Upcoming Bicycle Camping Trip

I've already made my reservations for two locations.

On April 6 (a Wednesday) I'll be at Lake Jennings Campground just to the east of El Cajon.  I plan to ride to work that morning in Kearny Mesa (15 miles) and that afternoon ride out to the campground (20 miles) and thus, my first day's mileage will be 35 miles.  Nice and easy; I don't anticipate a difficult ride and thus far it seems the weather will be nice.

A Really Cool Feature of Map-My-Ride

In this post I told you about Map-My-Ride which is a very useful program for planning bicycling routes because in addition to mileage it displays the severity of that route's climbs.  Believe me, when you're hauling a lot of camping gear you want no surprises when encountering steep terrain.

Another feature of Map-My-Ride is called "Course Fly-By Video."  Here's how it works:

As an example, I have mapped a route from National City (which is just below San Diego) to Green Valley Falls in the Cuyamaca Mountains.  Overall distance is some 46 miles and considering that I am riding up into the mountains there are some fairly steep climbs.

http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/30341356

A Crappy Ol' Rainy Day

Weather-wise we don't have a lot to complain about here in San Diego County.  We do get the occasional rain storm and as a bicyclist I've learned my lesson about attempting to commute 15 miles each way in the rain.

Today is that rainy day... a crappy ol' rainy day.  I always look forward to my hour and a half bicycle commute - it does wonders for clearing the head - but as it happens my commute takes me through Mission Valley.  And when it rains the roads in Mission Valley get flooded.  Last time I tried commuting in the rain I got boxed in; the whole Mission Valley area was underwater and my boss had to come fetch me in his truck.  Not something I want to make a habit of.

A crappy ol' rainy day.  Wet, drizzly, miserable.  Ugh!  The view from my front yard.

Sweetwater Regional Park & Campground

Late afternoon at Sweetwater campground.

Sweetwater Regional Park & Campground
3218 Summit Meadow Road
Bonita, CA 91902

Use fee: $24.00
Reservation fee: $5.00
Total Charge: $29.00

Strong/Lukewarm Feelings about Sleeping Bags and Sleeping Bag Pads

Coleman Taos "Extreme Weather" Sleeping Bag.  Extreme weather....?

Sweetwater Regional Park improvements are complete

By Ashly McGlone

Thursday, March 10, 2011 at 6 a.m.

San Diego Union-Tribune

Mr. Slo, What Exactly Is Bicycle Camping?

Interesting question hahaha.  Well, to me bicycle camping is as simple as riding your bicycle somewhere outdoors and hanging out and spending at least one night.  If you don’t spend the night then there’d be no way to distinguish what you’re doing from a picnic… or a rest break… or some creepy thing you do while hiding behind bushes hahaha.

San Elijo redux

Hands down my favorite campsite!

Dos Picos

Dos Picos Campground is located just to the west of Ramona.

Dos Picos campground is truly one of the loveliest facilities I've encountered in San Diego County.

Friday, March 4, 2011: Having packed all my gear I left for work as I normally do on Friday.  I traveled from National City to Kearny Mesa, a distance of some 15 miles.  

SD Bike Commuter Discount Program Launch Party

...hoping to hit this on my way home from Cardiff Sunday afternoon.