Santa Cruz >< Pacific Grove camping with Easy Racers "Return To Freedom" ride.

Ride from Santa Cruz to Sunset State Beach bike-camping site for 1 overnight, then ride on Sunday morning to Easy Racers' factory in Freedom for a round trip by bike to Pacific Grove and back to Freedom on Sunday with catered lunch, then ride to another overnight in Sunset Beach, and back to Santa Cruz on Monday.

Easy Racers (http://www.easyracers.com) is the oldest continuously operating manufacturer of recumbent bicycles, continuously building touring recumbent bicycles since 1978, longer than anyone else in the world. They are located in Freedom, which is a pseudo-town adjacent to Watsonville, California. Easy Racers bikes have won many speed contests, including one for the first fully human-powered vehicle to exceed 65 miles per hour on a flat course, but their main draw for riders today is their ergonomic design, aerodynamics, and comfort. So they're an interesting piece of bicycle history which still is alive and well today. One of their bikes is even in the Smithsonian Institution.

This year, they are having a fun ride (the "Return To Freedom" ride) from their factory/showroom/museum next to the Watsonville airport to Pacific Grove for a catered lunch on the beach. You don't need a recumbent bike to join the ride, but if you have one, any brand, that would be great. I will be riding an Easy Racers designed recumbent from my home in Santa Cruz, and camping overnight on the way there and back, to combine with the Return To Freedom. Here's the route between Santa Cruz and Sunset State Beach: Santa Cruz to Sunset State Beach with elevation profile (http://www.mapmyride.com/us/santa-cruz-ca/intro-to-bike-touring-sunset-state-beach-route-66657622).

What's a recumbent bicycle and why would anyone want one? Watch this video from the 1992 promotional videocassette tape by the founder and his mate:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXYOoQlY-KY

In a nutshell, I expect the camping trip to begin in Santa Cruz on Saturday at 1:00pm, ride to Sunset State Beach, set up our tents in the hike/bike site there, spend 1 night, get up Sunday morning, eat, pack, and ride to Easy Racers Inc, look at their museum of Easy Racers bikes, then go with their group. Sunday, after the included lunch in PG, we would either ride to Veterans Memorial Park in Monterey, where there is hike/bike camping, or ride back to Sunset SB, for camping Sunday night, and either way, return to Santa Cruz on Monday. Bike camping fee is about $6 per person per night, paid at the entry kiosk.

How to Get to Starting Location: I can provide parking at my home in Santa Cruz for 6 to 8 vehicles, or you can come by public transit. Take Amtrak or Caltrain to the San Jose Diridon Station, then take the Highway 17 Express (http://www.scmtd.com/en/routes/system-map/systemschedule/17/20144?dir=2&schedule=6) bus to Santa Cruz Metro bus station. Those who come by car will meet with the others at the Metro station as we ride out.

Here's a video of a ride along the beautiful and varied scenery of the Monterey Peninsula Coastal Trail (http://www.traillink.com/trail/monterey-peninsula-recreational-trail-(monterey-bay-coastal-trail).aspx), along which the Easy Racers ride will go:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13pNw1j_2jc

and here's that rider's description of that video's route (not necessarily the same exactly as the one to be chosen by Easy Racers): Monterey: Peninsula Coastal Rec Trail-17 Mile Dr-Fort Ord Dunes (http://yurides.wordpress.com/2014/02/27/monterey-peninsula-coastal-rec-trail-17-mile-dr-fort-ord-dunes/)

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Important Notice: The Organizer, Assistant Organizers, and Event Organizers in this group are not professional leaders or guides. By signing up for a trip, or any other event organized by this group, you are acknowledging you are aware of the risks, dangers and hazards associated with the activity and freely accept and fully assume all such risks, dangers and hazards, and further agree to release and discharge the Organizer, Assistant Organizers, and Event Organizers of the NorCal Bicycle Touring and Camping Meetup Group against any and all liability arising from your participation in the group activities.

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Read these Safety Notes for Riders (https://www.meetup.com/norcal-biketouring/pages/Safety_Notes_for_Riders/) and this FAQ (https://www.meetup.com/norcal-biketouring/pages/FAQ/). You can find some helpful ideas in these Touring Tips & Knowledge (https://www.meetup.com/norcal-biketouring/messages/boards/forum/1470636).