Road and Trail Closures in South County on 9/23/12

As a public safety message reminder from yesterday’s OC Register regarding road closures in the south county:

The following roads and trails will be closed to the public between the hours of 06:00 thru 13:00:

  • San Juan Creek Bike Trail  – closed between Doheny State Beach and Calle Arroyo
  • La Novia Avenue  – closed between San Juan Creek Road and Calle Arroyo

Also being closed from 06:30 to 09:30 is: Northbound La Pata Avenue

Ortega Highway, traffic will be reduced to one lane between Avenida Siega and Antonio Parkway from 6:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

The Eastbound Ortega Highway from Antonio Parkway to El Cariso Village will be closed from 06:30 to 12:30.

Not mentioned from the Register is that there was/is signage through Doheny Beach and Campground as well as the protected bike lane from Beach to Capistrano indicating that that they also will be closed until 16:00.

If you’re trying to get some miles in for the OC Gran Fondo, ride elsewhere, or take PCH straight through Dana Point and into San Clemente. Marguerite to Avery to  Camino Capistrano to Del Obispo will get you there from the inland county, or you could take Marguerite all the way to Ortega to work your way through traffic to Del Obispo.

If you go out on PCH the problem will be on the return if the protected area is still closed because your access to Harbor is cutoff unless you take the sidewalk from Palisades / Beach, or ride the on ramp (watch for traffic coming from the right at the gore point) back onto PCH. Or, you could have a real workout and take a left at the dreaded Stonehill and take it through the rollies to Niguel, or take the easy way by turning left on Del Obispo (which turns into Harbor after crossing PCH) so you have the option of climbing PCH, Golden Lantern, or for extra bonus points, Cove.

We earlier looked at both websites for the City of Dana Point and San Juan Capistrano for guidance regarding closures and found nothing posted at the time. We are concerned because the current closures differ materially from the “strongly discourage” language used previously as can be seen in our original post about the event here. Each City referred our inquiry to the promoter, who assures us that:

“We have worked diligently with all agencies & cities to obtain permits for the use of trails, streets and a highway and to provide comprehensive advanced notification to the residents of Dana Point & San Juan Capistrano (and beyond).”

..so maybe we’re getting worked up over nothing because we didn’t get the memo.

Plan your routes carefully – it looks like a warm weekend and all the popular and safe southern routes are out of play this Sunday.

Saturday be aware of car parking and extra traffic at Trestles for the Surfing Championship.

Finally, the injured rider from last Thursday the 13th was registered to be in Sunday’s Tri, We’ve  asked that her entrance fee be refunded from the promoter. We’ll let you know his response when we receive it.

Doheny Days and Bikes

Wow, what a weekend! Let’s see, there was the Amtrack Century, the Pacific Coast Triathlon (results here), Doheny Days (daze?), and the Tall Ships Festival in Dana Point. Being a hot day and feeling lazy, our reporter cruised over to Dana Point and submits these pictures as evidence that he was there and not in Long Beach attending the CNU Transport Summit.

The first two were taken at the end of the harbor where there is an apparent lack of good cycle parking facilities. A few requisite pictures of tall ships and pirates, but no wenches were found on the benches.

Vehicle Parking

Authorized Vehicle Parking

Schwinn Cruisers Docked

Schwinn Cruisers Docked

Tall Ship 1

Tall Ship 1

Tall Ships

Tall Ships

Jack?

Jack?

Pirates!

Pirates!

Tall Ships

Tall Ships

Pirate Patrol

Pirate Patrol

Pirates at Rest

Pirates at Rest

Leaving the end of the harbor, a Bike Valet sign was spotted at the beach. Curious he sought out the oasis for bikes and found it mostly empty until two hours later when it was filling fast!

Shady Cycles

Shady Cycles

Room for More

Room for More

High Sea Fun

High Sea Fun

Filling Up

Filling Up

How Many Cars?

How Many Cars?

Bike Entry

Bike Entry

Perhaps nothing better illustrates the purchasing power of the cyclist community than seeing their number reflected in the bike pen. Each bike represents a paid admission to the event and attendant purchases (food, drink) in less square footage, with zero pollution, and a smile on darn near every face riding in.  Compare with a full parking lot, side streets overflowing, and shuttles having to run throughout the day getting drivers to and from their cars.

Our thanks to the folks at the Irvine Lake Mud Run and Doheny Days for putting on the bike valet service.  The sound of the cowbell as tips found their way into the tip jar was encouraging.  For those that missed out on the dirty fun of mud running – don’t despair, 10/13/12 marks the inaugural  mud run at the Santa Fe Dam just at the end of the SGRT! Riding and dirty running – oh yeah!

Orangeman Triathlon

Title: Orangeman Triathlon
Location: Dana Point
Link out: Click here
Description: Doheny State Beach – bike through the cities of Dana Point & San Juan Capistrano towards the turnaround that sits near the top of the majestic Ortega Highway..(SR-74) will be closed in both directions from 7:30am to 12:15pm.

Start Time: 05:00
Date: 2012-9-23
End Time: 16:45

We asked the organizers if it would be possible for locals to ride Ortega before the event like from 6 to 7am, and the response is no you may not. In fact, according to the organizers,” The CHP is aware that anyone not wearing an event sanctioned bib number/timing chip will be cited. In summary, this is theft and as much as we love cyclists, it would be a better idea for them to form a relay team and pay registrations fees like all the other participants. ”

In addition, early riders wishing to use the San Juan Creek Bike Trail are advised  from the Details page:
10. The bike course has been designed for your safety and enjoyment. The San Juan Creek Bike Trail will be staffed with trained volunteers to discourage general public use and encourage safe cycling. Ortega Highway (SR-74) will be closed in both directions from 7:30am to 12:15pm. <our emphasis>

Make your ride plans accordingly. Del Obispo can be used if you don’t mind a little street traffic to get to and from Dana Point.

The Orangeman Triathlon supports two charities that will benefit from this event; the Doheny State Beach Interpretive Association, and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southwest County (Lake Elsinore, Temecula, Murrieta).

Good Luck to all the racers!

Doheny Surf Festival This Weekend

Wondering where to ride this weekend?

Doheny Surf Festival

We suggest a coastal route to beat the heat, perhaps to the Dana Point Doheny Surf Festival.  Admission to the event is free except for the concert area; which requires the purchase of a ticket.  Since the stage will be facing the ocean (no doubt to keep “noise” levels down to a dull roar), it might be tempting to paddle out and play with Flipper or dance with a whale while grooving to the tunes.

The two day event is a fundraiser to support local State Parks and beaches, and discount tickets are still available . Since the money raised will stay here in SoCal, it’s almost like paying yourself to have fun! If you have the time, 120 camp sites are available on the southern part of the 62 acre state park , and two day festival passes are available.

Planning a fall tour? This would be a great way to test your gear selection and mad camping skilz before actually heading out.

Sweepstakes

Where:
DOHENY STATE BEACH
25300 Dana Point Harbor Drive
Dana Point, CA 92629
Corner of Pacific Coast Hwy & Dana Pt Harbor Dr.

For tickets click here.

Saturday there’s also a farmers market to stock up on picnic items located in front of Hennesy’s between Bike Religion and Cyclelogical. If your bike needs attention, stop by one of these shops and tell  John or Bill we said “hi”.

Sunday’s market happens a short ride away in San Clemente at the 200 block of Seville and Avenida Del Mar (map) from 9am – 1pm.

How to get there:
By bike of course!
Here’s some ideas:

Coastal:  PCH South to Dana Point

Mid County: Irvine Center / Moulton to Crown Valley. Right to PCH, Left to Dana Point.

Inland: Antonio or Marguerite to San Juan Creek Bike Path into Doheny State Park.

For the coastal route you may choose our alternate routes through Newport and Laguna Beach.

If you have a suggested route, let us know and we’ll update with the info.

And finally, please sign the petition started by Dana Pointer Julie to create safe bike lanes in Laguna Beach. With your support we will work with both the city and CalTrans (who control different parts of the road) to find a needed balance for all road users. Thanks!

Parking: There is a very long bike rack next to the festival entrance towers.

Regular coastal riders should expect and respect the additional traffic and distractions in the area.