11/12 The weather for the last couple days has been a bit chillier than normal. Its been about 60 F. The wind has also been coming out of the southwest but only at 10mph or so. Riding was along the PCH again but then I was pulled off the highway and onto a bike path which ran through a state park before dumping me back out onto the road. After a couple miles I had some company though. 4 women on road bikes came up behind me and passed but one of them (Susan) hung back a little and we chatted about my trip. We talked for a while and then arrived at the gates to Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base.
I ended up being first in line behind some cars that were being “processed”. The gate was guarded by a bunch of armed Marines and I fully expected to get searched and questioned since I was riding through the base on a pretty well-loaded touring bike. Well not only didn’t I get searched, they didn’t even ask for my ID. The only question they asked was where I was heading (San Diego). No bomb sniffing dogs or medal detectors to be found. I was debating if I should even write how crappy I thought security was but I figure anyone planning to attack the base would already know what security was in place. Or maybe the lack of visible security was just a ruse and there was actually sophisticated equipment monitoring everything from my heart rate to what was in my bags using hidden scanners.
The base itself was huge at over 125,000 acres. On any given day there are over 100,000 people there. It wasn’t a long before all sorts of APCs were driving by loaded up with Marines. I opted not to take any pictures but I guess I could have since I didn’t see any signs saying I couldn’t. The road through the base passed by a town where the people stationed there shop, eat and go to school. A little past there was the housing units for the Marines and their families. It was kind of heart warming to see all the signs kids had written saying , “Welcome home Dad.”
After getting through the base I stopped in Oceanside for lunch and then it was back on the road. My only other stop was for a smoothie at a cafe in Carlsbad. I almost ended up getting the peanut butter smoothie but I couldn’t bring myself to try it. Something just seems wrong about having peanut butter on anything but bread.
Staying at San Elijo State Beach CG. Didn’t have to show my DL and the sound of the crashing waves drowned out a lot of the noise from the passing cars. All in all it wasn’t a bad place to spend the night. They had the stupid rule about not being able to check in before 4pm but I pleaded a little and the ranger running the booth called another park ranger and I got the OK to check in early (3pm). I didn’t look too much like a vagrant so that helped. Is restricting park hours really a good way to even manage a homeless problem? Doesn’t seem like it to me.
Entries (RSS)