When our dear friends, Kathy and Don suggested that we meet them in California for a mid-winter cycling holiday, we immediately said, “Yes!” Saying “yes” has been our mission statement for almost everything since the pandemic. We decided to extend the trip and add some golf to both ends of the cycling week and voila, we had a two-week winter escape planned. As we packed for our trip, I sang out an old camp favourite song, California Dreamin’ by the Mamas and the Papas: “All the leaves are brown, and the sky is grey. I’ve been for a walk on a winter’s day. I’d be safe and warm if I was in L.A….” I couldn’t wait to escape the cold, snowy days of our Canadian winter.

Snow was in the air when we finally took off for sunny California in mid-February. Our early morning Air Canada flight was delayed for unknown reasons (quickly becoming the norm), extending what was already a long journey (5 1/2 hours of flying) followed by a three-hour drive to the Coachella Valley, where we were having a mini-vacation before meeting up with our friends and our Backroads group.

As we drove east towards the desert, we were mesmerized and surprised by the beautiful and snow-capped mountain range surrounding L.A. On previous trips to L.A., always in November, there wasn’t snow on the mountains. We saw fields and fields of wind turbines capturing the wind in the desert between L.A. and Palm Springs, each one providing clean and reliable electricity to more than 1500 homes. Paul insisted that we stop at In N Out Burger, a Californian fast-food institution, known for their famous burgers and fries. I relented, hungry and knowing that we would be burning plenty of calories in the days ahead. I have to admit that my burger and fries tasted pretty darn good! Next door was the In N Out Burger University, a training centre. This brought a smile to my face as it reminded me of my Dad, whose career was in hamburgers. His diplomas from Whopper University and Hamburger University are proudly displayed above his desk and some of his happiest memories are of his early days at McDonald’s Canada.

At last, we arrived at the understated gates of Sensei-Porcupine Ridge, where we were staying for the first four nights of our vacation. Don had recommended this place and we decided to splurge and experience this exclusive retreat. What a special place- golfers, put this one on your bucket list! The property is owned by Larry Ellison, the founder of Oracle and when his family is not there, it is a boutique hotel. We both had to show our photo identification to enter the gates, a security measure to keep out anyone who is not a guest or staff member. The attendant suggested that we drive slowly and observe the modern sculptures that lined the driveway, by Keith Harring, Janie Plensa and Yoshitomo Nara, as we headed to the main building to check-in. Certainly, interesting features to the property but not my cup of tea!

At Porcupine Ridge, the highlights for us were the golf and the hiking. The pristine 18-hole golf course may be the prettiest that we have ever played with the surrounding mountains, and gorgeous fairways lined with brilliant bougainvillea. Only a handful of golfers play each day, so that we felt like we had the course to ourselves. The attentive staff did everything possible to make us feel at home, including having our lunch delivered to us on the course. We delighted in eating our gourmet picnic lunch while sitting on the tee-box at the highest point on the course with incredible views of the remarkable 15th hole. With the next group hours behind us, we took our time, didn’t fret about pace of play, and enjoyed every moment on the course.

We had much needed massages at the luxurious spa and loved every bite (especially the shiitake mushroom salad and miso black cod) at Nobu, the resort restaurant. We greatly enjoyed one dinner at the Chef’s table, where we chatted away with the sushi chefs as they prepared their delicious works of art. I always love a hotel with an awesome hike close-by and this place did not disappoint! Taking advantage of the cool mornings, after breakfast, we headed up the empty fairways and onto the hiking trails. One morning we hiked to the peak of the hotel’s trail, scurried over a fallen fence, and reached the summit of a local hike called The Bump and Grind. A family of big horn sheep stared at us, as we made our way down the trail and took an offshoot trail to a road near our hotel. The 5 1/2 km loop (77 flights of stairs, according to my watch app) provided heart pounding climbs, astounding views of the Coachella Valley, and plenty of Instagram moments.

After four glorious days, it was time to make our way to Santa Barbara, north of L.A., where we would be meeting our Backroads group. That night we met up with Don and Kathy who had just arrived from Toronto. Don is a lover of great food and is an organizer (I love when someone else carries the clipboard) and had booked a dinner for all of us at Toma Restaurant and Bar, a short walk from the hotel and located along the scenic Santa Barbara boardwalk. We had a very enjoyable evening catching up with our old friends, all of us eagerly anticipating the days ahead.

At last, it was time to gather with our Backroads group and meet our fellow travelers. It was a much larger group this time with 23 guests, two guides and two back-up guides. Remarkably, seven of us were from Toronto (most often we are the only Canadians in the group), with one of the couples also being from our Kingsway neighbourhood (we didn’t know them but had many mutual acquaintances) and one fellow who Don knew from his Stoney Lake golf club. What a small world! The rest of the group were all Americans, except for one man from Italy. As our team of guides loaded the vans, we started to get to know our fellow travelers, sharing where we were from and exchanging travel stories.

We had arrived in “The American Riviera” and the first stop on our cycling adventure was Los Alomos, in California’s Central Coast Wine Country, north of Santa Barbara. It was early spring in Southern California, a far cry from the depths of winter and snowy February weather we had left behind in Toronto. The forecast for our week of cycling was not good- heavy rain was forecasted for most of the week, just as the region was recovering from a relentless atmospheric river the week before. In the days prior to the trip, Don sent Paul countless worried texts about the impending weather. Somehow, Paul and I have horseshoes when it comes to travel and weather, so when we woke up to blue skies and sunshine on our first morning, we smiled knowingly (our lucky streak was with us), then we sighed with relief.  

More than half the group had selected e-bikes, yet we continue to choose analog roads bikes, energized by the challenges of rigorous exercise and the highs of completing a difficult climb powered by our own bodies.  From the start, our peloton of cyclists was spread out and the competitor in me struggled with not always being near the front of the pack. I reminded myself that being the tortoise, not the hare, is okay, as the e-bikers passed me going up the rolling hills. Surprisingly, Paul’s bike broke in the first 5 km of the first day, putting us at the back of the pack right from the start. Paul suggested that I go ahead, as he waited for our team to fix his bike.

With no other riders in sight, I heavily relied on my bike’s Wahoo GPS to find my way, as I marveled at the views of the distance foothills, brilliant green grass, flowering trees and sprouting crops. I took in deep breaths of the fresh country air, tackling the rolling hills, hoping that Paul’s bike was fixed, and he was not too far behind me. I knew that he could catch up with me eventually, fearlessly flying down hills while I cautiously applied my brakes. As I glided into our lunch spot, one of many vineyards in the area, Paul was nowhere in sight. I joined Kathy and Don for a sumptuous outdoor lunch and just as we were finishing, Paul arrived with his repaired bike. Not a great start, yet c’est la vie!

Paul and I opted for the longer route to the Fess Parker Wine Country Inn in Los Olivos. Backroads always offers a choice of routes and with strong hints of inclement weather on the horizon, most of our group chose to head directly to the hotel. Soon our hearts were pounding on a steep climb, with rewarding views at the top. The roads were quiet, as we pedaled through the foothills of farms and vineyards in Ballard Canyon. Just as a gentle rain started coming down, Paul called out from behind me, “My tire just blew!” I couldn’t believe it. Our last cycling trip had been in Southeast Asia, where we had dodged potholes and mudpuddles and we had no issues with our bikes. Yet here we were in California, the home of Backroads, and Paul’s bike had broken down twice on the first day! We sent a WhatsApp to our Backroad’s team and while Paul waited to be rescued again, I carried on. It was pouring rain by the time the van with Paul and his bike caught up with me, so without hesitation, I jumped in.

Fess Parker was the actor who played Davey Crockett and Daniel Boone during the 1950s and 60s. In the 70s, Fess Parker purchased a large vineyard near Los Olivos, and he bought the inn in 1998. Fess Parker has passed away and the inn and vineyard are now run by his family. Our beautifully decorated and very comfortable room was a welcome sight as we peeled off our wet cycling clothes and warmed up in front of the gas fireplace. Following a pre-dinner wine tasting and delicious meal at Nella Kitchen, we crashed into bed, optimistically dreaming of sunny days ahead.

There was a slight rain delay to our start the next morning before the skies cleared for the rest of the week. The original forecast had been so much worse, so we felt very lucky. As we waited out the delay, we took the opportunity to walk through the town, poke about the lovely shops and leisurely had a coffee at a sweet spot called Lefty’s. After another delicious lunch (we are never short on calories on Backroads trips, yet thankfully burn them while riding) at the Fess Parker Vineyard, we were finally ready to start our cycling day.

Today we cycled to the picturesque town of Solvang in the Santa Ynez Valley, where we felt transported to Denmark. In the early 1900s, Danish-Americans had settled here, creating a village that felt like home. Sideways, a fantastic movie starring Paul Giamatti, had been filmed in this region and in this town. We started re-watching it in bed that night, amused to see places that we had just visited. That evening was a “dinner on your own”, and Don had a reservation for the Toronto contingent at Bell’s in Los Alamos. Don had done his research ahead of time and found this French-inspired bistro, with an award-winning chef and one Michelin Star. Gotta love travelling with a foodie! Our meal was outstanding!

With relief, we woke up to sunny skies. Our group was shuttled to Goleta Beach, approximately 40 km north of Santa Barbara and the start of our day’s coastal ride. Most of the ride was on bike paths along the ocean, with the occasional sojourn into beachside neighbourhoods. I kept my eye out for movie stars but did not see any! The views of the ocean were spectacular as we pedaled along the mostly flat route, soaking in the Californian sunshine, taking deep breaths of the salty air, and enjoying the symphony of waves crashing on the shore. Under some waving palm trees, our guides set up a rest stop on the Santa Barbara boardwalk with fresh cut pineapple and hazelnut chocolate dip. Surfer dudes sauntered by our group, wistfully looking to join in on our feast.

Paul and I chose to do the extra 15 km loop before lunch, to see more of the area and we wanted to make the most of the perfect weather day. The route took us up into the Montecito hills and a neighbourhood famous for its residents that include Oprah, Snoop Dog and Prince Harry. It was an incredibly challenging ride that got us breathing hard, with hearts pounding and legs burning. On the downhills, my hands ached as I steadily applied the brakes, not wanting to go too fast and lose control. We met Don and Kathy at a fun Mexican restaurant on the boardwalk, before heading back up into the Montecito neighbourhood to our next hotel, the lovely Belmond El Encanto. This elegant vintage hotel was where years ago, Ronald Regan hosted his fireside chats.

We woke up early the next morning and enjoyed a delicious breakfast on the terrace of our hotel overlooking Santa Barbara that was enshrouded by a marine layer, off the Pacific Ocean. We set out on the longest ride of the week, slightly ahead of the pack, knowing that the speediest riders and those on e-bikes would quickly catch up.  We headed down the steep roads of Montecito and along the Pacific Coast Bike Path to Rincon Beach, where we met some of the group who had chosen to skip the hills and shuttle to start at this part of the route. Following a long morning cycle, our group convened on the Ventura Pier at a local taco stand for lunch. We popped into the flagship Patagonia store, before turning inland to cycle on a trail along the Ventura River to the Ojai.

The rain from earlier in the week and from the previous weeks had created some muddy sections on the bike paths. We did our best to go around the muddy parts (jokingly referred to as peanut butter by our guides), but sometimes we had no choice but to plod right on through. When our group arrived at the Ojai Valley Inn, our bikes and legs, were caked in mud- we were quite a sight! One of the guides loaded the bikes onto a trailer to take them to the local carwash to spray them down. Paul and I made our way to our beautiful room overlooking the golf course before heading to the spa for much-needed massages. That day Paul and I rode 84 kms with 3000 feet of elevation- we were pretty proud of ourselves!

We spent two days cycling in the Ojai Valley with our Backroads group. We cycled through citrus, olive, and avocado groves and by vineyards and ranches nestled within the rolling hills, between the Santa Ynez and Topa Topa mountain ranges. One day we arrived at our picnic spot and had to carefully ride through a rushing river to get to it, conveniently cleaning off mud that clung to our bikes and legs from the morning ride. We sampled Pixie Tangerines, unique to the region, picked that morning and known to be sweet, seedless, and easy to peel. We took selfies in front of oranges groves, the trees bursting with oranges. We soaked in the Californian sunshine, knowing that we were headed back to winter in just a few days.

After six remarkable days of cycling in the American Riviera, we said goodbye to our Backroads gang. We were thrilled to be staying three extra nights at this lovely resort before heading home.  The Ojai Valley Golf Course has been around for a long time and in the past had hosted seven PGA tournaments. During World War 2, the property was taken over by the US Navy and used as a training camp. We were delighted to meet up with Backroads friends (whom we met in Asia), Pam and Earl, who joined us for a round of golf and dinner. Over dinner, we made plans for our next Backroads adventure together- cycling in The Netherlands to see the tulips in April 2025.

We spent two splendid weeks in beautiful California. We looked forward to seeing our family and getting back onto the ski slopes, with a fresh surge of Vitamin D in our bodies and memories of our adventures in California in our dreams. This two-week break was just what we needed to get through the rest of the long winter. Thanks to Don and Kathy for suggesting this cycling adventure- we will say yes and travel with you anytime!