Planning A California Mission Trip



R

Richard B

Guest
I am planning a self supported tour visiting all the California Missions
starting at Mission San Francisco Solano and ending at Mission San Diego
de Alcalá. I am concerned about several sections of the route.

First concern;
I will need to get from Mission San Rafael Archangel to Mission San
Francisco de Asis (Mission Dolores);
I understand there is bicycle access across the Golden Gate Bridge.
Any special requirements or schedules?

Second Concern:
Mission San Francisco de Asis (Mission Dolores) to Mission San Jose;
How do you cross the bay with a bicycle?
I understand the Oakland Bridge is closed to bicycles.
Is ths true?
Is there a truck escort or ferry I need to take?

Third concern:
Mission San Antonio de Padua to San Miguel Arcángel to San Luis Obispo
de Tolosa;
This 80+ mile section crosses Fort Hunter Liggett Military Reservation
through what appears to be some fairly remote country:
Is there somewhere to camp? Perhaps at the San Antonio Mission.
Are there stores or other places to buy food along the way?
Are there places to get Water along the way?

Fourth Concern:
Camp Pendelton;
Is there still bicycle access across the base or will I be forced to
ride on the freeway?
If I can cross the base, do I need to make prior arrangements.

Any sgestions would be appreciated.

Thnx, Rich
 
On Thu, 26 Jan 2006 05:56:01 -0000, Richard B
<[email protected]> wrote:

>Camp Pendelton;
>Is there still bicycle access across the base or will I be forced to
>ride on the freeway?
>If I can cross the base, do I need to make prior arrangements.

You ride Fort Pendelton. Bring a photo id.
 
Crossing the Golden Gate Bridge: - It's open all day. I think they
close the gate late into the night to prevent jumpers.

SF TO San Jose
Cross on Dumbarton Bridge (hwy 84) further SOuth. OR if you're not a
purist, you can take BART all the way to San Jose

Good luck on your trip. I've always wanted to do a Mission to Mission
ride. They should develop it like a pligrimage ride comparable to
Spain's CAmino de Santiago Ride.

Will be waiting for your trip report.

J
 
Richard B wrote:

> Mission San Antonio de Padua to San Miguel Arcángel to San Luis Obispo
> de Tolosa;
> This 80+ mile section crosses Fort Hunter Liggett Military Reservation
> through what appears to be some fairly remote country:
> Is there somewhere to camp? Perhaps at the San Antonio Mission.
> Are there stores or other places to buy food along the way?
> Are there places to get Water along the way?

I just did a research drive through Hunter Liggett for an upcoming
Big Sur multi-day trip in October.

There is a small military village near the Mission San Miguel, where
there is a civilian gas station with a mini-mart and bathrooms. You
should be able to get water there. The guard at the main gate gave
me a map of the village. If you send me an e-mail, I'll scan it and
send you a copy. The map also shows a snack bar. FYI, the main gate
is about 18 miles from King City.

The guard, who was very helpful, told me to call the police station
for more information:

831-386-2513

They should be able to tell you anything you need to know.

FYI, my AAA map shows 4 campgrounds at Lake San Antonio, about 12
miles after you leave Hunter Liggett:

http://www.kingcity.com/lakesan.html

--
Terry Morse - Undiscovered Country Tours - http://udctours.com
 
[email protected] wrote:
> Crossing the Golden Gate Bridge: - It's open all day. I think they
> close the gate late into the night to prevent jumpers.
>
> SF TO San Jose
> Cross on Dumbarton Bridge (hwy 84) further SOuth. OR if you're not a
> purist, you can take BART all the way to San Jose

Only two problems with that suggestion:

1) BART does not go to San Jose, yet.
2) Mission San Jose is not in San Jose, it is in Fremont.

- rick
 
[email protected] wrote:
> Crossing the Golden Gate Bridge: - It's open all day. I think they
> close the gate late into the night to prevent jumpers.
>
> SF TO San Jose
> Cross on Dumbarton Bridge (hwy 84) further SOuth. OR if you're not a
> purist, you can take BART all the way to San Jose

Only two problems with that suggestion:

1) BART does not go to San Jose, yet.
2) Mission San Jose is not in San Jose, it is in Fremont.

- rick
 
Richard B wrote:
> I am planning a self supported tour visiting all the California Missions
> starting at Mission San Francisco Solano and ending at Mission San Diego
> de Alcalá. I am concerned about several sections of the route.
>
> First concern;
> I will need to get from Mission San Rafael Archangel to Mission San
> Francisco de Asis (Mission Dolores);
> I understand there is bicycle access across the Golden Gate Bridge.
> Any special requirements or schedules?

They switch the side to cross on during the night. But other than that
no problem.

> Second Concern:
> Mission San Francisco de Asis (Mission Dolores) to Mission San Jose;
> How do you cross the bay with a bicycle?
> I understand the Oakland Bridge is closed to bicycles.
> Is ths true?

Yes (BTW the bridge is the Bay Bridge, not the Oakland Bridge).

> Is there a truck escort or ferry I need to take?

CalTrans runs a commuter truck/trailer to take bikes across the bridge,
but I like other options.

Better options are:
1) Take BART to east bay (Oakland, Hayward, Union City, Fremont) then
south to Mission San Jose, which is on the east side of Fremont.

2) Ride down the SF peninsula to Palo Alto, take CA Highway 84 east
across the Dumbarton Bridge (bike lane on south side) to Newark; the
bridge crossing dumps you into the Don Edwards SF Bay Wildlife Refuge.
As you exit the refuge take a left , cross over CA 84 and you are on
Paseo Padre Parkway. You can follow Paseo Padre through Fremont to
Washington, take a left at Washington and it will dump you right into
the Mission.

3) Go around the horn; go all the way south, go around the bay, then
head back north to Fremont (part of that route is my daily commute
.....).

Personally, I would go with option 2.

>
> Third concern:
> Mission San Antonio de Padua to San Miguel Arcángel to San Luis Obispo
> de Tolosa;
> This 80+ mile section crosses Fort Hunter Liggett Military Reservation
> through what appears to be some fairly remote country:
> Is there somewhere to camp? Perhaps at the San Antonio Mission.
> Are there stores or other places to buy food along the way?
> Are there places to get Water along the way?

Terry Morse gave you some answers, and a lot depends on your route. A
bigger question is your route from San Antonio de Padua to SLO. The
'scenic route' is to take Nacimiento-Ferguson Road across the Santa
Lucia's to CA Hwy 1 then take Hwy 1 down to SLO. If you go this way
there is a campground but IIRC it is north of the junction. But there
are services to the south at Gordo, Ragged Point, Piedras Blancas, San
Simeon, etc. But last summer Nacimiento-Ferguson Road was blocked due
to mudslides from last winter's storms and needed major repairs which
had not been scheduled. I would check with Monterey County on the
status of Nacimiento-Ferguson Road before getting down there. The
alternative route south towards SLO involves a lot of weaving back and
forth across US 101 in some areas that, in parts, are not all that
scenic. There are services in Jolon, and several towns along the 101
corridor. If you do have to go that way, I could suggest cutting back
to the coast on either CA Hwy 46 out of Paso Robles or CA Hwy 41 out of
Atascadero. The straight alternative involves taking US 101 through
the Cuesta Grade between Atascadero and SLO; not a particularly nice or
enjoyable section of road.

- rick
 
Richard B wrote:
> I am planning a self supported tour visiting all the California Missions
> starting at Mission San Francisco Solano and ending at Mission San Diego
> de Alcalá. I am concerned about several sections of the route.
>
> First concern;
> I will need to get from Mission San Rafael Archangel to Mission San
> Francisco de Asis (Mission Dolores);
> I understand there is bicycle access across the Golden Gate Bridge.
> Any special requirements or schedules?

They switch the side to cross on during the night. But other than that
no problem.

> Second Concern:
> Mission San Francisco de Asis (Mission Dolores) to Mission San Jose;
> How do you cross the bay with a bicycle?
> I understand the Oakland Bridge is closed to bicycles.
> Is ths true?

Yes (BTW the bridge is the Bay Bridge, not the Oakland Bridge).

> Is there a truck escort or ferry I need to take?

CalTrans runs a commuter truck/trailer to take bikes across the bridge,
but I like other options.

Better options are:
1) Take BART to east bay (Oakland, Hayward, Union City, Fremont) then
south to Mission San Jose, which is on the east side of Fremont.

2) Ride down the SF peninsula to Palo Alto, take CA Highway 84 east
across the Dumbarton Bridge (bike lane on south side) to Newark; the
bridge crossing dumps you into the Don Edwards SF Bay Wildlife Refuge.
As you exit the refuge take a left , cross over CA 84 and you are on
Paseo Padre Parkway. You can follow Paseo Padre through Fremont to
Washington, take a left at Washington and it will dump you right into
the Mission.

3) Go around the horn; go all the way south, go around the bay, then
head back north to Fremont (part of that route is my daily commute
.....).

Personally, I would go with option 2.

>
> Third concern:
> Mission San Antonio de Padua to San Miguel Arcángel to San Luis Obispo
> de Tolosa;
> This 80+ mile section crosses Fort Hunter Liggett Military Reservation
> through what appears to be some fairly remote country:
> Is there somewhere to camp? Perhaps at the San Antonio Mission.
> Are there stores or other places to buy food along the way?
> Are there places to get Water along the way?

Terry Morse gave you some answers, and a lot depends on your route. A
bigger question is your route from San Antonio de Padua to SLO. The
'scenic route' is to take Nacimiento-Ferguson Road across the Santa
Lucia's to CA Hwy 1 then take Hwy 1 down to SLO. If you go this way
there is a campground but IIRC it is north of the junction. But there
are services to the south at Gordo, Ragged Point, Piedras Blancas, San
Simeon, etc. But last summer Nacimiento-Ferguson Road was blocked due
to mudslides from last winter's storms and needed major repairs which
had not been scheduled. I would check with Monterey County on the
status of Nacimiento-Ferguson Road before getting down there. The
alternative route south towards SLO involves a lot of weaving back and
forth across US 101 in some areas that, in parts, are not all that
scenic. There are services in Jolon, and several towns along the 101
corridor. If you do have to go that way, I could suggest cutting back
to the coast on either CA Hwy 46 out of Paso Robles or CA Hwy 41 out of
Atascadero. The straight alternative involves taking US 101 through
the Cuesta Grade between Atascadero and SLO; not a particularly nice or
enjoyable section of road.

- rick
 
Rick wrote:

> The
> 'scenic route' is to take Nacimiento-Ferguson Road across the Santa
> Lucia's to CA Hwy 1 then take Hwy 1 down to SLO. If you go this way
> there is a campground but IIRC it is north of the junction. But there
> are services to the south at Gordo, Ragged Point, Piedras Blancas, San
> Simeon, etc.

That would be the route I would take. It's much nicer than the
Highway 101 area.

According to my notes, there is a campground on Nacimiento-Ferguson
Road, 14.8 miles from the junction with Jolon Road. The name of the
campground is "Ponderosa". I don't have any details on the
facilities there, but it looked pretty basic.

On Highway 1, 5.2 miles south of Nacimiento-Feruson/Highway 1
junction, is the Pickett Creek Campground. My notes say there are
bathrooms, but that's all the detail I have.

3.8 miles farther south is Gorda, with all sorts of services.
--
Terry Morse - Undiscovered Country Tours - http://udctours.com
 
Rick wrote:

> The
> 'scenic route' is to take Nacimiento-Ferguson Road across the Santa
> Lucia's to CA Hwy 1 then take Hwy 1 down to SLO. If you go this way
> there is a campground but IIRC it is north of the junction. But there
> are services to the south at Gordo, Ragged Point, Piedras Blancas, San
> Simeon, etc.

That would be the route I would take. It's much nicer than the
Highway 101 area.

According to my notes, there is a campground on Nacimiento-Ferguson
Road, 14.8 miles from the junction with Jolon Road. The name of the
campground is "Ponderosa". I don't have any details on the
facilities there, but it looked pretty basic.

On Highway 1, 5.2 miles south of Nacimiento-Feruson/Highway 1
junction, is the Pickett Creek Campground. My notes say there are
bathrooms, but that's all the detail I have.

3.8 miles farther south is Gorda, with all sorts of services.
--
Terry Morse - Undiscovered Country Tours - http://udctours.com
 
Richard wrote:

>Is there somewhere to camp? Perhaps at the San Antonio Mission.
===
Since that mission is on a semi-active military base, I doubt you can
camp there, but there is very resonably priced accomodations (and a
restaurant) right next to the Mission at the Hacienda Lodge (which used
to be William Randolph Hearst's Ranch house). Looks like rooms run as
little as $30. See http://hacienda.newhalltelecom.net/Lodging.htm.

Rick wrote:

>But last summer Nacimiento-Ferguson Road was blocked due to mudslides from last winter's storms and needed major repairs which had not been scheduled. I would check with Monterey County on the status of Nacimiento-Ferguson Road before getting down there.
===
They have a web site at
http://www.co.monterey.ca.us/publicworks/status.htm that shows the
current status of roads in the county. N-F Road was on it when it was
closed, so they do report any closure on their website.
 
Richard wrote:

>Is there somewhere to camp? Perhaps at the San Antonio Mission.
===
Since that mission is on a semi-active military base, I doubt you can
camp there, but there is very resonably priced accomodations (and a
restaurant) right next to the Mission at the Hacienda Lodge (which used
to be William Randolph Hearst's Ranch house). Looks like rooms run as
little as $30. See http://hacienda.newhalltelecom.net/Lodging.htm.

Rick wrote:

>But last summer Nacimiento-Ferguson Road was blocked due to mudslides from last winter's storms and needed major repairs which had not been scheduled. I would check with Monterey County on the status of Nacimiento-Ferguson Road before getting down there.
===
They have a web site at
http://www.co.monterey.ca.us/publicworks/status.htm that shows the
current status of roads in the county. N-F Road was on it when it was
closed, so they do report any closure on their website.
 
"Rick" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> [email protected] wrote:
> > Crossing the Golden Gate Bridge: - It's open all day. I think they
> > close the gate late into the night to prevent jumpers.
> >
> > SF TO San Jose
> > Cross on Dumbarton Bridge (hwy 84) further SOuth. OR if you're not a
> > purist, you can take BART all the way to San Jose
>
> Only two problems with that suggestion:
>
> 1) BART does not go to San Jose, yet.
> 2) Mission San Jose is not in San Jose, it is in Fremont.

On the plus side, BART does go to Fremont.
 
>> I understand there is bicycle access across the Golden Gate Bridge.
>> Any special requirements or schedules?
> They switch the side to cross on during the night. But other than that
> no problem.
> > Is there a truck escort or ferry I need to take?
> CalTrans runs a commuter truck/trailer to take bikes across the bridge,
> but I like other options.

Hi, I was wondering about riding a bike across the Golden Gate Bridge
as well.
My work schedule at my new job won't be the standard 9 to 5 any more.
I'd hate to get all the way to the bridge only to find out that I'm 5
minutes late and have to go back and go a different way.
I got a little confused. The CalTrans truck is for the bay bridge,
right? Not the Golden Gate Bridge?
For the Golden Gate bridge, you mention switching sides during the
night.
Is that documented somewhere? If there were a web site I could access
to see the schedule, I'd appreciate it.
Thanks!
 
Got it
http://goldengatetransit.org/services/BikeBrochure2001.PDF

BIKES & GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE
This is one of the most breathtakingly beautiful commutes
around. Bicyclists may access the sidewalks
of the Golden Gate Bridge 24-hours per day.
· Weekdays 5 am to 3:30 pm - east sidewalk
· Weekdays 3:30 pm to 9 pm - west sidewalk
· Weekdays 9 pm to 5 am - east sidewalk
· Weekends, Holidays 5 am to 9 pm - west sidewalk
· Weekends, Holiday 9 pm to 5 am - east sidewalk
GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE SIDEWALK RULES
!There is no toll for cyclists.
!The east sidewalk can get crowded, so please
use EXTRA caution at all times.
!Cyclists are requested to walk their bikes around
the towers. Because of the great number of people
using the sidewalks and the tight corners around the
towers, it can be very difficult to see and be able to
move quickly and safely around the
towers.
!Cyclists MUST yield to pedestrians. Most of the
pedestrians on the Bridge are visiting San Francisco.
They are not always paying attention and watching
out for you, so we ask you to watch out for them.
!Please observe any detours that may be posted.
Construction projects on and around the Bridge
create the need for detours. Please observe them for
your own safety.
!During 2001-2002, a Public Safety Railing will be
added between the roadway and sidewalks. Cyclists
should watch for construction detours associated
with this project. Once completed, the railing will
provide an added safety measure for cyclists,
pedestrians and motorists.
 
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