Catalina Island Biking Trip
In September 2022 I set out with Connor on his 27 foot sailboat with my gravel bike and mountain bike tied down below in the cabin.
The plan was simple:
Sail to Two Harbors on a Friday afternoon
Ride a 35 mile loop across the island on Saturday
Ride a 15 mile out-and-back stretch to Parson’s Landing on Sunday
Sail Back Sunday afternoon
Have no mechanical failures on the bikes or the boat
Although we would catch strong winds in the channel, the boat was unable to convert the power into more speed because of the dinghy in tow. That’s a reminder to not tow an inflatable dinghy in open ocean. Our bungee cord and valcrow straps held the bikes in place and we arrived in Two Harbors easily. Unlike Catalina trips in the past, there weren’t celebratory drinks. Just water and non-alcoholic beer, tomorrow as going to demand a lot from us.
I recommend doing the route by climbing from Shark Harbor up to the airport and then descending from the airport through the valley back to Shark Harbor. That’s because the climb was shorter and steeper this way and the views were nice. And when you arrive at the summit you’re right there at the airport. Otherwise, you’d reach a peak and have to keep going on really unenjoyable semi-paved road. Leave that for the descent.
The airport offers lunch - burgers and sandwiches - and to refill on water. The worst part of this 35 mile loop was going back to Two Harbors on the final climb out of Shark Harbor. It was the hottest part of the day, vans and trucks would drive past and throw trails of dust in the air, and my legs were burning just like my neck and arms. On the final downhill section overlooking Two Harbors, we could see the sailboat bobbing on the ocean that I couldn’t wait to jump in. It was on this downhill race to the finish that I was crouched down using my arms as suspension to absorb all of the bumps that I noticed the through-bolt for my front wheel was about to unscrew and come out. I guess it was all the vibrations up to that point.
On Sunday we knew the route to Parson’s Landing was much more mellow, hardly any elevation change, and less than half the distance as the day before. It’s a fun ride with nice scenery because of just pass through all the other coves and camp areas along the cliffs edge. When we reached the cove, Connor, who is much more comfortable in water than I am, suggested that we swim across a cove over to a huge rock, climb up it, and jump off. I faced my fears and we put on snorkel masks, fins, and made the journey. It was beautiful. It was freaking me out to feel that vulnerable to sea creatures without a spear or anything. But, I am easily persuaded to jump off rocks. It was all totally worth it.
On the bike ride back to Two harbors we see all the boats that visited for the weekend begin to leave, like ants marching, back towards Los Angeles. We joined the line after one more swim and were greeted by perfect sailing conditions for the whole way back.
