17 July 2004

Matt and I rode our bikes on the new state highway 56 this afternoon. It connects our neighborhood directly with Interstate 5, which runs from the border to the state of Washington. More importantly, it gives us direct access, including a bike trail, to the beach. Today, bike riders were allowed to ride right on the 4-lane highway itself, which will open to cars on Monday. We rode all the way to the beach and had dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurant, Roberto's before calling Susan to bring the bike rack and drive us home, as it was getting dark by the time we were done eating. Next time, maybe we'll try riding back on the bikes. It's 600 feet up over a 12 mile stretch (about a 1% grade), which doesn't seem so bad, compared to some of the inclines in Le Tour.

DWL