Cyclecamping or Cyclocamping?

Whatever you call it, traveling to a campsite by bike is wonderful!  Here's the ride report:

Add to the packing list:
13) Frisbee
14) Folding chairs for the fireside
15) Los Angeles & Orange County bike maps

Subtract from the packing list:
Fewer books/things to do
Maybe fewer socks

I brought a coloring book, colored pencils, belated holiday greeting cards (blank), a journal, and a bunch of pens.  The only thing I really wanted to do was use the colored pencils to make this drawing after sitting on the beach all day.

I loved watching the brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) diving headfirst into the water to catch their meals. They also did a funny flapping of their wings on the water, it seemed like they were talking to each other that way. There was also some kind of duck or grebe that was smaller than the pelican which dove under each wave. Seagulls were abundant also, and there were crows around the camp.

We ended up taking an earlier train down to LA Union Station, to give us more time for our "layover."  That gave us time to have a cup of coffee and use the restroom, as well as let our dog walk around outside before the long OC line train ride.  The cost of the train was $25 for two adults.  Our monthly passes only got us as far as LA and we had to pay for the second leg of our journey.  There were officers with canine cops in training, and it was hard for the dogs not to distract each other.

We arrived in San Juan Capistrano and a very friendly man offered to ride us to the check-in for our campsite.  It was great to ride the TRABUCO CREEK and SAN JUAN CREEK TRAILS.  We were able to arrive at the camp without any vehicular cycling.  We passed a pack of dogs at Creekside Park and the trail was shared with walkers, joggers, cyclists, strollers, scooters, and leashed (and unleashed) dogs.  We arrived at the park so early (9:45am) we couldn't check in.  So we ate at Coffee Importers instead.

The original entrance to Donehy State Beach

After a slammin' breakfast bagel sandwich, we rode down towards Camino Capistrano on the Coast Highway Protected Trail. We could have gone a bit further to the San Clemente Metrolink station, but we decided to turn around and hang out at a day-use area on Park Lantern, just south of our campsite. The sun felt warm even though the temperature was in the mid-60s. We hung out there until just before 2pm, when we were allowed to check in to our campsite.

We setup our tent and got a sense of the campground.  We walked to the nearby AM-PM and the Carl's Jr to get snacks and dinner, respectively.  Since we were on foot, we didn't buy firewood there.  Around sunset, we looked for the camp host to get some firewood.  There were no hosts on site, so I rode back to the AM-PM to learn that they were out of firewood.  Luckily, the Albertson's on Del Obisbo was only 1.5 miles away.  I strapped two bundles of firewood to my rear rack and coasted downhill back to the campsite.

Pedestrian Bridge over Coast Hwy: A new entrance

The nights were cold.  Sleeping on the ground is uncomfortable.  I thought there was condensation on the inside of our tent when I woke up at sunrise.  Regardless, it made our house feel so comfortable when we got home.  It was nice sleeping in until the tent became a sauna.  We definitely didn't emerge until around 9am.  We walked up Goldern Lantern to the Coast Hwy, which had great views coming back down the hill.  It was nice to work up an appetite. 

Looking back towards the water

We had a great breakfast at Denny's.  I had the Lumberjack Slam, which was more food than I could finish and bottomless coffee!!!  It was so hearty, I wasn't hungry again until it was dark.  They were also cool with our dog, Edna Jo, hanging out on the patio.  We spent the mid-day and afternoon at the beach.  I brought some yoga sequences, which we practiced once our bellies had digested the brunch.  We returned to our campsite after the sun was telling us that night was falling.  I sketched the image in this post right at this point.

Mosaic on the Pedestrian Bridge

That night, we located the camp host and got three bundles of firewood.  At some point, we took showers.  We fed in a $10 bill and got a big handful of tokens.  Each token was 2 minutes.  I used 4 tokens for a great shower.  When you live in a tiny house, the campshower seems huge and luxurious.  On one side of us, there was no campers, but on the other side was a huge group of friendly, happy people.  It was great to share the space with such a positive bunch.

We walked to the Del Taco and got a Fiesta Pack.  There was outdoor seating and it was well-lit.  We ate burritos and tacos with our dog, Edna Jo.  We ate everything we could and then walked back for our our second fire.  

The great thing about our site was that it was a straight shot to the restroom.  I didn't hesitate to get up several times in the night to use the facilities.  They were clean, well-lit, and well-stocked with TP.  The RVs around us had motion-sensors on them which lit up when you walked by, which one might find annoying but I found it comforting.  

A word of caution: we were warned about a "homeless problem" so we locked our bicycles securely to our picnic table.  We also put all our gear inside the tent when we weren't around.  We did receive a visit from the sheriff (3 squad cars) that evening, but we never really got the details what was going on.  We speculated it was regarding non-paying visitors to the campground.

Beach access from our campground

The next morning, we realized that there were only two options for us to get back to LA.  One train was at 7am and the other was at 4pm.  We didn't wake up until after 7am so we planned to hang out and pack up by noon, when we were required to check out.  We went over to the McDonald's for a late breakfast, now that a limited breakfast menu is served all day.  That was the perfect fuel we needed to head back to San Juan Capistrano.

We let Edna Jo run around at the dog park for a bit.  Then we hung out at the Metrolink station.  It's right by the Mission and there are lots of boutiques and cafes.  It was a great spot for people watching.  We saw a wedding party and many people came over to pet Edna and chat the hours away.

San Juan Capistrano Amtrak/Metrolink Station

In conclusion, it was a great trip.  I would highly recommend cyclecamping at this site to anyone.