I believe powerful moments in time are worth a recollection of some sort. Today, I am sharing this fun memory with you. I have always enjoyed the idea of making local adventure the pinnacle of time spent outside because I believe accessibility is important to the overall experience.
I got a text from my friend Mike just before noon asking if I was down to go bikepacking “tonight,” and of course I answered “Yes!”
He said he was bringing a buddy who is getting into it. I never turn a shoulder to anyone who is keen on a new adventure.
We met up that evening, a few hours before the sun was about to set. Mike and Tanner rolled up to the Specialized Costa Mesa parking lot, a common meeting point I used for group rides back in the day.
Mike had just gotten some nifty gear to put to the test and Tanner had his camping gear bungeed between his brake lines and his handlebars.
I thought to myself “This is so bad ass and grass roots, this guy just needs to get his stuff there!”
I really admired the spontaneity and willingness to send it!
We talked about the plan, which was quite simple “Buy alcohol, set up camp, eat, sleep, return the next morning”
We made our way to Crystal Cove but not before a brief stop at the liquor store. Mike got a bottle of whiskey and I already had some hard seltzers that I planned on drinking. Just after we got onto PCH to head south to Crystal Cove, Mike and I see Tanner a few hundred feet back with his stuff all over the ground.
We had a couple laughs and made sure he was good after he caught up with us. Luckily it was just the gear coming loose and nothing was ran over by a speeding car on PCH.
After around 7 miles on PCH we made it to the Laguna Beach City border. The way we entered Crystal Cove was by crossing PCH and biking up the ever so steep Moro Ridge Road. There were a few sections we took breaks and enjoyed the insanely beautiful sunset that the evening provided us.
The climb was long and steep. We took our time and made sure each person was okay, constantly joking around and laughing together as we all wanted the climb to end.
We made it to Lower Moro Campground just as the sun was about to set past the horizon. We quickly unstrapped our bags, and opened a bevy while we set up camp just before the light escaped beyond the ocean.
We got everything set up and it was time for some whiskey and dinner. Mike had prepared a 5 star meal that consisted of Vermicelli noodles, fresh herbs, chilis, and sauces, while I had a dehydrated noodle pouch that just required me to pour hot water into it.
We all enjoyed the food, beverages, and stories we shared around the table, staying up late into the night.
It is times like these that make you forget your phone even exists, or that you are sleeping in nature an hour or so outside of Los Angeles.
We ended up in our separate quarters and we fell asleep easily to the silence that surrounded us.
Once we all woke up, everything was soaked from the marine layer, being just a mile from the ocean. Tanner decided to cowboy camp it and we quickly realized that his sleeping bag was completely soaked. We all had a bit of a laugh, not because we were shocked that this happened, but because we had to put away the soaking wet camping gear without getting it covered in dirt.
Once we had everything packed up, we descended down the steep Moro Ridge Road with grins on our face as the crisp, dewey, fall air pierced our skin.
We biked our 16 miles back to westside Costa Mesa to enjoy a warm coffee at Daydream Surf Shop. A place we reminisced of the last 12 hours biking and camping on a spontaneous bikepacking overnighter.
Leave a comment if you have anything to add or have any questions. Thank you to Mike and Tanner for the fun memories!
Photo credit to Mike Pham
The Pushbike Surfer 