Mile 4047

We leave early this morning Bishop, CA with a sky full of clouds and perfect riding temperatures.  We continue on Hwy 395 following the Eastern Sierra South to Lone Pine and Pearsonville and into Siebenthal.  Here we pick up Hwy 14 to bring us down via Mojave and Palmdale to Santa Clarita, where we pick up I-5 to San Fernando and via Burbank into Los Angeles.  Leaving Interstate I-5 in Los Angeles we cross the town on Alameda Ave to Long Beach to avoid the already starting stop and go traffic, and are happy reaching the hotel after crossing town.  I park the bike and I'm sure I won't move it again until we leave town.  A refreshing shower and some fresh clothing and we're off to meet Elke's brother and family for a joyful and pleasant evening get-together.

Leaving the Eastern Sierra (above) and Red Rock Canyon (below)

Aircraft parking lot in the dessert near Mojave, CA

We are going sightseeing.  Today we will explore some parts of LA with pure muscle power, we are taking bicycles.  Picking up our bikes in West Hollywood, we get guided to climb the hills of, ..., Beverly Hills, and "Oh" and "Ah" the villas of the rich and famous.  Climbing through Beverly Hills is no easy task, and I envy those you have e-bikes.  Anyway, strong will and determination bring us to the top of the hills, and the descend down to Santa Monica is so much sweater.  We pedal along the beach to Venice Beach, further to Marina Del Rey, before turning back into the city through Ingelwood and Culver City, back into West Hollywood.  When we reach the rental station we are all exhausted, sore on the bud, and convinced that even though it is a great way to explore the city, it is not something we want to repeat too often.

Century City (formerly 20th Century Fox Studios)

Greystone Mansion (above and below)

Private Art Collections

Santa Monica Beach

Muscle Beach, ... and yes, he, and he, were also here

Freedom Barber Shop at the Veteran's Affairs Administration campus, L.A.

Tomorrow we'll be leaving Los Angeles and turn the bike North, following the Pacific Coastal Highway, Hwy 1/101.  We both look forward to this stretch of our trip, all the big city stuff is nice but we now have enough of it, time to move on.  We did an easy day today, did some more sightseeing around Long Beach, the obligatory laundry visit, and some hanging around, besides a visit to the Aquarium of the Pacific here in Long Beach.

Aquarium of the Pacific, Long Beach (above) and Queen Mary Hotel Ship (below)

"I think the true test of a pop song, for me, and I've talked to a lot of other writers about this, is you take your demo, you pop it in your car and you drive down Sunset Blvd. to Santa Monica, and that's the Hollywood car test." - Ryan Tedder, American song writer and singer