cruz. I can show you routes that have no traffic, as opposed to riding on the highway.
Hi!
Thanks! Yes I would love to do the first part with you.
Thanks for all the info. I guess I'll contact you in a few weeks to organize the beginning of the trip together.
ciao
victor
I recently rode part of that route. I spent the night in Monterey at Veteran's Memorial Park which has a complete campground right in the middle of the city. Hiker/Biker spots are $6. There are showers if you have a towel (which I didn't). Racoons stole my food, but I simply coasted into downtown and ate anyway. Simply the best!
Carry a lot of food into the Big Sur area because prices are crazy! I spent $4 for an It's It ice cream sandwich in Gorda and $3.75 in Ragged Point (or was it the other way round?) The supermarket in Carmel seems to be the last bastion of sanity, pricewise.
Hi
Thanks for the reply. Where does the Big Sur area start from? I'll probably be cooking rice and pasta all the way I guess.
Do you think it's possible to couchsurf/warmshower all the way? I'll be doing something like 100km-120km per day if the weather is good enough. Stopping to visit the interesting towns obviously.
ciao ciao
victor
I have ridden this route a few times but never used warmshowers. However, other WS guests we have hosted seem to have no problem finding places to stay through WS.
The one exception is Big Sur. This is the very hilly part that starts just south of Carmel. This is a very sparsely populated area, as it it isolated from any cities and has difficult terrain.
The result is there are few accommodations and food. And the few that are there are quite expensive. It is possible to ride this section in one day...about 120 Km. (Even water is not as available, so fill up before leaving the Big Sur river valley.)
I know you want to couch-surf/warm-shower, but if you can bring yourself to camp in Big Sur, it may be worth it. There are many campgrounds with hiker/biker spots. I rode through in one day, but I was in a hurry. If I had the time, I would have spent two nights!
Hi! Thanks for you reply :)
Would it be possible and worth it to wild camp in the Big Sur you think?
I'm not sure why you would want to wild camp. State and us campgrounds are plentiful. Hiker/biker sites are cheap ($5-$10) and you automatically get water and a bathroom there. Plus, you'd be likely to meet other touring bicyclists that way. But if you really want to avoid campgrounds, I'm sure it will be easy to do.
I found the Adventure Cycling Association's Pacific Coast map (section 4) very useful for finding campgrounds...