Biking on the Pacific Coast Highway

The beautiful Pacific Coast Highway is one of my favorite biking routes where I ride on the weekends. The scenic coastal views and mild weather just can't be beat. Usually my ride which takes me from Oxnard to Malibu, is a stress relieving experience. One particular Saturday, it was anything but relaxing.

It was a Saturday in the middle of winter. Being off-season, car traffic was light. The weather was typical Southern California mild. Riding my bike with the wind blowing through my hair, I felt invigorated. Inhaling the scent from the ocean breeze and feeling the mild sun on my back, I was thoroughly enjoying the beginning stretch of my 90 mile ride. By the time I reached Point Mugu, I was in my zone. Cycling at my ideal speed, my mind was clear and free of stressful thoughts. This was going to be a good day.

As I got about half-way through my route, my adrenaline kicked in. I was high on life. Feeling the sea breeze blowing through my hair, my legs pumping, there was not a thought going through my mind. I was at peace.

Thump! Ouch! The pain in my back brought me out of my zone. I knew immediately what happened when I heard laughter. I looked behind me and saw three teenage boys bent over laughing across the highway. Unfortunately this wasn't an uncommon experience. Some of the local teens get a kick out of throwing stuff at the cyclists. This was however, the first time one of those teenage thrown items actually hit me. Without even a seconds thought, I grabbed my water bottle and flung it at my attackers. This is where things went bad. In the process of flinging my water bottle behind me, I failed to notice that my bike had veered close to the cliff. Feeling the change in terrain, I quickly turned back around and noticed my tires riding the edge of the cliff. Now, I know that panicking is the worst thing to do in dangerous situations, but never-the-less, panic is what I did. Instead of steering myself away from the cliff, my natural reaction was to lean away from it. I leaned my body away from it, lost my balance and fell right off of that cliff.

Thankfully, the drop off of the cliff, from the highway down to the beach, wasn't far. Far enough for me to scream mind you. After my screaming fall that threw me on the beach, I found myself lying on the sand with my bike on top of me, wheels still spinning. "Are you okay?" I look up, sun in my eyes, to see a park ranger standing on the cliff looking down at me. "I think so." I said as I lifted my head and looked at myself to evaluate my situation. "Don't move. I will be right down to help you."

The park ranger quickly hiked down to where I was. He lifted my bike off of me and looked me over. "Do you hurt anywhere?" he asked. "I think I am just bruised. I'm okay." I said, still shaken up. After looking me over, the park ranger was satisfied that I was not seriously injured. He was quite a nice fellow and helped me back up to the highway as he carried my bike for me. He laughed with me and made light of the situation. I was starting to feel better. I guess it was kind of funny, I thought.

When we got back up to the highway, I assured the park ranger that I was able to get back on my bike and ride. The park ranger waited as I dusted myself off and checked out my bike. Fortunately my bike remained unharmed. I decided that I would end my ride for the day and head back to Oxnard, instead of continuing on. I expressed my gratitude for the mans help and got back on my bike. My foot was on the pedal. I was just about ready to ride, when I feet a hand on my shoulder. "Just one more thing." the park ranger said. "We are serious about keeping the environment clean. Throwing a water bottle is littering. I am going to have to give you a ticket." His hand reached out and handed me a ticket. I started to speak, but then quickly stopped myself. I snatched the ticket out of his hand and rode off.

This was not the day I had hoped for. What started out as a peaceful ride turned into bicyclist road rage on my part. Teenagers throw something at me. I don't think they got a ticket! I throw something back and I end up lying on the ground embarrassed and bruised. And I get a ticket! The worst part is I don't even think my water bottle hit those teenagers. They definitely got the last laugh.