Old Town San Diego Remote Weekend

BASICS:
THREE RIDES OFFERED

Ride #1 - 9:45 AM SATURDAY MORNING
Oceanside to Encinitas or Solana Beach
Ride Start: Oceanside Transportation Center (Metrolink/Coaster Station)
Catch SB Coaster train at Solana Beach @ 11:01
= 1 hour 20 minutes to ride 15.7 miles ( >12 mph)
Route Slips (2cc on 1 sheet - tear horizontally)
15.7 miles +389/-376 ft - (Option 1c)
Short Cut - Catch SB Coaster train at Encinitas: @ 10:55
11.9 miles in 1:15 <10 mph) (Option 1b)
Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/39322864

Ride #2 - 1:00 PM SATURDAY AFTERNOON
Ocean Beach, Mission Beach, Pacific Beach & Mission Bay
Ride Start: Washington Square in the Plaza of Old Town
w3w: global.asset.quick
Route Slips (2 on 1 sheet) (8/17/22)
22.9 miles +330/-346 ft
Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/39322515
Route ends at Casa Guadalajara for a cold beer, glass of Sangria or a Margarita… and dinner… if seating is impossible we may need to go elsewhere. First one there; get a few tables on the patio for the rest of us!

Ride #3 - 8:30 AM SUNDAY MORNING
San Diego Bay: Downtown, Coronado, Silver Strand, Imperial Beach, Chula Vista,
Ride Start: Old Town Transit Center
w3w: shadow.insert.snake
Route Slips (1 on 1 sheet: Fold don’t cut) (5/8/22)
32 miles +/- 532 ft
Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/39189078
Catch ferry to Coronado at mile 3.9 - on water 1.5 miles ($7 fare) (not the bay tour)

TRAINS & FERRY SCHEDULE:

SATURDAY
Leg 1: OC to Oceanside on Metrolink SATURDAY MORNING
IEOC 857 from Irvine @ 8:43 to Oceanside (or catch the 857 later from MV/LN, SJC or San Clemente…or earlier Tustin, Santa Ana, Orange or Anaheim CANYON! )
9:41 Arrive in Oceanside - 55 minutes for breakfast before the Coaster 674

Leg 2: Oceanside to Old Town on Coaster SATURDAY MORNING
Coaster 674 from Oceanside @ 10:36 to Old Town Transit Center
Coaster 674 from Encinitas @ 10:55 to Old Town Transit Center
Coaster 674 from Solana Beach @ 11:01 to Old Town Transit Center
3 zones: $6.50 regular, $3.25 Seniors
11:31 Arrive in Old Town

SUNDAY
Leg 3: San Diego Broadway Pier to Coronado on SUNDAY MORNING
Ferry @ 9:00 to Coronado at mile 3.9 - $7 fare (not the bay tour)

Leg 4: Old Town to Oceanside to Old Town on Coaster SUNDAY AFTERNOON
Coaster 679 from Old Town @ 3:27 to Oceanside
3 zones: $6.50 regular, $3.25 Seniors
4:22 Arrive in Oceanside: Have an early dinner while waiting for the Metrolink 667

Leg 5: OCEANSIDE to OC on Metrolink SUNDAY EVENING
OC 667 from Oceanside @ 5:36 to Union Station
6:34 Arrive in Irvine
(earlier stops @ San Clemente, SJC, MV/LN and later stops @ Tustin, SA & Orange)

Metrolink Fares: $10 Weekend Day Pass is good for a round trip, but one way fare may be less than $10 and 65+ gets 1/2 price discount…
Irvine to Oceanside is $11, $5.50 Senior even less.
Irvine and beyond WILL save with $10 weekend day pass
unless eligible for the 50% Senior rate
Laguna Niguel/Mission Viejo, SJC, San Clemente are all less than $10 so the day pass is not a help, but if 65+ save 50%. ie Dev is $12.50 from Orange so a $10 day pass will be less. Bill is 65 so 1/5 price $6.25 will be less.
Metrolink’s App works well on smart phone or buy tickets at kiosk just before boarding.
Tickets must be purchased the same day and $10 weekend day pass only is an option on weekends.

Coaster Fares: We will be traveling 3 zones: $6.50 regular, $3.25 Seniors 65+
Coaster tickets can be purchased at the station vending machines (MC/Visa/cash) or online @ gonctd.com as a “Coaster 3 Zones” just before boarding. Coaster tickets can be purchased on their PRONTO app but @ $7.50 & no senior discount offered.

Flagship Ferry Tickets: Tickets can be purchased in advance, or before boarding

Amtrak options:
IF you want to train home after dinner Saturday, there are Amtrak train running north but you can not take your bike unless you have a pre-booked ticket showing you have a bike, and they limit how many bikes may be loaded, so it may not work out as well as Coaster & Metrolink do where all bikes are welcome.

No-Train DRIVING Options: You can also Drive to Old Town & meet us at 1pm to ride Mission Bay, Drive home after dinner or stay the night…
and/or drive down EARLY Sunday & meet us at the Old Town Transit Center at 8am to ride at 8:30.

Saturday Dinner:

RSVPs so far (as of 8/16/22)
2 Alvarez, Mike & April
3 Gray, Laurie
5 Hutchinson, Neal & Candi
7 Lumaya, Ed & Kathy
8 McHenry, Bob
10 Murphy, David & Marsha
11 Poorman, Penny
12 Reynard, Fran
14 Sellin, Bill & Dev
15 Wrensch, Erik
16 Yanes-de-Gange, Blanca

The ride route ends at Casa Guadalajara for a cold beer, glass of Sangria or a Margarita… and dinner. Old Town gets busy on summer weekends so we may have to wait in line for patio tables at Casa Guadelajara (first option) or may scout out & find other places that can fit us in. We will set up a group text so we can text each other if we find another location; first ones to get to the restaurant for dinner, start putting in a name for several tables!

5:30 Gather for early dinner on the patio of Casa Guadalajara
w3w: petal.emerge.cone
Google: https://goo.gl/maps/Q5V5YiscrWoWryiu5

If not on the list above, please RSVP for a seat at dinner when you sign in for the ride(s)

Complete Details:

Ride Metrolink train to Oceanside, Bicycle 16 miles to Solana Beach (or not) & take the Coaster train to Old Town San Diego. Find your inn & drop off your bags, (pack light - carry a daypack or bag on your bike) then enjoy a 23 mile afternoon ride around Mission Bay before dinner and check-in for the night.
Ride back to Old Town Sunday morning to meet up and ride 37 miles to downtown San Diego to catch the Ferry ($7) across the bay to Coronado. Check out the historic Coronado Inn and then ride the loop around the bay, returning to Downtown & on back to Old Town San Diego.
Fetch your baggage at your motel & ride the short distance back to Old Town Station to catch the NB Coaster train 679 at 3:20. We will have until 5:36 to grab dinner in Oceanside & catch the Metrolink 667 @ 5:36 back to Irvine.

Saturday
OPTION 1 -
8:30 Meet up at the Irvine Train Station
8:43 IEOC 857 from Irvine to Oceanside (or catch the 857 from MV/LN, SJC or San Clemente…or Tustin, SA or Orange! )
9:41 Arrive in Oceanside - 55 minutes for breakfast before the Coaster 674

OPTION 1a - Hang out - breakfast in Oceanside waiting tor
10:36 Board Coaster 674 from Oceanside to Old Town Transit Center

OPTION 1b - start riding south & race the train to Encinitas 9:41 to 10:55 = 1 hour 11 minutes to ride 11.9 miles (>10 mph)
Route Slips (2cc on 1 sheet)
11.9 miles shortcut
Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/39322864
10:55 Board Coaster 674 from Oceanside at Encinitas

OPTION 1c - start riding south & race the train to Solana Beach 9:41 to 11:01 = 1 hour 20 minutes to ride 15.7 miles ( >12 mph)
Route Slips (2cc on 1 sheet)
15.7 miles +389/-376 ft
Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/39322864

11:01 Board Coaster 674 from Oceanside at Solana Beach

OPTION 2 -
Drive from home to Old Town Station; (skip the trains) to make the 1pm ride start.

11:31 Coaster 674 from Oceanside arrives in Old Town
Ride to your motel & drop backpack until later check in, grab a light lunch, explore Old Town …

1:00 Gather at the flagpole in Washington Square in the Plaza of Old Town & RIDE MISSION BAY
w3w: global.asset.quick
Google: https://goo.gl/maps/AonjD6qAFjovwQhB6

Route Slips (2 on 1 sheet)
23.9 miles +340/-356 ft
Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/39322515
Ride ends at Casa Guadalajara for a cold beer, glass of Sangria or a Margarita… and dinner.

5:30 Gather for early dinner on the patio of Casa Guadalajara

7:00 Ride (or walk or hail a ride) back to your lodging… the farthest hotel is Best Western Seven Seas at 2 miles, Comfort Inn a bit over 1/2 mile… or take Amtrak back to OC…

7:26 sun set - be back at hotel or have lights to ride after sunset!

Sunday (Spend the night or drive down EARLY Sunday morning)

Just the Day: Drive to San Diego & park at Old Town Transit Center
Breakfast, check out, leave back pack at lodging until later…
8:30 Meet up at the Old Town Transit Center & RIDE SAN DIEGO BAY
w3w: shadow.insert.snake
Google: https://goo.gl/maps/o3a7s61tqPa4nPWX9
Route Slips (1 on 1 sheet: Fold don’t cut) (5/8/22)
32 miles +/- 532 ft
Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/39189078
9:00 Catch ferry to Coronado at mile 3.9 - on water 1.5 miles ($7 fare) (not the bay tour)
From the Coronado side we will have a spectacular view of Downtown, can visit the historic Hotel Coronado, ride the ‘strand’ to the southern end of the shallow bay, grab a cold brew coffee at Trident in Imperial Beach, visit Bayside Park, have a side trip option to visit the San Diego Bay National Wildlife Refuge visitor center and grab a snack & hot coffee at The Rambler in Chula Vista, and return to Down Town, ride the ‘Embarcadero’ and on back toward Old Town.
The route is only 37.1 miles - including 1.5 miles on the ferry, and if running out of time or energy, the local light rail has stations along the route to cut the ride short & take the light rail back to Down Town or all the way back to Old Town.
Grab a lunch, and explore Old Town, and fetch your bag from your lodging before the train north:
3:27 Coaster 679 from Old Town to Oceanside
4:22 Arrives in Oceanside: Have an early dinner while waiting for the Metrolink
5:36 OC 667 from Oceanside to Irvine
6:34 Arrive in Irvine (after stops in San Clemente, SJC, MV/LN and later stops at Tustin, SA & Orange)

Buy your own tickets for Metrolink to Oceanside, Coaster from Oceanside or Encinitas or Solana Beach, Ferry to Coronado, Coaster back to Oceanside Sunday, Metrolink back to where you started, plus your own meals, drinks and lodging… pack light (ie Panniers or Daypack) that you can ride with from train to lodging & back. If anyone drives down Sunday we can stash luggage in their car at the station if not able to leave it at your lodging until after the ride.

LODGING:

You are on your own to select a bed: There are several options within a short ride of Old Town: There are everything from budget motels to nice hotels along “Hotel Circle Drive” just blocks away north of Old Town, (the Best Western Seven Seas is farthest & just 2 miles from Casa Guadalajara) and there are a few located just south of Old Town. Bill & Dev are booked at the Comfort Inn just 1/2 mile from the train station & Old Town Washington Square. Marsha & Dave are at the Old Inn just across the 5 freeway from Old Town.