My good friend and BBQ teacher is retiring and moving from Ventura to Austin, so in true fashion to him, his going away party was a multi-day BBQ event up at Lake Casitas. After two days of BBQing the actual party happened on Saturday late afternoon.

My original plan was to ride from Ventura, up the beautiful Ventura River/Ojai Valley Bike Trail, to Lake Casitas. I ended driving up there with my wife and toting my bike and camping gear in the car. My BBQ teacher and his wife are some of the most gracious and generous hosts. They had incredible spread of brisket, pork ribs, pulled pork, plus all the side dishes. It was an incredible party and a perfect send off.

It was cold that night, and it was still cold in the morning. I was ill-prepared with my clothing gear. My plan was to start the day with hot coffee and a delicious breakfast burrito from the Marina Cafe. I was so cold though, all I could think of was getting moving and keep moving. The first part of the ride is really beautiful through winding canyons with regular views of different parts of the lake. All of the major climbing is within the first ten miles. I am always slow to warm up and especially when I’m literally warming up, so all the scenic pull off stops justified my mellow pace.

The next portion along Casitas Pass Rd, takes you through a unique mix of agriculture land, mostly orchards and ranch homes. This area is really quiet and rarely seen for those driving it, as it's just a pass through to get from Ojai to Carpinteria. I really enjoy finding new places that I can better see traveling at a human pace. My next planned stop was to get coffee in Carpinteria and Lucky Llama’s – last minute I decided to skip it and just push homeward.

The last section, along the Pacific Coast Bike Route, is the most known section to me. My first views of the Pacific Ocean were both welcoming and magnificent. I find as become more familiar with certain routes, that I break it into smaller landmarks. Well after the landmark of coming off the the bike and onto the PCH, I was greeted by hundreds of participants in an ongoing marathon. I have taken on this challenge once in my life. I could see the the various stages of struggle and joy in their faces. I tried to cheer on as many folks as I could. While I was tired, it became very clear the difference for me riding versus running 26 plus miles.